ST Daisy Ridley (Rey) in the ST

Unfortunately Ezra is kind of the main character...

 

One of my favorite animated shows back when I was a kid was Samurai Jack. During the events of the series, the main character is approximately in his early to mid-20s. However, I could relate to him because he was very much in a "stranger in a strange land" situation where he was flung into a distant and alien future where he would have to use his skills to survive but also adapt to the environment that has been foisted upon him. As a young boy who had just immigrated to the U.S. without any understanding of the country or English, I could fully empathize with his plight regardless of his age and the added responsibility that comes with it. That show is one of the reasons why I've grown to find the kind of character that Ezra is to be completely annoying and without purpose. I'm sure that kids could have found Kanan, Hera and their overall situation to be interesting without having to resort to such things. Rebels would have been a far better show without him.

 

It would have been more mature. I’ll grant you that. I suspect a lot of the young fans that the show was primarily made for do like Ezra more than you do though.

 

I just find the idea that characters like Ezra are needed for children to appreciate characters like Kanan and Hera to be really backwards thinking.

 

SW Rebels is for kids though and kids like characters that are kids in their kids shows...

 

Yeah, kids can only relate to kids and no other demographic whatsoever. Also, I doubt that it's just a kid's show. Kid's shows don't release mid-season trailers. That's something that seems more geared towards adults as a marketing ploy.

 

No. But it's not crazy to have kids as characters in shows for kids. It would be great to have less childish Star Wars in the future, but SW Rebels just isn't it.

 

Yeah, guys, the show that deals with the aftermath of the eradication of an entire order as well as the subjugation of an entire galaxy under tyrannical rule isn't supposed to be "less childish Star Wars".

 

the show is childish. It is what it is.

 

One of the major advantages of ensembles and crews is that there is a better chance that anyone who watches will find at least a couple characters they connect with.

It’s in the creators best interest to hook as many people as possible. You don’t like Ezra. Some might not like another. So long as both like a few enough to watch it’s a win for the makers.

 

With the disadvantage being that you largely water down the narrative of the more interesting characters with antics that take away from the conflict at large. It's a double-edged sword, especially in Rebels' case.

 

To some, sure. To a ton of parents who love Star Wars and want to get their younger children into it... what you see watering down is a nice entryway point for Star Wars for their kids so that the whole family can enjoy Rebels together.

 

They wanted their space family, and Ezra and Sabine are the obnoxious kids in the family. I don't really like most of the SW Rebels characters, so Ezra doesn't stick out as much to me. I actually rather liked all his episodes with Maul.

Anyway, guess we lucked out that GL's ST treatments with younger kids weren't used for the ST.

 

Implying that I would have thought that was a good idea.

 

not sure...

 

So, when will using "the next generation" as an excuse to add totally superfluous characters that fail to add anything substantial to the story they reside in cease to suffice?

 

When procreation on Earth ceases and the only possible Star Wars fans on the planet are all 16 or older.

In Ezra’s case he helps all the rest of the crew grow. Kanan doesn’t become the Jedi he becomes without Ezra inspiring him. Just as Luke may have died disconnected from the Force and never seen his Father and mentors ever again if Rey had never shown up.

 

I'm 11 years under that minimum age so you did well by failing at making that hypothetical situation make sense.

 

Fixed.

 

when i was a kid i couldn't care less about the child characters in most shows. If they were well written, then cool. Thats usually all that mattered. Thats why the goonies, explorers, and hook are classics, but i didn't even know the names of all the kid characters in a show like Dinosaucers. I'll also guarantee that most kids' favorite thundercat was not wiley kat or kit. Same thing with transformers.


EDIT: just saw the warning.

 

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.

 

Rey didn't open up to Kylo about her abandonment issues. He tied her to a table and stole her private, intimate thoughts from her against her will. I don't see chemistry in that act. I see violence.

I wish these movies explored Rey's abandonment issues. There were definitely ways to do that in a very up front, non-mystery box way that didn't require everything to be filtered through Kylo Ren. The way the story has played out, though, it's very hard for me to take seriously as a thoughtful examination of Rey's abandonment issues. Most of what we know about Rey on this topic, we have heard from her torturer and the murderer of her friends.

 

Lucasfilm: what if Rey is forced to talk all the time with the man who tortured her 2 days ago?

 

Also LF: If you don't like that, it's because you hate women!