There’s something infinitely wrong when society watches a movie about mysterious forces and light swords set in outer space and they take away that a girl displaying technical/mechanical knowledge is “too much” and “unrealistic.”
I’ve been seeing a disturbing amount of articles, posts, and comments saying that Rey is “unrealistic” for knowing tech/mechanics. One review, which I’m still really hoping was a joke, implied that Disney probably had a female STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering & Math) agenda or group sponser them because there really wasn’t another reason why Rey would have STEM-like skills. What’s even more upsetting is the fact that, while I’ve seen people rush to defend her force ability and fighting skills, I’ve seen no one defend her STEM-skills.
If Rey spent years scavenging material and sewing clothes, you’d expect her to be proficient in that. You probably wouldn’t even doubt anything she did with those skills. So why doubt her STEM knowledge? The comments saying that Rey’s technology and mechanic skills “come out of nowhere” aren’t exactly true. Rey has been on Jakku for about fourteen years, where she likely spent most of that time finding tech and working with machines, learning what each device did and what parts were valuable, finding and fixing things up for payment. Are you telling me that in her years and years of work experience, you really think she retained absolutely nothing? Why is it that the thought of a girl who knows tech and mechanics is able to make some so uncomfortable? In The Phantom Menace, Anakin was about half Rey’s age and a skilled pilot who was building C-3PO and, curiously enough, I’ve never seen a comment doubting his skills. So why are Rey’s skills so wrong? I agree that the writing/exposition didn’t overly explore or explain all of Rey’s skills, and I understand that the audience wasn’t shown much detail, but in a universe where there’s planet-blasting bases and music-making aliens, saying that
Rey being able to have tech and mechanic skills is “unrealistic" is downright insulting.
All of this. To add –
Not that we should need ‘proof’ to defend Rey’s proficiency in tech and language skills, but the cute little book “Rey’s Survival Guide” is perfect for it. In it she details how she spends her time studying everything about the ships she scavenges in. She keeps detailed notes and schematics. She pulls things apart, puts them back together, she learns how every part works, and what it’s purpose and value is – she has to, otherwise she won’t know what parts are best to trade for rations. She built that speeder from scratch and booby-trapped it so that no one can steal it (and calls it her baby!). She works hard at learning everything she can – her knowledge certainly didn’t “come out of nowhere”.
She lives INSIDE AN AT-AT
That is just such a great bit of characterization, she is so into technology she lives INSIDE a huge derelict machine and goes home and jams a republic pilot’s helmet on her head!
