Everyone Needs Friends, Especially Heroes

Rey from Star Wars is applauded as Hollywood’s “peak strong female character” but does she live up to that title? While Rey is noble, powerful, and caring she is not expressive, relatable, or nuanced. There seems to be a disconnect between the title “peak strong female character” and her similarities to an Ingénue: morally perfect, endearingly innocent, and potentially boring. There’s a myriad of problems with Rey’s character, lack of motivation, unprecedented power, etc. that stop her from fulfilling her role as the strong female lead. But the biggest obstacle is her lack of friends. *

The bonds between Luke, Han, and Leia are legendary, some of the most famous cinematic friendships of all time. Elsewhere, we find that our most beloved fictional protagonists have friends, good friends, helping them achieve their goals. In Harry Potter, Harry Potter defeats Voldermort with the help of Ron and Hermione. Frodo wouldn’t have made it to Mount Doom without Sam in Lord of The Rings. Examining these characters reveals that behind every great protagonist is a good friend, or two, helping them reach their goal. It could be argued that these protagonists succeeded because of their friends’ help. It’s the antagonists who failed, and while they had minions or partners, they didn’t have friends. 

Contrast these literary and cinematic friendships against Rey's relationship with her supporting cast. There’s no scene where she just hangs out with her friends. She doesn’t meet Poe until the end of The Last Jedi, sends BB-8 away a few times, and Finn moves away from her. Yet somehow, without friends, Rey still manages to accomplish an impossible task, defeating the Emperor, alone. Sure, she has her Zoom friend, Luke Skywalker, but that’s less of a friendship and more of a plot device. If we’re supposed to be teaching our children that strong women are good friends, shouldn’t Rey have some? Why couldn’t she have a scene with Poe and Finn where she goofs off or shares her fears? Where are her cool girlfriends helping her defeat the Emperor?

Without friends, Rey is reduced to something a little better than a “Byronic Hero” alone, aloof, and uninteresting. A strong woman has friends who push her beyond her capabilities, carry her across obstacles, and stick with her to the end. So please, find Rey some friends, and show the world that strong women, and strong people, don’t have to do hard things alone. Because everyone needs friends, especially heroes. 

*Yes, she did grow up by herself in a desert, socializing with the occasional scavenger so there’s an argument to be made that she’s used to being alone or socially anxious. But there’s nothing in the movie that suggests she’s incapable of making friends due to her past. In fact, everyone who meets her seems to love her, so it doesn’t make sense that she doesn’t foster normal connections.