Rey's Lightsaber Prowess

[ericadawn16]

Since the film opened, people have loved turning Rey into a Mary Sue and saying how she's too good at everything. The biggest complaint is beating Kylo Ren at a lightsaber duel.

This morning, it came up on Tumblr:
http://cartaestilo.tumblr.com/post/140595389681/watching-again-the-trailer-for-the-dvd-release-i

"Watching again the trailer for the dvd release I just realized Rey totally pulls off Kylo’s trademark spin move during their fight!!! Look at her twirling unecessarily the saber! Could this be evidence of Rey learning Kylo’s skills from his mind? Force bond, perhaps? I certainly hope so"

I've been reading stuff like this for months but this morning, I read this and I snapped. I tried to be very polite and joke a little, but I snapped so I had to wonder...why? Why now? Why did it anger me so?

And I figured it out...the when was inevitable once I figured out the why...

When people take Rey's talent away from her and give it away, especially to Kylo Ren, it's ageist, classist and sexist.

Rey can't possibly be that good at a light saber because...

She's only 19, almost 20?

You're forgetting that she was left on Jakku at age 5 so for the most part of the last 14 or 15 years, she's had to fight just to survive...whereas Kylo didn't...
Rey is no different from an Olympic athlete who's trained all their life for an event.

She's only a scavenger from a desert planet with an unknown but most likely low level of academic education? And Kylo was raised in privilege with the best education the New Republic and First Order could provide?

Again, the harsh conditions forced her to find the weapon best for her; a quarterstaff which requires moves very similar to a lightsaber...Star Wars: The Force Awakens Visual Dictionary even acknowledges how her learned weapon skills are easily adapted to weapons she's never worked with before, like lightsabers. These aren't controlled sparring conditions either. She had to learn to hone fast reflexes before the other person could either win the fight or steal her property.
For those same reasons, she also learned many languages and read everything she got her hands on so she could always stay ahead.

She's only...a female?

Why else would someone insist that she learned the moves from Kylo's mind? Or has a Force bond with him enabling her to know everything he does?

If someone is a Reylo fan who craves special connections between them,fine.

But taking away Rey's hard work and skill to give the credit to a male? As if she's not capable and has to have some male as her Saviour?

That's disgusting.

And it makes me upset.

Comments

[orangerful.livejournal.com]

Oh I am so glad we are friends now. :)

I saw the movie 4 times in the theater and never once did I questions Rey's skills. I saw the nasty comments later on and as I rewatched the film I picked up on little things, like that half of the Ren vs Rey fight is her defending until Ren makes the mistake of mentioning the Force and Rey realizes that if she can find that calm center (that Ren lacks) she can go on the offensive. It's a beautiful moment and if a male character had done it, no one would have cared but since a girl (notice Ren constantly calls her that, girl. Like a child) the sexist fanboys had a fit.

If you are on tumblr, let me suggest you follow Club Jade. It's a Star Wars blog that has been around for ages, run by fans that love Star Wars and women and snark.

I'd type more but I'm on my iPad and it's really hard to type with especially when it's something I'm so passionate about lol

[ericadawn16.livejournal.com]

I couldn't remember so I just checked and I AM following Club jade!

I'm also following Women of Star Wars, both are very enjoyable.

Yes, if you look further down on my entries, I'm very excited about the new Ghostbusters film...which the sexist fanboys are having a fit over, too.

I guess they were able to ignore Star Wars: The Clone Wars and Star Wars: Rebels since they're just "cartoons" but here's Rey all up in their live action franchise.

Sometimes, I wonder if it's racism that makes people downplay things about Finn and Poe, too...although both got to be so much more awesome in the novels so sometimes, I forget how to interpret the films as strictly an audience member and not a fan.

[orangerful.livejournal.com]

Yay, I love Club Jade, I use it for all my Star Wars update needs.

I have some concerns about the new Ghostbusters movie...I've had a post rolling around in my head since I saw the trailer...I need to write it up...

UGH the racist fanboys were so disgusting towards Finn when he was first revealed. Made me so angry. I'm very glad that the guys in my Star Wars club (yes, I attend monthly meetings LOL) have always been supportive of me and we have a few non-white members too, which is good.

I will dig through my Star Wars tags, but there were several great articles about Rey and I should link for you. Mostly about fighting this sexist view that she can't be a hero because she's a female of the species.

[ericadawn16.livejournal.com]

I can't wait to read your Ghostbusters thoughts.

The fact that they were so disgusting when he was first revealed made me wonder if there was a second more insidious form of racism...

Because I admit when everything first came out and they kept having Finn be the one with the lightsaber which was cool but...I really, really, really wanted Rey to be the one with the lightsaber and then, she was and it was AWESOME!

But then, it sort of seemed like a relief to some that the main Jedi was still white and some would outright dismiss that Finn might have the Force, too...

That is so AWESOME that you have monthly meetings!!! Sometimes, it feels hard just finding fellow geeks in real life.

[badfalcon.livejournal.com]

Yes, yes, yes and yes. Thank you.

Not to mention the movie showed that's she's a natural Force user - how quickly she was able to get the hang of whammying the Stormtrooper into freeing her. How Luke's lightsaber called to her.

It makes me wonder how many times she'd actually used it before, when scavenging, when piloting, without realising she was doing it.

[ericadawn16.livejournal.com]

EXACTLY!

[thespian15.livejournal.com]

I will frequently take street smarts over book smarts.
Many years ago, I worked with a nurse that was very smart, but absolutely no social skills. Not the same as fighting skills, but you get my point. :p
Hugs, Jon

[ningloreth.livejournal.com]

It's also quite similar to her weapon of choice, the stick-thing. She doesn't know how to use a blaster, but she took Finn out with the stick-thing.

[ericadawn16.livejournal.com]

Absolutely, I was calling it just a staff but the official guide called it a quarter-staff so that's how I referred to it above.

[ningloreth.livejournal.com]

Sorry, I was in a hurry and only skimmed your para. My Eowyn uses a quarter-staff, but hers and Rey's look rather different ;-)

Thinking more about it -- and I've only seen the film once, so I may be misremembering -- it's when Ren says she's good but needs training (implying that he could take her on as an apprentice) that she defeats him, so there could have been some mind-invasion on her part going on, but would that make her any less tough? I think the whole scenario's designed to contrast his weakness with her strength.

[shaddyr]

I remember thinking, briefly, that she was awfully good with that for someone with no training - then, before the thought was fully formed, the DUH voice in brain reminded me that she'd essentially been training with a quarterstaff for years to protect herself on that ass backward planet, of COURSE she's gonna be able to kick some serious ass. Makes sense, move along.

Then I read the same kind of bullshit you pointed out here, folks dissecting Rey and pointing out all the 'flaws' and I struggle not to sprain something as I roll my eyes.

If Rey had been a male character, this wouldn't even have been a conversation.

Also, howdy new friend, nice ta meetcha!

[ericadawn16.livejournal.com]

YES

[alindelyne.livejournal.com]

Hello new friend!

It annoys me to no end when people call Rey a "Mary Sue". She's had years of practice fighting with a staff, and Kylo Ren was wounded before they started fighting.

And then there are all the people who say "Leia should have hugged Chewie instead of Rey". Why wouldn't Leia comfort a young woman who was obviously in distress?

[ericadawn16.livejournal.com]

Okay, I admit it.

I was one of those people because I kept thinking in terms of all seven films and how the scene connects with the Cloud City scene where Chewie comforts Leia and how Leia should now be comforting him...

However, the third time I saw it...it is a nice moment especially since Rey is most likely her niece.

[ericadawn16.livejournal.com]

Abrams spoke out about it today apparently:

"That was probably one of the mistakes I made in that," J.J. Abrams, co-writer and director of Star Wars: The Force Awakens told Slashfilm. "My thinking at the time was that Chewbacca, despite the pain he was feeling, was focused on trying to save Finn and getting him taken care of. So I tried to have Chewbacca go off with him and focus on Rey, and then have Rey find Leia and Leia find Rey."

So, Chewbacca was originally supposed to be clearly focused on getting Finn medical attention, but "because he was right there, passed by Leia, it felt almost like a slight, which was definitely not the intention."

[alindelyne.livejournal.com]

I read that same interview after I posted. That makes sense to me. I guess it just felt to me like people were looking for any excuse to complain about Rey and it annoyed me.

[ericadawn16.livejournal.com]

True...

I also like how all the hug .gifs shows off Leia's ring really nicely.

[chelseagirl.livejournal.com]

OK, I didn't know Reylo was a thing, and I think I'm glad about that. (I have to say, watching this season's Girls so far has been entertaining, as I now can't help but see Adam Driver through Kylo-tinted glasses.)

Hmm, we can accept that Anakin and Luke had special gifts, but not Rey? Now what would the difference be? ;-) (Besides the fact that Daisy Ridley can act . . . and I say that as someone who had a crush on Luke when she was 14 . . . )

[ericadawn16.livejournal.com]

hehe

I LOVE all things Judd Apatow but haven't been able to finish a full episode of Girls.

[chelseagirl.livejournal.com]

I live in NYC, and they just remind me of a certain segment of people I come across here. I was just thinking, though, that when we cut the pay channels (which we're planning to do soon), I won't really miss this show.

[ericadawn16.livejournal.com]

hehe

[ayebydan]

Agreed. People are also very quick to forget that Kylo's training came from dueling the other knights of ren and whataever Luke knew and Luke doesn't know much. I truly believe that the improvements of saber dueling in the prequels make sense. This was when many jedi passed down knowledge. Vader was hindered in his movement by being, well, android so Luke never had to learn more than that. He was a total newbie at this stuff. While Kylo and his opponents could practice a bit their knowldge is more likely to have come from fumbling through things described in books. And as you say, with nothing much on the line. Rey has been using her staff her whole life to survive and avoid being raped and such. She has practical knowledge. So I think this puts them on a pretty even stance physically. And the mental battle suggests she can match Kylo with the force once she understands it more. People cried out for a badass female Jedi, got one, and then they complain and ruin her. Drives me bonkers.

[ericadawn16.livejournal.com]

Yes, exactly.

[teragramm.livejournal.com]

You make some very valid points.

[ericadawn16.livejournal.com]

thanks

[ragnarok-08.livejournal.com]

It just drives me up the wall when people call Rey a "Mary Sue". It's as if every female character in media today would qualify because some bitter fanboys say so DX

[ericadawn16.livejournal.com]

yes

[dhampyresa.livejournal.com]

I am always laughing so hard when people complain about Rey's lightsaber skills, because her lightsaber form is ATROCIOUS. She uses it like a stabbing weapon, not a slicing weapon -- because she's using her staff fighting skills. Kylo Ren, on the other hand, def uses his as a slicing weapon, so ain't no way she learned shit from him.

[ericadawn16.livejournal.com]

exactly

[dm12.livejournal.com]

Did you read the whole paper on that particular account? In no way were they referring to Rey as a "weak damsel in distress," in fact, they were saying she was a very strong individual in her own right. They were in fact saying that there was some kind of bond between them, and that she was probably the only one who could "rescue" the poor male in distress! They are hoping for a special connection, and he is definitely not her savior; rather, she is/will be his. Quite a reversal from what you are implying...

While that short paragraph you quoted seems to imply that she merely got her skills from him, the rest of the paper in that website indicates that she was able to infiltrate his mind, connect with him, and would end up being the one to save him. This is no weak damsel, and certainly no Mary Sue!

They are hoping for a bond, as you say... the very name of the site says "Reylo".... so it looks like it is as you would hope for them, an actual ship.

[ericadawn16.livejournal.com]

I found no elaboration when I looked for it.

[dancingdragon3.livejournal.com]

I agree. Ive been saying that the movie makes it obvious that she has a very strong connection to the living force, like Anakin did. Who had also been using it for years without realizing it.

But I also think the Gary Stu is Finn, because everyone accepts him with open arms and no one questions his defection. Which I thought was ridiculous.

Also happy for the new friendship, cheers!

[ericadawn16.livejournal.com]

Yes, everyone says how Ben has too much Darth in him but Rey has all of Anakin's best qualities.

The first time I saw it, Finn did seem a little perfect but...

The second and third time I watched were after reading the tie-in materials which explain Finn a lot more so that...

His skills are actually downplayed compared to the books. Like in the film, he's like, We'll think of a plan later!
But in the books, he's great at thinking on his feet and coming up with a strategy.

Although the open arms thing...I think a lot of that has to do with Poe and Han. They both seem to be pretty good judges of character...Han had Finn all pegged immediately. Poe knew Finn needed him for his pilot skills but at the same time...he did complete Poe's mission which he didn't have to even if it was mostly due to Rey.
Then, Poe was the one to get him access to Leia because the books, aside from the novelizations, make it clear that Leia is Poe's surrogate mom and Poe is like the son that Leia wishes Ben could be...
So Leia will trust Poe's decisions.

[kseenaa.livejournal.com]

Oh gawd, I'm suddenly glad I'm not in that fandom. :-/ Geezes...