J.J. Abrams Addresses Lack of Rey in The Force Awakens Merchandise

[Steven Bogos]

J.J. Abrams Addresses Lack of Rey in The Force Awakens Merchandise

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J.J. Abrams says it is "preposterous" that Rey is being excluded from various The Force Awakens merchandise sets.

Merchandising is such a absent from multiple merchandise sets [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/165452-Fan-Buys-Star-Wars-The-Force-Awakens-Action-Figure-Posts-Picture-Gets-Copyright-Notice#&gid=gallery_5195&pid=1], including Hasbro's official Star Wars Monopoly. Turns out even director J.J. Abrams has a few things to say about that, as he has called out the lack of Rey merchandise as "preposterous".

"I wish I had more details about merchandising and the schedule," Abrams told Entertainment Weekly [http://www.ew.com/article/2016/01/09/jj-abrams-star-wars-force-awakens-rey-toys]. "I'm learning things as you are. I will say that it seems preposterous and wrong that the main character of the movie is not well represented in what is clearly a huge piece of the Star Wars world in terms of merchandising."

Abrams continued to explain that he "read that she wasn't in the Monopoly game and was quickly making phone calls about this because if it were true - and it is true, and now Hasbro, of course, has said they're going to put Rey in - it doesn't quite make sense why she wouldn't be there. She's somewhat important in the story."

This is important because toy manufacturers were pulling the "we wanted to avoid spoilers" line when discussing the lack of Rey figures. But if Abrams, with his known aversion to spoilers, is upset about it, then it's kind of a moot point.

Source: Entertainment Weekly [http://www.ew.com/article/2016/01/09/jj-abrams-star-wars-force-awakens-rey-toys]

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[Chriss_m]

'This is important because toy manufacturers were pulling the "we wanted to avoid spoilers" line when discussing the lack of Rey figures.'

Haha. You make it sound like there's some sort of conspiracy here. Pretty sure they made the decision for fairly transparent reasons. I mean should they cut the black guy to include the woman? It's all really very silly.

 

[Saltyk]

I'd be curious to see what sort of toys are missing Rey. And what is included in those toy lines. For example, if Rey isn't in the Monopoly game, but Finn and Poe aren't either, I wouldn't have an issue with it. However, if Finn and Poe are in the Monopoly game, it seems pretty sad to not include the fucking main character.

Of course, Rey should have action figures and be included in some, if not all, play sets that come with figures.

I'll also add that my eight year old cousin saw Episode VII and loved it. She's a huge Star Wars fan. I asked her who her favorite character was and she told me it was Rey. So, it would be a huge loss to a little girl like her if her favorite character wasn't readily available in various toys she might want.

 

[WhiteTigerShiro]

However, fans were quite dismayed to discover that titular character Rey

I do not think that word means what you think it means.

 

[Steven Bogos]

I'd be curious to see what sort of toys are missing Rey. And what is included in those toy lines. For example, if Rey isn't in the Monopoly game, but Finn and Poe aren't either, I wouldn't have an issue with it. However, if Finn and Poe are in the Monopoly game, it seems pretty sad to not include the fucking main character.

Of course, Rey should have action figures and be included in some, if not all, play sets that come with figures.

I'll also add that my eight year old cousin saw Episode VII and loved it. She's a huge Star Wars fan. I asked her who her favorite character was and she told me it was Rey. So, it would be a huge loss to a little girl like her if her favorite character wasn't readily available in various toys she might want.

The characters in the monopoly game were Finn, Luke Skywalker, Kylo Ren and Darth Vader. So Rey isn't in it but to be fair Poe isn't either so... eh?

 

[Saltyk]

I'd be curious to see what sort of toys are missing Rey. And what is included in those toy lines. For example, if Rey isn't in the Monopoly game, but Finn and Poe aren't either, I wouldn't have an issue with it. However, if Finn and Poe are in the Monopoly game, it seems pretty sad to not include the fucking main character.

Of course, Rey should have action figures and be included in some, if not all, play sets that come with figures.

I'll also add that my eight year old cousin saw Episode VII and loved it. She's a huge Star Wars fan. I asked her who her favorite character was and she told me it was Rey. So, it would be a huge loss to a little girl like her if her favorite character wasn't readily available in various toys she might want.

The characters in the monopoly game were Finn, Luke Skywalker, Kylo Ren and Darth Vader. So Rey isn't in it but to be fair Poe isn't either so... eh?

Well, that seems odd. I mean, I kinda get Finn being in it as the trailers seemed to be implying he was the main character. And I did see something saying that the game came out months ago. So I am willing to give them some benefit of the doubt, as it is possible that Hasbro didn't know that she was the hero. They should certainly add her to all future versions of the game, though. It is kinda weird that it lacked any female characters, though. I mean, not even Leia?

Also, why does it only have four characters? Doesn't Monopoly usually have several to choose from? I found old images of the original Star Wars Monopoly that had several different characters.

 

[Jadak]

eh, this is still dumb. Well, complaining about a lack of characters is fine, it's the accusations of sexism that are dumb.

I get people wanting Rey, but I come on, there's only 4 playable pieces, and it's already split between 1 from each trilogy and 1 from each faction. There was literally one piece that could be swapped out for Rey in that model, and then we'd just be left with accusations of racism instead.

The only reasonable complaint is that only having 4 pieces is shit to begin with. Should have been at least 8, or new trilogy only characters if they really wanted to stick with 4.

In any case, perfect opportunity for them to capitalize on expansion sets of characters.

 

[Greymarch10]

Rey isnt being ignored by manufacturers because she is female. She is being ignored because she is a boring, Mary Sue character who doesnt inspire female nor male children. The more time passes, the more people will get over the buzz, and realize Rey isnt really a Star Wars-worthy character.

 

[TheVampwizimp_v1legacy]

Rey isnt being ignored by manufacturers because she is female. She is being ignored because she is a boring, Mary Sue character who doesnt inspire female nor male children. The more time passes, the more people will get over the buzz, and realize Rey isnt really a Star Wars-worthy character.

You're right, why would they merchandise a bad character? No one ever does that, and now Disney is finally catching up. In fact, they were wrong to put Kylo Ren in the game too, since he's a sissy pansy poopy. And Luke does nothing but look sad, sooo lame. And Vader is like the worst character in the whole movie, just sitting on the desk, all without a body and shit. Why are any of these characters being merchandised at all? Sooo stupid...

You know, they shouldn't merchandise the Hulk anymore either for the Avengers. He's barely a character, he isn't worthy to be a Marvel star. I mean, he's a green monster, not a young white male, what the hell is he doing here???

 

[Dominic Crossman]

Rey isnt being ignored by manufacturers because she is female. She is being ignored because she is a boring, Mary Sue character who doesnt inspire female nor male children. The more time passes, the more people will get over the buzz, and realize Rey isnt really a Star Wars-worthy character.

Both Luke Skywalker and Han Solo are more Mary Sues then Rey. Or Kirk from Trek. Or Ripley from Alien.

My point being the popular characters in the most Sci-Fi films are all Mary Sues to the same (or a larger) degree as Rey.
Just loooked the term up to see if I missed anything, and apparently Mary Sues are also Self-Insertion characters for the author, I don't think JJ Abrams or Geroge Lucas see themselves as teenage girls.

To me the Mary Sue argument/accusation in pretty much any context seems a way to dismiss a film or character without having to point out anything specifically wrong with them.

And there are far more valid criticisms to be made such as

Spoiler

the plot is almost beat for beat a rehash of Episode IV, don't want write a wall of text but this page pretty much says it all http://www.tedlandau.com/slantedviewpoint/index.php/archives/2015/1845
Or the fact Finn who as been getting brainwashed from childhood (infancy?) is the most charismatic and funny guy on screen though he shouldn't really have much personality to speak of.

 

[Zontar]

Well who do you think is awakening in the film? It isn't the beeping soccer ball.

Most people seem to be under the impression that Finn is the main character. Probably because the movie follows his story and unlike Rey he actually has an arc his character goes through, something Rey did not have going for her. He also had a much stronger screen presence then her, and while I don't know which one had more screen-time and more lines it sure felt like he was the one who had more focus from the movie.

If the three writers (Abrams amongst them) where going for her being the titular character and the protagonist, they sure failed to accomplish that.

 

[Zontar]

Both Luke Skywalker and Han Solo are more Mary Sues then Rey. Or Kirk from Trek. Or Ripley from Alien.

Ripley would have been a much more interesting character if dropped into the movie.

Though I really have to ask why you think Luke or Han are more Mary Sues then Rey given Rey was better at using the force then Luke was at the end of Jedi and she was a better mechanic then Han, to say nothing of her unjustified piloting skills.

 

[Rebel_Raven]

C'mon, I played monopoly as a child. It had WAY more pieces than 4 to play as. I know the figures are big, but come on! They could have added Rey with her staff, and Phasma who would have balanced things out nicely, and probably wouldn't have spoiled crap.
Maybe even Leia, and the top soldier guy who's name I forget atm.

Hell, it would have been way more awesome if they had open hands to grip weapons, or something. That way people could replace Rey's staff with a blaster, or light saber later on. Heck, a lost light saber from the set, or a lost anything could warrant future purchases of game copies.
I just hope the people who bought the game before can opt to have just the new pieces shipped to them.

Rey has figures out there. People dedicate websites to it, and I actually found some, and have 1 (the 3.5 inch unmasked Rey as I hate her masked figure.) Problem is, they're either stupidly popular as they're flying off the shelf so hard that it should blow away every financial excuse against female figures out of the damn water (Even if scalpers are buying them, the stores are still selling them, thus the demand goes up), she's horrendously shortpacked (I.E. her figures come 1 to every 50.), or they're short packing her into oblivion in that her merch exists, but it may as well not because they don't care to make her which you can draw your own conclusions from.

So, either the toy companies are screwing Rey fans over 9and probably the actress as she's going to get far less royalties off her stuff if she is getting them), or they really need to stop listening to the:
"Boys only want to play as boys!"
"Girls don't buy our product!"
etc. crap and start marketing female characters better.

Hasbro is catching on with their marvel legends line having Spider Gwen (i so frikking want! Especially found in a brick, and mortar), Scarlet Witch, Gamora, Valkyrie, Misty Knight, White tiger, May Parker, Spider Woman (Ultimate, and normal universe), Arana, Wasp, the female Beetle, and more. I fucking collect the hell out of those. Plus they're saving so much frikking money with them as they can reuse molds so easily like the Jubilee BaF which is the base for a lot of the women.
I really hope that despite the heavy price point, younger fans of both genders are getting them, and enjoying them, and I wish they'd continue the half sized marvel legends stuff. I have Red Shehulk, and I'm interested in more beyond that.

But anyhow, seriously, I want to see more Rey stuff in physical locations! Not just for my sake, but for the sake of all her fans, collectors, and anyone that might enjoy owning her merch.

P.S. Nice to see the usual crowd of people that are telling us not to care when they would in out shoes, and the people that are basically hating Rey because she's a capable woman calling her a "Mary Sue" when there's been a ridiculous amount of Gary Stus they just happen to not hate for the only fathomable reason being they're guys.

Edit: Lets do away with a chunk of mystery as to why Rey's talented, yeah? Here's what I imagine is her official bio straight from starwars.com which a lot of people probably overlooked.
http://www.starwars.com/databank/rey

 

[Dominic Crossman]

Both Luke Skywalker and Han Solo are more Mary Sues then Rey. Or Kirk from Trek. Or Ripley from Alien.

Ripley would have been a much more interesting character if dropped into the movie.

Though I really have to ask why you think Luke or Han are more Mary Sues then Rey given Rey was better at using the force then Luke was at the end of Jedi and she was a better mechanic then Han, to say nothing of her unjustified piloting skills.

To be fair, more might be pushing it, but as much as...
Luke - Dispite never having piloted a X-Wing is able to fly it like an expert and destroys the Death Star and

Spoiler

never ran away from danger or responsibly, to let's say have a cry in a forest. Also he beat Vader a fully trained sith with years of experience while Rey beat an injured dark side trainee who apart from frezzing a shot in mid air isn't particularly powerful

Han - You mean the guy all the fans want to be because he's such a bad ass, who only completely fails once (vs Vader and Lando's betrayal) and can otherwise shoot or talk his way out of any given situation. Who saves the protagonists life twice that I remember. Who gets the Princess by being a bit of a dick. Who causes a dozen stormtroopers to retreat for backup on their hometurf of the Death Star. Who finds Luke in the middle of a snowstorm with no tracking device while Luke is wearing winter camo against impossible odds. Who wins the trust of the Rebels so easily that they trust him (and Leia) to lead the assualt on the mission critcal shield generator. As for the mechanic thing that's Chewies department more so then Solos

Side note: None of this is to say I'm a massive fan of character or anything, I just hate the Mary Sue argument, ESPECIALLY when they're far more valid compliants.

 

[Loonyyy]

Rey isnt being ignored by manufacturers because she is female. She is being ignored because she is a boring, Mary Sue character who doesnt inspire female nor male children. The more time passes, the more people will get over the buzz, and realize Rey isnt really a Star Wars-worthy character.

Even were that the case, you'd still make merch.

Especially if that were the case, you'd make merch. Who would design a character who is basically wish fulfillment, and not make merch? Let me put it this way. I actually have Star Wars merch. Because I'm not a poser. I have an entire fucking book and associated clippings about the entire history of C3PO and the filming process. I have a large doll of fucking 3PO. I had a little R2-D2 toy, my brother had an R2 moneybox, the other brother had a Anakin moneybox, from the goddamn podracing segment in Phantom Menace. I have Luke's landspeeder from A New Hope. The fucking landspeeder, that's hardly the most iconic thing in there. You can get random bounty hunters who only appeared in the lineup in Empire. I'm pretty sure you can get the Bith members of the Cantina band. I have Darth Maul's speederbike, which appeared for bare minutes of screentime. You're engaging in obvious motivated reasoning. You know it's untrue, "search your feelings".

Rey is a Star Wars worthy character, in the exact same way that you're not a Star Wars worthy fan.

 

[Zontar]

To be far more might be pushing it, but as much as...
Luke - Dispite never having piloted a X-Wing is able to fly it like an expert and destroys the Death Star and

Spoiler

never ran away from danger or responsibly, to let's say have a cry in a forest. Also he beat Vader a fully trained sith with years of experience while Rey beat an injured dark side trainee who apart from frezzing a shot in mid air isn't particularly powerful

Luke was explicitly piloted a T16, which is referenced several times before he ever gets into the cockpit, and when he confronted Vader after years of knowing about the force he got his ass kicked, Vader toying with him and, when he finally got serious about their fight, immediately cut off his arm. It wasn't until after he finished his training that he stood a chance, and even then the only reason he won was a combination of letting his anger control him coupled with catching Vader off guard.

Rey, on the other hand, is an even better pilot then Luke was despite being a starving scavenger...

Spoiler

and her winning the fight against Kylo was literally "because reasons". One could argue he was injured but his kicking Finn's ass showed his injuries where not bad enough to allow for a first time novice to win.

Han - You mean the guy all the fans want to be because he's such a bad ass, who only completely fails once (vs Vader and Lando's betrayal) and can otherwise shoot or talk his way out of any given situation. Who saves the protagonists life twice that I remember. Who gets the Princess by being a bit of a dick. Who causes a dozen stormtroopers to retreat for backup on their hometurf of the Death Star. Who finds Luke in the middle of a snowstorm with no tracking device while Luke is wearing winter camo against impossible odds. Who wins the trust of the Rebels so easily that they trust him (and Leia) to lead the assualt on the mission critcal shield generator. As for the mechanic thing that's Chewies department more so then Solos

Yes, the imperfect character who spent years working with the rebellion (a rebellion with people not much more trustworthy then him), saved the protagonist just as the protagonist saved him, caused 5 stormtroopers to retreat when they thought a group of enemies where rushing them (then turning on him once they realized he was just one madman with a blaster), who tracked Luke while knowing his general area after god knows how many hours of searching (they dunked Luke in a bacca tank but not Han, I think he was out in the cold for a bit more then 5 minutes), and leads an assault after proving over the course of years that he is a competent and trustworthy leader for the rebels.

Yes, the character who had depth and actual character, who had faults and, quite frankly, would be hard to see be made as a new character in a big budget movie these days given how the general shift away from wider audiences wanting character depth in movies means it would be hard to make a male rogue character who isn't a villain not cause certain groups to chastise the makers of a movie for doing so.

Side note: None of this is to say I'm a massive fan of character or anything, I just hate the Mary Sue argument, ESPECIALLY when they're far more valid compliants.

There are many legitimate complains about the movie, and Rey being a Mary Sue is very much one of them.

 

[Mister K]

A bit off-topic, but what if Finn actually IS a main character, and modern trilogy is more of a story about a human being becoming a person, while Rei is just a distraction because you HAVE to have a Force user as a "face" of a SW movie? And maybe JJ is upset because she is his creation? Just a thought.

Also, I find it funny that people are buffled by the fact that Finn became a traitor. Empire is basically a Nazi Germany in disguise, right? By the time WWII started, Nazi party was in control of Germany for about 20 years (maybe slightly less). During this period of time, a whole generation of people grew up with these ideals pouring at them from every possible source of information. But if you will tell me now that every single young person of this time in Germany was a hardcore Nazi, I will say that you are bananas.

 

[Falling_v1legacy]

Fortunately, this story has a happy ending- Rey will be added this year

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/life/star-wars-monopoly-game-to-add-piece-based-on-rey-after-8-year-olds-note/article28056819/

Dunno why they would limit themselves to four game pieces. Doesn't most Monopoly games come with 6 pieces?

 

[Erttheking]

Rey isnt being ignored by manufacturers because she is female. She is being ignored because she is a boring, Mary Sue character who doesnt inspire female nor male children. The more time passes, the more people will get over the buzz, and realize Rey isnt really a Star Wars-worthy character.

And Kylo Ren, the character that threw multiple on screen tempter tantrums, gets a free pass?

OT: Well Star Wars gets people complaining about Rey being a Mary Sue and this. Wow.