Star Wars: 25 most empowering female characters of all-time

2. Rey

There are a few things we know about Rey that makes it easy to see why young girls have fallen in love with the Star Wars character.

Rey is a survivor through and through. We saw that from the first moments she appeared on-screen in The Force Awakens. She was a scavenger who found what she needed to make it through the next day.

That’s not easy on a world like Jakku but Rey made it happen.

She’s also incredibly special.

Rey is strong with the force. She was able to keep Kylo Ren out of her head when he mind probed her. Then, she was able to defend herself and Finn when they fought on Starkiller Base. Kylo Ren was injured at the time, but she was still strong enough to persevere.

One of the best scenes in the Star Wars movies – all of them – is when Rey and Kylo Ren both reach out for the Skywalker lightsaber with the force and the blade flies right into Rey’s hand. It’s the moment that solidified her place in the Star Wars legacy.

Rey inherently wants to see the good in the world despite being given a bad lot in life. She was abandoned on Jakku by unknown parents, yet she imagines they are going to come back for her someday.

Kylo Ren murdered his father and countless others across the galaxy, and yet she still thinks he can be redeemed. She is an idealist with a greater sense of purpose. Her moments of doubt have been few and far between, choosing instead to forge ahead even when the odds are not in her favor.