Why Rey Never Losing Ended up Hurting her Character Part 2: Star Trek Discovery Season 3 Edition

[Winter]

Over on Twitter Linkara went over his thoughts on Star Trek Discovery Season 3 and while he noted that it was an improvement in a number of ways it still suffered Season 1 and 2's biggest problem, to much focus on Michael. Now I do want to note that Linkara is a fan of the first two films in the Disney Sequel Trilogy of Star Wars and Linkara if you're reading this I apologize for using your views on Discovery as a way to help explain my case against TDST but a lot of what you said did sort of reflect my feelings about TDST.

So, spoilers for anyone who hasn't seen Season 3 of Discovery Michael is promoted to Captain at the end of that season because she proved she had what it took to sit in the chair because she willingly sacrificed one of her own crew members despite her not wanting to. Please note Michael was demoted just a few episodes ago but now because of one touch choice she is promoted to captain.

To quote Linkara's tweet review.

https://twitter.com/Linkara19/status/13 ... 2374228993

I mean... seriously nothing this season was building up to Michael being ready to become a captain, if anything the opposite seemed to be the case as her poor judgement seemed to making it clear she had a LONG way to go before she was ready to take that leap. There's also the problem the show has of telling us how much Michael has changed but honestly while there are a few subtle things for the most part she's the same person she was at the start of the series.

However, while I love Star Trek I love Star Wars a bit more and while these points bugged me they didn't annoy me as much as they do with Linkara and Chuck but I do get why this bugged them as Linkara's issue with this part of the season mirrors my own issue with Rey becoming so powerful in the Force so quickly.

In about a week Rey is as strong as Luke was at the end of the Original Trilogy despite needing about 4 or 5 years of training by two of the most powerful Jedi's of all time and yet Rey can just do this just by learning that she's a Force-Sensitive and going from there. Rey was in fact so powerful that later stories needed to tone it down and the Lego Star Wars Holiday Special (which is a parody that's supposedly set in the same continuity) made Rey weaker and had her screw up because she was apparently to OP. Again, the PARODY had to tone Rey down to make her not come off as to over the top.

When a series that is well known for poking fun at the Mary Sue Trope for the sake of a Joke decides that a character is to perfect it's time to acknowledge that you might have taken it to far.

People like characters who struggle, who have to over come obstacles both external and internal. That's what makes characters like Adora, Mara Jade, Goku and Lara Croft so compelling and loved by everyone because they had to work for what they wanted. Are they always so well written, Hell no but what makes them so engaging always finds its way back to them either because fans demand it or the next set of writers get them back on track.

Can Rey and Michael be brought back? I don't know as the problem is the writers themselves refuse to change anything about them. They aren't allowed to grow, they keep getting everything they want even when all logic says they shouldn't AND the writers keep trying to push the angle that these characters are just as good if not better then the characters we use to know.

I posted the question what was the difference between Ahsoka & Michael and I think I know the answer now. In season 2 of the Clone Wars what annoyed fans about Ahsoka were turned into her strengths. Her constant winning streaks made her arrogant and over confident and lead to her getting several Clone Troopers killed. Her smugness and belief she is invincible gets to her head and leads her to losing a number of fights because she thinks she can handle it and her quick thinking that served her well in the past works against her as she's shown repeatedly to not take her time and think things through.

Rey and Michael have no such arc, their flaws, (what few they are allowed to have) aren't allowed to shape them and are usually ignored in favor of giving them what they want no question. And TDST and Dis stick with these mind sets that they don't have to make the characters go through any real trials and tribulations because that is beneath these two. Michael gets demote for insubordination, lets one of her crew makes almost die and she's now proven she's ready to take control of a star ship. Rey learns her parents are nobodies who sold her for drinking money, is able to achieve a feat that took other characters years to master and she is now a true Jedi.

Adora didn't truly become She-Ra until the end of the series when she basically embodied what She-Ra truly represents. Love. Her choosing to help random people she barely knew because they were in danger is what allowed her to first transform into She-Ra, it was her choice to destroy the Sword of Protection to stop the Heart of Etheria from destroying Etheria and God Knows how many other people and her love for Catra is what allowed her to transformer into She-Ra again & her Catra's mutual declarations of love is what allowed Adora to regain her power and save the galaxy.

Rey and Michael are just going through the motions of a character arc but have no real growth. No challenge and stay as they are rather then grow as they should. Without failing, without defeat these two can't grow and as such feel weak for many fans of both Star Trek and Star Wars.

[Link8909]

I mean... seriously nothing this season was building up to Michael being ready to become a captain, if anything the opposite seemed to be the case as her poor judgement seemed to making it clear she had a LONG way to go before she was ready to take that leap. There's also the problem the show has of telling us how much Michael has changed but honestly while there are a few subtle things for the most part she's the same person she was at the start of the series.

I can see your point, I personally feel Michael is a better fit for the Science/First Officer role in the series, and maybe instead at the end she was back as First Officer instead, but I do like this new direction as while Michael has the rank of Captain, this doesn't mean its the end of her journey and new challenges will come, which I'm looking forward to seeing in season four.

I do feel their was a clear character arc for her myself, while not perfect, I do personally think the character she was at the start had changed for the better at the end, Michael started out season three finding out who she was, as in the past she has been what others have expedited her to be, only upon returning to Discovery was uncertain where she belongs, ultimately choosing Discovery in "Unification III" after all her actions were brought to light and she had to confront them, and afterwards her more maverick tendencies were tempered, leading her to made the hard choice in "There Is A Tide..." with Stamets.

But there is something I do like about all this, she herself questions her readiness for the Chair and only took it at the end because they wanted to start giving out dilithium out right away, unlike Kelvin Timeline Kirk, who while did save the Federation, didn't really do that much compared to the others, who didn't change from the dude-bro from the bar at the beginning, and didn't learn anything yet was still given the Chair to the new Flagship, I do feel Michael does learn, she does change for the better, and was more humble about being given the position compared to that version of Kirk.

And overall I feel Michael's role in the series was well handed compared to season two, she had her own character arc and was still the lead (which after thinking about it I'm fine with), but she wasn't the main arc either, she had a role in the primary story line, but wasn't the driving force in it.

[Winter]

I mean... seriously nothing this season was building up to Michael being ready to become a captain, if anything the opposite seemed to be the case as her poor judgement seemed to making it clear she had a LONG way to go before she was ready to take that leap. There's also the problem the show has of telling us how much Michael has changed but honestly while there are a few subtle things for the most part she's the same person she was at the start of the series.

I can see your point, I personally feel Michael is a better fit for the Science/First Officer role in the series, and maybe instead at the end she was back as First Officer instead, but I do like this new direction as while Michael has the rank of Captain, this doesn't mean its the end of her journey and new challenges will come, which I'm looking forward to seeing in season four.

I do feel their was a clear character arc for her myself, while not perfect, I do personally think the character she was at the start had changed for the better at the end, Michael started out season three finding out who she was, as in the past she has been what others have expedited her to be, only upon returning to Discovery was uncertain where she belongs, ultimately choosing Discovery in "Unification III" after all her actions were brought to light and she had to confront them, and afterwards her more maverick tendencies were tempered, leading her to made the hard choice in "There Is A Tide..." with Stamets.

But there is something I do like about all this, she herself questions her readiness for the Chair and only took it at the end because they wanted to start giving out dilithium out right away, unlike Kelvin Timeline Kirk, who while did save the Federation, didn't really do that much compared to the others, who didn't change from the dude-bro from the bar at the beginning, and didn't learn anything yet was still given the Chair to the new Flagship, I do feel Michael does learn, she does change for the better, and was more humble about being given the position compared to that version of Kirk.

And overall I feel Michael's role in the series was well handed compared to season two, she had her own character arc and was still the lead (which after thinking about it I fine with), but she wasn't the main arc either, she had a role in the primary story line, but wasn't the driving force in it.

I may not agree but I can see your point.