'Star Wars: The Last Jedi' Novelization Explains Rey's 'Force Awakens' Jedi Mind Trick
Some Star Wars fans had a problem with Daisy Ridley's character Rey using the famed Jedi mind trick in The Force Awakens when her knowledge of the Force seemed so limited. Well, worry no more! The recently released Last Jedi novelization finally provides an explanation for Rey's mind-trick-mastery.
Late in Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Rey is able to escape from the clutches of Kylo Ren and the First Order thanks to the famous Jedi mind trick. The scene is fairly amusing, with Rey tricking a Stormtrooper (played by Daniel Craig!) into releasing her from Ren's IKEA-brand torture table. I personally had no problem with how this scene played out. Other people weren't so happy, however. Many fans felt that it made no sense for Rey to have a grasp on the mind trick so quickly, and they took their complaints to the hallowed halls of the internet, even going so far as to call her a "Mary Sue" because of it.
If you were one of the people annoyed that Rey used the mind trick with ease, the newly released Star Wars: The Last Jedi novelization is here to calm your nerves. In the book, written by Jason Fry with input from Last Jedi director Rian Johnson, a rather logical answer explanation is offered for the Force Awakens mind trick scene. Here's the scene in question, in case you need a refresher.
The Force Awakens Jedi Mind Trick Scene
As you may recall, right before Rey employs the trick, Kylo Ren invades her mind in an attempt to extract information. This act is what enables Rey to learn the Jedi mind tricks of the trade, so to speak. As the novel puts it (via ScreenRant), "Even as he [Kylo] callously rifled through her mind, he had somehow revealed his own. Rey found herself in his mind even as he invaded hers." From there, the book continues:
"Kylo had retreated at finding Rey in his head – had practically fled from her. But that had not been the end of that strange, sudden connection. She had seen more – far more. Somehow, almost instinctually, she knew how he accessed some of the powers at his commend – even though she didn't understand them. It was as if his training had become hers, unlocking and flinging open door after door in her mind."
There you have it. As Ren was reading Rey's mind, Rey was reading his – and inadvertently learned about the Jedi mind trick as a result. I honestly feel like we could've surmised this ourselves just from the way the scene in The Force Awakens plays out, but I also recognize that some fans really wanted a specific answer. And now the answer is here! We can all stop talking about this now, right?