ST Daisy Ridley (Rey) in Episode IX

It’s the easy get out after how people have perceived Rey in tfa and tlj.

 

A get out is not needed as Snoke already provided the reason: "Darkness rises and light to meet it." Some fans don't like that reason, but the saga has moved on. The general audience doesn't analyze these things like we do.

 

Yes, given names tend to be given by somebody else. You said that Rey is the only major character without a last name and you were wrong.

 

It will be interesting to see Rey working on a team in an official way, I have the impression that she is not used to working with other people, she has always been alone against the world and maybe she will have trouble adapting to a teamwork, although it does not seem like a very attractive plot for a final movie, maybe it could be feasible for the EU.

 

One of the real strengths of The Last Jedi and how it goes deeper into Rey's past is that it's clear she has Abandonment Issues.

https://www.davidwolfe.com/5-signs-abandonment-issues/

1. Chronic Insecurity
Adults who faced abandonment as a child often struggle with insecurity. Their feelings of not being worthy started at a young age and never really went away.

2. Isolation
As scary as it was to feel so alone as a child, adults with abandonment issues often replicate their isolation. They are so afraid to trust anyone or to let anyone in, that they choose to spend time alone. They might show little interest in romantic relationships or struggle to keep a social life. Isolation is a common sign of abandonment.

3. Heightened Emotional Responses
Abandonment can cause heightened emotional responses to triggers. Triggers may include being criticized or excluded, being dumped or fired. Anything that makes a person flash back to their abandonment and brings up feelings of low self-esteem and depression can be a trigger. Someone who has been abandoned might overreact to such situations, have panic attacks or make impulsive decisions.

4. Commitment Issues
A person who has been abandoned before often has a hard time trusting other people. They know that if they open themselves up to someone else, that person could leave at any time. This leads to a constant struggle with commitment, opening up to others and showing vulnerability.

5. Attaching To Someone Too Soon
Abandonment could cause isolation and lack of commitment, or it could cause a person to attach onto others too soon. Someone who’s been abandoned in the past might constantly long for another person to fill the void they feel. A common sign of abandonment is someone who latches on to other people – a new friend or a romantic partner – when they haven’t known them for long.

I would say she shows signs of 3 or possibly even 4 of those 5 signs and it makes sense that she would, too. We spent only 40 or so minutes with her in TFA and she's putting on a brave face (likely necessary for survival on Jakku) but the only person who's truly seen into her mind revealed back in TFA that these abandonment issues were significant.

"You're so lonely... so afraid to leave...
At night, desperate to sleep... you imagine an ocean.
I see it -- I see the island...

Many who dislike Rey's internal setbacks in TLJ, and what Johnson wrote for her seem to point to Johnson's fascination with the interrogation scene largely from the perspective of what Ben Solo wants in that scene and how disapointed they are that Johnson focused on growing that future but setting aside the relationship aspect of those two for a moment... I don't think enough emphasis or credit is given to Johnson for zeroing in abandonment issues, combining with naivete and repressed memories, which are a real phenomenon, first exposed by Kylo Ren there in that moment, and making those her central weaknesses. What other weaknesses were really explored in Rey beyond those? Critics of Rey from TFA forward would tell you she had NO weaknesses at all but Johnson spotted 3 and decided to make those the focus of her setbacks and the areas that could be most vulnerable to Ben Solo and his own goals.

So, it's not just about the chemistry of these 2 leads in that scene. It's that it's confirmation that Rey has some abandonment issues and that if we look at some of the choices she's made before and after... that an inability to work through these abandonment issues would absolutely limit her potential and put her at risk of being drawn to the Dark Side by someone who tried to show her an easier path toward getting past her abandonment.

So, initially the notion of being abandoned was ridiculed by some and now there's an idea that abandonment doesn't lead to issues or issues that we are seeing in Rey. Maybe 40 minutes and one movie (TFA) and a lot of wishful thinking related to who her parents were, or why she was so powerful with the Force, stopped a lot of people from really wondering what was really beneath the surface of Rey? Far from a shallow character... there's sufficient reasons for some of the questionable choices she's making and the degree to which it's taking her to realize the hero will have to be her, grounded in real observations in people who've had abandonment issues. These aren't happy traits but they are logical and grounded in scientific observation and they lead to a more complex and psychologically believable Rey than some of her biggest critics would have you believe.

 

Exactly (about the abandonment issues). TLJ actually added *depth* to Rey that her character didn't have before. A lot of the criticisms of Rey I feel are better rooted in TFA for not giving the main character a good set up. But I think after IX, Rey's character may just click really well together. I am not sure if I have faith in JJA pulling that off as he created TFA Rey... But still the seeds of her abandonment issues are sitting there in TFA, so JJA obviously knew something about what he was doing.

In TLJ Rey and Kylo start to find one another's inner child. But they don't find the other's inner child completely (if they had, they would have ended up on the same side). Kylo finds that abandoned little girl in Rey who just desperately wants to belong, who is insecure because her parents left her, etc. But that's only part of who Rey is and Kylo doesn't understand why she wouldn't join him when they have such similar backgrounds in this sense (as he perceives it).

 

My takeaway wasn't that Rey thought her parents were somebody important but rather that she didn't want to admit that her parents were terrible people that cast her aside. As it's presented in TLJ she believes that to be true but she's denied it for years and is heartbroken to admit it.

 

Not sure that necessarily follows from the film, but regardless, she seems to get over it almost immediately. For something that's supposedly the most difficult thing for her to hear, it doesn't seem to have noticeably affected her.

 

I think Rey realizes that she needs to get over it quickly because it's difficult to shoot down TIE fighters with tears in your eyes.

ETA: "It's difficult to Shoot Down TIE Fighters with Tears in your Eyes" is the name of my new Star Wars themed country album.

 

LOL
All kidding aside, it's interesting to note the only person who actually loses anything in TLJ is Kylo. Rey finds the purpose and belonging she was looking for, Luke finds 'peace and purpose', Finn found something to fight for and Poe saves the Resistance while Kylo is more alone than ever.

 

Well Rose lost her sister but I hear what you're saying.

 

I don't consider waiting around on Jakku for however many years tantamount to "getting over it almost immediately".

 

I don't remember that happening in TLJ. Is that where she went between leaving the throne room and shooting up TIEs over Crait?

 

My theory is that RJ maybe thought he was being "true to Star Wars" since things move so fast and characters seem to get over everything quickly. Leia watched her entire planet destroyed in ANH and gets over it fast. This will always trump Rey and her delight at shooting down TIEs after throne room scene.

My opinion is that it is better to steer clear of this "suddenly getting over everything" style except when it seems to actually serve the story well. (Naturally everyone will disagree on when that is...)

Maybe I'll change my mind when I see TLJ again and can actually analyze it, but I feel like the film is tonally off. All the tones feel forced or wrong... Or the tones flow for a while, but then there is a jarring tonal change that doesn't flow anymore. I feel like part of the tonal cacophony stems from trying to keep the movie "light" and "fun" with "humor" or something because really (IMO) it should have been a darker film overall. The Resistance is absolutely devastated over the course of the film but they take that as a "win" apparently (like, seriously?!!!). Poe is like over how he got them all killed, he's moving onto a brighter future. Throne room scene? Rey's over it. She's having fun again. Hux is supposed to "lighten the mood" by being absolutely ridiculous and being used as a punching bag every other scene (I mean, um, haha, funny... really, so amusing ).

 

Everyone (except Hux) failed upwards!

 

I'm kinda bummed that the story did Rey so dirty. Everyone was so hyped for Rey being "no one" because it meant something more. But as it turns out, she's only powerful because the Force wants her to be powerful, and because of a man. So much for empowering. So basically the story is saying that she was kinda just given the Force powers once Luke left, and once Kylo invaded her mind. That...takes away so much from the whole thing in my mind.

And what's with Rian's "anybody can have the force" comment? Well, apparently not pal. It's...almost like the story really did make her a...well yeah. That's kinda heartbreaking.

Of course I guess the main message is the choice she makes, so that's okay. But still, it would've been way more satisfying had she actually had to build up her force powers from scratch to prove that you could still be super powerful without an important lineage.

But it's almost like they mightaswell had just made her a Skywalker from the beginning. The main reasons she's so strong literally just has to do with 1) Luke's absence and 2) Kylo's mind probe. So...plot convenience and guys. Wow.

But now we know the real reason everyone on the forum wanted her to be a nobody because everyone's talking about it.

But I guess I'm happy that she's smart enough to shut out Kylo since he's no good for her. Hopefully she can feel more llike a protagonist and less of a plot device in her own story.

Daisy's comment about Rey being a "cog in the machine" was really saddening. TLJ basically showed that. Up until she got to lift the rocks anyway. But still she felt so off in this one... The rock scene and the bond-sever were pretty much the only cool things Rey got to do on her own and felt actually inspiring.

EDIT: just my opinion.

 

Curious to know how "powerful because the Force wants" contradicts "it meant something more."

What other options of "meant something more"?

She is part of Cosmic Force as Anakin, Luke and Kylo is. But this time Force rised not in Skywalker.

In the beginning Force gave power to Anakin Skywalker in contrast to the darkness in someone else, Palpatine.

In the end Force gives power to someone else, Rey in contrast to the darkness in the last Skywalker, Kylo.

The circle is now complete and all that jazz. Typical thing for Star Wars.

What is so "heartbreaking"?

Rey not being powerful "because" she is Skywalker, Kenobi, Palpatine?

Pretty sure this is not how Force works, "from scratch." Notice that they're saying "anybody can have the force" - not "anybody can build\find\train the force."

If Luke could use the Force in the end of ANH after 3 minutes of training and Obi whispering in his head, I think we can forgive Rey that she uses the Force after stealing knowledge how to use it directly from Kylo's head.

Not sure if serious...

 

Eh you're right. Really rough night last night so I"ll chill out a bit. But I am serious about a lot of hypocrisy on the site is what I'm saying when it comes to why so many people didn't want her to be a Skywalker. It would've been cool to see a woman take up the Skywalker mantle lineage-wise and follow the path of a Jedi like they could've done with Leia.

We already have two nobodies in the trilogy who could've been the non-skywalker force users. But instead they get treated like ACTUAL nobodies and it's why they're far less popular.

The whole thing just feels so convenient in execution and less compelling to me for some reason.

EDIT: hopefully you understand where i'm coming from overall though. I know the main dynamic is always the hero/villain, so naturally kylo and rey have a ton of connections. I just don't like how Rey can't do anything without everyone wanting it to be about Kylo or another character. I thought that was the entire point people were saying about her not being a Skywalker/Solo/Kenobi/etc (even though, once again, it didn't have to be her).

She can't even lose compassion for Kylo and shut him out without people denying it and saying it didn't happen. Even though it would make perfect logical sense for her character to do so. It's in the way of the Jedi as well, not to rely on hatred or fear to do it.
She can't even accept a legacy without people saying that she owes to it remake the legacy alongside the person who's done nothing but destroy it.

It shows the mindset of certain people who can't stand the idea of Rey actually doing something that abuse victims should do.

 

Maybe Rey is related to the Skywalkers but she's from the future. In the future Kylo has a kid, Rey, and she grows up to be even more evil than him so some Force sensitive people first travel back in time to when Rey was a little girl and they kidnap her and then go even further back in time and leave her on Jakku where ironically she grows up to be the savior of the Jedi.

Okay probably not.

 

I wanted Rey to be unrelated,so that she could be her own character unattached to the Skywalker name or lineage so to establish herself and her journey in a manner of independence from the curse and fate of the Skywalker family. Unfortantely she is was not portrayed in this manner and now is seen as an enabler to the last Skywalker so much so she has lost that independence as a character. Very unfortanate for such a well written character in The Force Awakens by JJ Abrams.

 

The problem is that, she's NOT her own character. She's completely defined by the Skywalker legacy, regardless of if she's one of them or not. So it's really the worst of all worlds in that regard.

 

Exactly what I've been saying this whole time. They put all their eggs in one basket and they dropped the basket.

 

She is very much her own character after VIII, ofc she is deeply embroiled in the Skywalker drama because...shes the force sensitive one and Luke and Kylo are the only people where she can learn from, and Skywalker = The Force.
She learns from both in the movie while forging her own path in the end.

 

Rey has a mission and is um discovering what it is as she goes along.

Also regarding Rey being her own character, I think the issue is that TFA didn't set her up well, and TLJ continues this path of not really showing us what she wants and why and even how she feels about things in a lot of situations. I wonder if in TFA this allowed people to project aspects of their own persons on the character, but then TLJ revealed a bit more of her character and it didn't always match individual projections.

 

This is a really small thing for me, but you know what I would've done when they're fighting over the saber? Have the saber go to him, only to later have it break or crumble somehow. Idk why, but it would be symbolic in a way of the Skywalker legacy not calling to him, and how it "crumbles" with him.