Ever since “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” hit theaters, you can”t swing a dead Loth-cat without hitting someone complaining about Rey. She”s too good at everything, too perfect, flawless. A classic Mary Sue.
Except no. No she isn”t But even if she were…who gives a shit?
WARNING: SPOILERS FOR “STAR WARS: THE FORCE AWAKENS” BEYOND THIS POINT.
Over the years, the “Mary Sue” trope has devolved from a very specific riff on Star Trek fan fiction to a generalize distaste of any female character that has a whiff of wish-fulfillment. The accusation has been lobbed so overzealously it”s ceased to have meaning…much like the word hipster. But the basics – at this point – are a Mary Sue is a poorly developed character that lacks realism and flaws.
If you think that sounds like Rey, by all means go add to “The Force Awakens” box office dominance and go see it again.
In the video above – WARNING: LANGUAGE – I tackle the three main complaints that “prove” Rey is a Mary Sue: her aptitude for ships, her ability to fight with a lightsaber, and her Jedi mind trick.
But even if you”re still not convinced by the end of the video, I posit this question: Who cares if Rey is a Mary Sue? Boys have had wish-fulfillment characters since the dawn of time. You can find them even within the confines of the Star Wars universe. Luke Skywalker goes from farm boy to Rebel hero in the course of a week, using the Force to topple an evil Empire that”s plagued the galaxy for decades. And don”t even get me started on Anakin, who destroys a Separatist Base on ACCIDENT at the tender age of nine, not to mention his advance knowledge of mechanics that has him building pod racers and droid before his voice cracked.
So if you have a problem with Rey”s skill set, ask yourself this question: would you even have noticed her ascent to badassery if she”d been a dude named Ray?
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