This is not another movie pitch, like most of my pieces on this website, this is something different. An opinion piece on something that I did not even know there was a problem with. So, unless you have been living under a rock for the past year, Star Wars: The Force Awakens, hit cinemas everywhere this past week, and with it, sparked a new age for this incredible franchise. However, the lead character, Rey, played by the fantastic Daisy Ridley, somehow, someway, has sparked controversy. Join me on this spoiler-filled look at Rey to discover why people indeed do not like this awesome new character.
The first time audiences lay their eyes on Ridley’s Rey; we see her face covered by a mask. I do not think this is merely a costume choice; it is something more. This is to hide something; J.J Abrams does a wonderful job at placing little references throughout his films, and Rey’s first appearance being behind a mask is no different. She’s hiding something. Her face hid, almost like a secret destined to be revealed. The Luke Skywalker-style allusions are extremely strong within the first couple of scenes. Rey, like Luke, grew up on a desert planet, a real “junkyard.” Rey, like Luke, wants more than this; she wants to be in the Resistance, akin to Luke’s desire to join Rebels. All these carefully placed innuendos develop something truly wonderful. Despite the huge similarities to Luke, like most things the masses adore, people have a problem with Rey.
One of the biggest complaints I have heard is that she is a “Mary Sue.” Now, as described by Wikipedia, “A Mary Sue is a young or low-rank person who saves the day through extraordinary abilities.” You cannot really argue that she is not a Mary Sue, but what about Harry Potter, or Katniss Everdeen? What about the greatest Star Wars character of all time, Luke, is he not a Mary Sue, or shall I say, Gary Stu? I have never heard anyone complain about how Luke can just do shit. Believe it or not, this is a real complain for Ridley’s Rey. As I previously stated, this is spoiler-filled, so please do not complain if I ruin the film for you. During the film, Rey somehow flies the Millennium Falcon, despite seemingly having no flight training in her entire life. If this was not Star Wars, and she was not so obviously the daughter of Luke Skywalker, I would have a problem with this. However, because it is a space-opera that has certain established rules and laws, I will not.
It is established in Episode I: The Phantom Menace, that the Jedi begin training children at a very young age. Now, during the film, Rey has a flashback to when she was eight or nine, and was abandoned by her “family,” Or shall we say Luke. It is also stated that Luke begun a Jedi school and would train individuals to harness the power of the Force. Rey was training to be a Jedi. But, when Ben Solo, who now goes by the name of Kylo Ren, turns rogue, Luke abandons his daughter, as a means to make sure Ren does not turn her against the Light Side of The Force, or worse. This sounds a lot like Luke Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi’s plan at the end of Episode III: Revenge Of The Sith. The similarities between Rey and Luke are legitimately insane. They are essentially the same characters. However, no one ever had a problem with Luke “doing shit” in the originals. During the scene when Kylo Ren captures Rey, it is revealed that she has been to the first Jedi Temple. Ren states, “I see it, an island in the middle of the ocean.” At the end of the film, it is revealed that the island Rey sees is actually where Luke has fled. How the hell did Rey know this you ask?
Theory time: As I just said, she has been there before. Luke must have begun training her there before Ren turned to the Dark Side, as it would only make sense considering her visions of the Knights Of Ren and the fall of Luke’s Jedi School. Luke taught Rey the ways of the Force, but when his nephew turned to the Dark Side, ashamed, he wiped his daughter’s mind and abandoned her on Jakku.
So that brings me to the point of the argument, how is Rey’s character a problem? She knows the Force, she knows how to fly a ship, she knows how to use a lightsaber, everything she does in the film, she has done before. Remember the scene involving Maz Kantana? In which she states, "The Force, it's calling to you." When I think of Rey’s character and her ability to use the Force, I believe it is like listening to an old song again. After a while, you forget the words, however, when you hear the beats, the score, and the instruments, the words flow into your mind again, and you remember that crucial verse. Thus, why, she so easily defeats Kylo Ren in the film’s climax. The final battle between Rey and Ren has also sparked controversy, but I think it (the controversy, not the fight, that was dope) is kind of dumb. It is established that Kylo Ren has a huge hole in his chest after Chewbacca shot him, and Supreme Leader Snoke states that Ren needs to finish his training. Ren even states that Rey is more powerful than him, something I do not think he has ever said before. So, not only is Ren not-fully trained, but he is also missing a huge chunk of his chest. I have also heard the argument that Ren should have easily defeated Rey, but has he ever had a proper saber fight? I mean, he, along with the other Knights of Ren destroyed Luke’s school, so he was not even the sole fighter in that situation. And every other time he has used his saber, it has been against unarmed old people (sorry Max Von Sydow). Ren’s defeat to Rey comes down to the simple idea that Ren was never properly trained in the art of lightsabers, something Rey has been before. For further evidence of her ability to fight, please rewatch the film, around when Finn is introduced to our wonderful lead.
I seriously could talk about this all day, but for what it is, Rey is a Mary Sue, sure. But, she actually is a lot more than that. The sheer importance of a lead protagonist like Rey stems from the over arching idea that she is a strong female character. My little sister, a mere seven year old, who suffers from epilepsy, somehow, someway, developed a passion for Rey, something I had not seen since she first watched Frozen. The way she quoted her, and was completely mesmerised by this incredibly strong and brave woman was something I had never seen before. I understand that my little sister is not the only girl in the world to relate to Rey, I am just using a personal anecdote. To simply summarise all of this, I do not think Rey is a bad character by any stretch of the imagination, I just think people are not looking deep enough at this film. It is referenced countless times that she is the daughter of Luke, and that she is one with the Force. I hope this piece has cleared up some things regarding the origin of Rey and why I firmly believe she is destined to be one of the great Star Wars leads. You may not like Rey, and that is totally okay, but to not like her because she is everything Star Wars has always been, is kind of dumb, don’t you think?
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