Why Rey Is Probably The Best Thing To Happen To Star Wars: The Force Awakens

So now that the cats out of the bag can all of us agree on how mind-blowingly awesome ‘The Force Awakens’ is? T’was a good day for the Star Wars Fandom when George Lucas handed over the reins of Lucasfilm to Kathleen Kennedy who, undaunted by the negative reception of the prequels, orchestrated the (re)awakening of the Force. She brought onboard JJ Abrams, Michael Arndt (who left early during production after giving a few great ideas) and the legendary Lawrence Kasdan to create the next chapter in the Star Wars saga.

Their greatest achievement though? They introduced us to a young scavenger from Jakku named Rey.

Women have been grossly under-represented in the films so far. Leia was a strong character but she turned damsel in distress a little too often and Padme was just annoying in Episodes II and III. Even when it comes to the animated shows, characters like Asoka and Hera are included emphasized and in the case of Asoka there’s even character development. However, they are still secondary to Anakin or Ezra and are not central to the story.

All of that changes with Rey. She is central to ‘The Force Awakens’. She learns she is special and after initially being very hesitant, embraces her destiny by answering the call of The Force. The lightsaber comes to her hand, not Kylo Ren’s and it’s she who finds Luke Skywalker. It is her story we will witness in Episodes VIII and IX.

The marketing of the film may have misdirected us by focusing more on Poe Dameron and Finn, even going as far as to make us believe Finn would become a Jedi, but considering the payoff in the movie, I guess it’s forgivable. But since we’ve all seen the movie, we can expect Rey to be front and center on all forms of marketing for Episode VIII

Rey is a survivor. She is a capable, skilled young woman surviving in harsh conditions on Jakku. This has made her resilient and not hard. When she rescues BB-8 from the scrap collector and later refuses to sell the droid to Unkar Plutt for a large amount, she shows that she is kind, loyal and willing to help someone in need. This makes her a very likeable character from the start, which is necessary for a protagonist of a film that is bound to join pop-culture; Audiences relate to characters like these and root for them to succeed.

Watching her succeed makes her all the more endearing. Her willingness to stay on Jakku to patiently wait for a family who she knows deep down may never come back for her is appreciable but she knows she must get off this planet if she has to grow as a person, mirroring the audience’s feelings. Finding BB-8 and deciding to help it get back to the Resistance Base is just the opportunity she needed. Her first true test of skill is piloting the Millennium Falcon to escape the TIE Fighters and she passes it with the flying colors (with a little help from Finn of course) kind of like how Luke helped Han fend off the Imperial attack in Episode IV.

Never once throughout the film is she discouraged or told she can’t do something because she’s a girl, only for her to later prove everyone wrong and pass some clichéd comment about women empowerment. She proves herself capable and talented. Through encouragement Rey grows in confidence which helps her achieve great things. Her eyes are opened to a world larger than the one she has known and she surpasses great challenges, but not without suffering the pain of loss. Rey has a hard and uncertain path ahead and we will have to wait till the summer of next year to find out where it leads her.

There are critics who have branded her a feminist icon or a Mary Sue character (a female character who is considered over-empowered or too good to be true) but all of that is irrelevant as we have just seen a ‘Star Wars’ film with a strong female lead and that people, is cause for celebration. Rey is a character who will inspire you and deserves your admiration. She is the new-generation Luke Skywalker. She is a little bit like Anakin too, in the way that she has brought balance to The Force, albeit in real life, by carrying a major blockbuster on her slender but sturdy shoulders.

‘Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens’ is already in theatres. ‘Rogue One: A Star Wars Story’ releases on December 16th, 2016, Star Wars: Episode VIII on May 26th, 2017, and the Han Solo Star Wars Anthology film on May 25th, 2018. Star Wars: Episode IX is expected to reach theaters in 2019, followed by the third Star Wars Anthology film in 2020.