Disney personnel involved with the Star Wars franchise have started to address what many call the Fandom Menace. A term used against Star Wars fans who have offered valid criticisms against the new crop of Star Wars movies. Most notably, the current trilogy of series under the helm of Kathleen Kennedy and JJ Abrams. There is also the news media which continues to take potshots and besmirch these fans. The latest such potshot comes from Comic Book Resources which has drawn a false equivalency between Star Wars’ Rey and The Mandalorian’s Baby Yoda.
In this editorial, written by Mike Fugere, it is stated that these Star Wars fans are being hypocrites when they call Rey a Mary Sue but do not ascribe the same terminology to Baby Yoda. And this is the basis for his article. But it doesn’t make sense in any context as we shall see by examining the points made.
The first point revolves around the assumed hypocrisy of these fans according to Mike who wrote,
“The consistency problem happens to rest on the shoulders of some vocal fans in their criticism of Rey in the sequel trilogy, specifically in how her use of the Force is deemed unwarranted. That ‘Baby Yoda’ and his precocious Force antics on The Mandalorian have not fallen to the same level of scrutiny exposes further hypocrisy within the aforementioned faction of fans.”
What hypocrisy the writer is hinting at, one wouldn’t be able to explain. After all, the baby tried, at least what we assume, to heal Mando, only to be rebuffed. Then, later on in the episode (SPOILERS FOR THE MANDALORIAN EPISODE 2) it saves Mando from a large rhinoceros-looking creature by lifting it up in the air for about 20 seconds only to pass out from the exertion for hours. But it is the later example of Force usage that shows the big difference between the baby using the Force compared to Rey’s almost-effortless use of the same power to lift a ton of rocks without any training.
And so Mike addresses the Mary Sue label that has been attributed to Rey, stating,
“Some critics of Rey have referred to her as a “Mary Sue,” citing her intuitive relationship with the Force as being contrived. Now, this would be a valid point if previous young protagonists from the prior trilogies didn’t exhibit similar feats of Force strength.”
Here is the crux of the entire editorial and where it falls apart. Mike doesn’t seem to know what a Mary Sue is and shrugs off the appropriate labeling of Rey as being a prime example of this term. Am I wrong in saying this? Well, a Mary Sue is a female fictional character that is too perfect and boring for a lack of flaws. For Rey, she is able to use the Force without any training. Though, to be fair, we see the same thing with Baby Yoda. But there are distinct differences.
Rey isn’t a child. So while there could still be an argument for an instinctive use of the force, it doesn’t explain the extensive use of it. Especially since the things she has done in the movies would require training with a Jedi Master. Whereas, in the case of young Anakin Skywalker and Baby Yoda, there is an instinctual use that tends to be attributed to children in various genres and media, in other regards, when put in a dangerous or stressful situation (Mutants/X-Men, Ender’s Game).
Yet it’s not just the use of the Force which makes Rey a Mary Sue. Her ability to fix a ship, the Millennium Falcon, without having any knowledge of it and again pushing buttons and navigating a ship, Han Solo’s new ship, without any knowledge of it (argument can be made that since she is a scrapper, she has some knowledge of ships but it still doesn’t account for that much knowledge). She is an expert flyer, though without any prior experience. Then her ability to use the mind trick on a stormtrooper and defeating a Sith Lord without any lightsaber training. Yet it is these last two examples the author brings up in his article but then easily dismisses.
But not only does he dismiss these examples of her being a Mary Sue, but switches gears to say this is just her being “the chosen one” stating,
“There is no denying what has been committed to film, but pretending as if the idea of “the chosen one” hasn’t bees[been] Star Wars’ bread and butter since the start is simply ridiculous. Rey’s journey is no more contrived than that of the Skywalker lads.”
To make his point, Mike goes back to Baby Yoda saying that the baby lifting the two-ton creature is contrived as much as Rey mind-tricking the stormtrooper or defeating Kylo Ren. Yet we see the toll the use of the Force takes on the baby who then passes out for a while. But there are no such consequences for Rey performing any of these feats. Even Yoda strained to keep a stone column aloft in the prequels when Dooku tried to crush Anakin and Obi-Wan in order to escape.
But Mike continues to try and equate what Rey has done with Luke. More specifically pointing out Luke being able to block laser blasts, blindfolded, during a lightsaber training exercise or blowing up the Death Star with a one-in-a-million shot. Yet again, these are false equivalents. Luke struggled to get the hang of blocking those blasts as we see him taking hit after hit before he gets the hang of it and does it blindfolded (but he also had Obi-Wan teaching him too). And that one-in-a-million shot? Luke already talked about how he was a good shot back home just before the fight. The Force, and Obi-Wan’s guidance, just enhanced an ability he already had.
So what is the difference between Rey and Luke? Luke worked at blocking laser blasts. Sure, it didn’t seem like he did it for long. But that is because this is a movie and can’t spend a lot of time showing him train (and not everyone enjoys Rocky-like montages). And his ability to shoot well helped to set up that near-impossible shot that destroyed the deathstar. For Rey? No such setup was provided and no training was needed. She can do what she does because of convenience. After all, she was able to outfight a trained Sith Lord with a weapon she has no experience with and overpower said Sith Lord in fighting over the lightsaber itself showing that she has more power than a Jedi-trained-turned-Sith Lord. Exactly what a Mary Sue is when it comes to sloppy and lazy writing.
Of course, Mike admits that Rey’s impressive displays of her powers are far beyond Luke, but it is just splitting hairs according to him,
“Sure, what Luke pulls off is by no means as ostentatious as the displays of power we see from Rey, but to pretend like there isn’t a precedent for it is really splitting hairs.”
This is not “splitting hairs” as Mike puts it. Far from it. Luke worked to earn his abilities and perform those amazing feats. Baby Yoda used the force for a few seconds but it took a heavy toll on it. What did Rey do to justify her force abilities? Nothing. Yet, as stated before, she could mind-control a stormtrooper, outperform the bad guy by being stronger when playing tug-of-war for the lightsaber, then use the same lightsaber to out-duel a bad guy who trained as a Jedi and then as a Sith. She can also fly like an expert pilot without training and lift a ton of rocks without any strain. She also has no flaws, no struggles, and no real need to learn anything.
Suffice to say, there is no hypocrisy here on the part of fans who rightly call Rey a Mary Sue. It’s a false equivalent from a writer who doesn’t seem to know what the term means.
But maybe I am wrong? If I am, let me know in the comments below.
Another big difference is that Rey is the protagonist. She’s the one that will typically need to struggle and overcome obstacles in a story.
Baby Yoda, at least at this point, is a side character. Actually, would McGuffin oversimplify him thus far? We’re not here to see Baby Yoda learn Force techniques and go through a character arc, we’re here to watch him waddle around, chase frogs, and look scared while the wind blows in his face. Oh, and give the MANDALORIAN a reason to question the bounty hunter code, and do the right thing, and inspire other Mandalorians to fight.
Great point regarding Rey being the protagonist and the baby being a side character.
As for baby Yoda being a MacGuffin, it is somewhat apt. It is being used as a device to motivate and influence the protagonist. However, MacGuffins tend to be insignificant in and of themselves, but that might not be the case here with the baby.
I mean, yes CBR is drawing false equivalencies, because as stated in another comment Rey and Baby Y aren’t equal. Today though it is often hard to tell the difference between actual criticism of new Star Wars and bullshit hypocrisy because unfortunately a good portion of the bullshit is being masked as legit criticsm… until its revealed that its not. Like, this weekend I’ve seen a certain segment of fans criticizing the latest episode of The Mandalorian as more “SJW bullshit” because Cara is a bad ass (mind you an ex-shock trooper) and the widow is the only one in the village that knows how to shoot (a long-standing Western trope). Similarly, on the reverse side before this episode there were certain people criticizing the lack of women in The Mandalorian as Star Wars regressing to please those critical of TLJ.
Anyway, in regards to the baby. I’m not sure I agree with his use of force powers in the same way as you. We don’t know much about Baby Y’s species but based on four episodes of this series, we know that 50 years old has this kid doing two things, acting like a toddler and doing ridiculous force shit. I’ve had four kids, a toddler may instinctually know his guardian is in danger but they wouldn’t know how to attempt to help. Baby Y lifting the creature is absurd but its something that you come to accept as a fan of Star Wars because across the board fantastical things happen, often with little depth behind them.
For example Luke, while we certainly see him with Obi-Wan, his time spent with Ben is no more than a day or two and all of one scene on the Falcon gives him the knowledge of The Force and his saber training.
Rey gets the same wikipedia entry on The Force at Maz’s Castle. Her resisting Kylo Ren’s mind probe is no less instinctual than Luke blowing up the Death Star with his one in a million shot. Her pilot skills aren’t exactly great right off the bat, she hardly gets the Falcon off the ground, takes multiple hits and they barely escape the two TIEs chasing them. She has natural talent for sure but, I wouldn’t put her up against Poe in a dogfight. And yes, Rey mind controlling James Bond to escape from the interrogation chamber is a bit out of nowhere but sometimes cool things happen because they are cool, not because they are explained. I mean, did anyone question that Luke could pull his lightsaber from the ice to escape the Wampa in Empire? I don’t think we even knew that was possible at that point outside of Vader using the Force to choke the guy on The Death Star and he certainly hadn’t ever received any training to do that. And as for Rey beating Kylo, I have some minor issues with it but ultimately Kylo was injured coming in to the fight and is an over confident ass that thinks he is better than everyone else. I could have done without the 10 second stare off as Rey taps in to the force because Rey should have been able to take an injured Kylo without it. The film had already established that she has some proficincy with melee combat but they chose to have the force calm her and give her strength.
But ultimately, this is a series where one of the most feared bounty hunters in the galaxy is taken out as comic relief. A series where the Empire is defeated by sticks and stones. A series where people go out in to the throat of a space worm on an asteroid with no atmosphere. Sometimes stuff just happens just because it sounds and looks cool. It’s not good writing but if that’s what you are looking for out of Star Wars, then I’d argue, you’ve not had that in a really long time, if ever.
I didn’t really notice any backlash to episode 4 of The Mandalorian. Though, to be fair, I stayed away from any mention of it until I saw it. But even then, never saw any criticism regarding the Cara character. Though I do have an issue with that episode (might talk about it in a podcast).
But you bring up a good point regarding Baby Y in that we only know that it is 50 years old, acts like a toddler, and does force stuff. And you make a valid, real-world point with your toddler instinctively knowing that his guardian is in danger, but unable to do anything about it. And this is true, in real life. Yet we see this kind of thing happen in Comic Books a lot of the time.
Regarding your point about Like spending a short amount of time with Obi-Wan, that is more of the limitations of storytelling in movies. My point of the example was that the movie tries to show that Luke struggles learning this stuff and requires help to get the hang of it.
As for Rey, I agree that her resisting Kylo was an instinctual thing. Yet you see that a lot in fantasy and even sci-fi, so that didn’t irk me. However, I don’t see it being the same type of instinct as Luke blowing up the deathstar. In Luke’s case, that was skill coupled with what little training he got from Obi-Wan about the Force. It was setup so that the shot wasn’t as incredulous as it seemed.
Now Rey’s flying skills were a lot more than natural talent.Yes, she took a couple of shots, scratched the ship, and had trouble taking off. But Han had many of those things happen to him as well in the original movies and he was already a veteran pilot by that time (not the trouble taking off part though). I don’t care what kind of natural talent you have, but Rey flying through that downed Star Destroyer or being able to fly so low to the ground? I couldn’t buy that and such talent wasn’t earned or even setup. Which is my main argument for how Rey has gone through these new movies. I will cede to your point regarding Luke’s ability to force pull the lightsaber from out of the snow.
Of course, the fight between Rey and Kyle at the end of Force Awakens is the penultimate example of poor writing, bad directing, and the coalescence of all the aforementioned instances of Rey being a Mary Sue. Yes, Kylo was injured (which the audience was reminded by him slamming a fist into the wound for some asinine reason) but even Finn managed to injure him during their lightsaber fight (though Kylo was toying with Finn). But even injured, which didn’t appear to be that serious, Rey should not have been able to defeat Kylo because of his experience. What did that cringeworthy 10 second Rey-tapping-into-the-force scene result in? Rey overpowering Kylo by smacking his attacks away and injuring him. It didn’t make her a skillful fighter, just far stronger? Yet, this is what a Mary Sue does and why the Rey story arc is horrible. Because there is no arc. No setup for a great fight between the protagonist and antagonist. Which the original trilogy had and even the prequels. But these new movies lack that.
As for the writing, I am with you wholeheartedly. I’m not that big a fan of Star Wars because the writing was never great. George Lucas is a barely-average writer. And I hated the Ewoks and the Battle for Endor planetary fight so much. And I never thought I would see someone come in that was worse than Lucas himself. But at least I can say that Lucas had the concept of plot and the hero’s journey. Not so with Rey. She is a Mary Sue and it is what turns me off about these new movies. There is no challenge for her, there is no obstacle for her to overcome, no villain for her to defeat. The villain she should have been striving to defeat, she slapped around in the first movie.
Personally, these new movies could have been a lot better. But I don’t know of a single story where a Mary Sue or Gary Stu made it a good one.
I see… you hate Endor and the Ewoks.
So you hate fun. I get it. It’s alright to not like fun. (I don’t think we can be friends anymore)
🙂
I’m currently rewatching TFA (for the second time this year), which is why I came back to the comment, but I just wanted to state that Rey explains her piloting in that scene – obviously most of it is luck but she does say to Finn that she “has flown before but never off planet”. It’s just as much explanation as Luke has for being able to hit the Death Star sphincter in the original film.
Hahahahaha! It was more that, as a kid, I couldn’t buy the fact that these little furballs with their sticks and stones could be a credible threat to the Empire. I just couldn’t swallow that since I was, and still am, a fan of military history and would study various battles that have taken place (you should have heard me ranting and raving about some of the battle scenes in Game of Thrones). Hell, this is one of the reasons why I think Avatar is one of the stupidest and crapiest movies ever.
But I did a quick watch of the scene where Rey flew the Millenium Falcon and you are right. She says during that explosion of word salad between her and Finn. So I concede that they baked it in there. And I say baked because I couldn’t help but wonder how the hell she would get the opportunity to fly anything in her situation. It’s not as if they showed her in a position to pay to fly or even allow her to fly a ship for any reason. But that can be chalked up to bad writers.