She just happens to be a girl, and for some that’s apparently a problem. If Rey is a Mary Sue, she’s far from being the very first one.
In studying the preceding Star Wars films, an interesting point emerges. In the case of The Force Awakens‘ Rey, however, there’s no question that its current usage on the Internet is intended as a way of trivializing the importance of her character–not just to this film but to the Star Wars franchise as a whole. We’ve embraced the term here, obviously there’s even a post dedicated to the reasons why.Īt this point, “Mary Sue” has gone through so many iterations–as a parody, as a tongue-in-cheek acknowledgment, as a method of trying to diminish a female character–that it seems difficult to really pin down one true meaning anymore. The irony of it all is that the origins of the Mary Sue revolved around a satirical, self-insert fic now, the term is typically used pejoratively, to most often describe a female character who is the fictional embodiment of wish fulfillment. I won’t go into the definition of the term “Mary Sue” or why it actually has its own importance in the conversation TMS‘ own Sam Maggs did a perfect job of delving into that already. There have been some who have suggested that because Rey is a strong and skilled female character, she’s a representation of a Mary Sue.
(After all, there could be any number of reasons why something is trending.) And it didn’t take me long to find this excellently written piece ( warning: spoilers for the film within) by The Verge‘s Tasha Robinson on the character of Rey in The Force Awakens. When I signed on the Internet last night and saw the term “Mary Sue” was a trending topic on Twitter, I ventured in cautiously.
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