Is it just me or is Rey astoundingly intelligent and articulate for someone who received no formal education growing up? She must have been very good at self-teaching… I mean, she managed to teach herself how to pilot a starship without any practical experience, if I remember correctly… I guess where there’s a will, there’s a way… 😉 Or I could just be ignorant to a portion of her background. *shrugs*
The little I’ve read on Rey’s background in the books and the part of TLJ book that talks about how Rey has access to Ben’s training…I hate what they’re doing to her character. I always believed it was the force that allowed her to pilot the falcon so well during their escape (her and Finn meeting in the hall afterwards commenting on how great each other did…they both seemed really surprised – I took Finn’s surprise as his finding his identity and skill set outside of being a storm trooper and Rey’s as general shock). And by saying she has access to Ben’s training just devalues her abilities. If people would just take a moment to look at the vast arsenal that canon jedi’s have it answers all the questions – ability to understand languages, reflexes, mechanical understanding, “luck”, the list goes on…it’s like everything constantly contradicts itself.
I promise I’m not a creeper stalking all your posts. The people in my life either hated TLJ too much to talk about it or think Reylo is creepily abusive, so I get my Reylo discussion fixes online. Yours are some of my favorite insights so I check back in frequently.
But in regards to this one — have you read Rey’s Survival Guide? I did recently and completely loved it. It gives so much more insight into Rey’s life on Jakku, and how she can be so good at things TFA doesn’t really explain. I think she was gifted with a great deal of natural intelligence, which allowed her to pick up new skills easily. But Rey’s Survival Guide explains how she knows so many languages and how she knows how to fly, among other things. If you haven’t read it, you might find it interesting.
It’s a quick, light read that makes me love her character even more.
I never thought you were a creeper 🙂 I set up this site as more or less an outlet where I could fangirl, first about books and now about Reylo, because the people in my life don’t share my interests or think the way I do. So I sympathize.
As for Rey–I was, indeed, ignorant to portions of her background. When I made this post, I hadn’t read Rey’s Survival Guide, but I did read it later. As you said, it was wonderfully insightful into her life on Jakku–though the reviewer in me could nitpick it–and it’s very useful as a resource for her character. Furthermore, I see your Survival Guide and raise you a Before the Awakening, which includes a short story about a time when Rey was out scavenging and found a small but nearly intact starship; intact enough that she could fix it with other parts she scavenged and hopefully get it running. It took a year, but she did just that, and flew it to the outpost.
SO, while I still think she’s more capable than she should be for someone whose education has been more theory than practice–you cannot convince me that virtual flying is comparable to experience–I concede that they put a good amount of effort into explaining how she acquired her remarkable skillset. Unfortunately, you have to search it out in books; TFA didn’t establish it all that well, which is why so many people accused Rey of being a Mary Sue. Just like it didn’t establish Ben’s character very well, which is why so many people refuse to believe he isn’t the villain. Poor Adam Driver and Daisy Ridley are doing all the heavy lifting.