Why are Some Fans So Fixated on Rey Skywalker?

spacebaby45678 wrote:

Darth Dingbat wrote:

Saracene wrote:

CienaRee wrote:If they didn't want Rey's family to be such a big deal or influence her that much than they went about it the wrong way.I don't want to make any judgments yet because we don't have the whole story yet but they could have easily let us know who Rey's parents are or for that matter keep some of the orinal idea about Rey/Kira having a father figure that takes care of her(similary to how Lukes uncle and aunt took care of him or Anakin and his mother)).Instead they not only ilimated that part but they also made her an abaondned girl turned a lonely scavanger while also keeping the mistery of Rey's parents(or just make her a Solo/Skywalker).
if they had just went with someone taking care of Rey while she's on Jakku and  told us point blank who her parents were then we wouldn't have the mess we have now with Rey Solo and Reywalker theories.I want to believe the writers are smarter than this and they didn't make Rey a scacenger on Jakku being on her own  because it sounded so cool(like it happened with Fin  being  a Stormtroope but not acting like one  or Kylo's ashes of his enemies).

@CienaRee

Yeah but I do get an impression that Rey Solo and Reywalker (more so Reywalker) theories is exactly what they wanted, as a smokescreen for the real story. I don't believe for a second that they created the mystery about Rey's parents not knowing what conclusion most of the audience would jump to. I personally dislike this fixation on surprises over just telling a compelling story, but that's what a lot of filmmakers get carried away with.

@Saracene

I have to say, though - if the whole thing is just a smokescreen without much narrative significance, then it's really poor storytelling, IMO.

But I guess we'll see.

I agree with @CienaRee - with a few simple touches Rey might easily have been established as an orphan whose family background is insignificant beyond what we already see in TFA: she's poor, her life is hard, she dreams of something better but hasn't had the chance to leave. Few poor people in this world get the chance to leave, either. Sure, some conspiracy theorists would still have thought she's a Solo or a Skywalker, but her parentage wouldn't have become the big question that it became now.

Instead, we got someone who's waiting on Jakku for a specific reason - not because she's so poor, but because she feels compelled to wait for her family. We get the vision of little Rey being abandoned. We get all these narrative touches that don't establish her as a simple disadvantaged orphan who gets sucked into a bigger narrative, but as a mysterious abandoned child. TFA doesn't downplay the importance of her background at all. It creates a deliberate mystery out of it. That's why I think it would be incredibly poor storytelling if that's nothing more than misdirection.

@Darth Dingbat

ITA, with you Dingbat. In all honesty it pains me to read about young Rey, in Rey's Survival Guide and Before the Awakening,  the writers and LF have really laid on her suffering, starvation, exploitation by Unkar, and loneliness on thick.

Usually the reason for this kind of narrative is because the character is of royal blood and will end up ruling later in life. These early life experiences will ultimately make them a better ruler with greater understanding and perspective of the world/universe.