Page 109 - Star Wars Insider (Special Edition 2019)

to save him. Her “Refusal of the Call” comes as “Supernatural Aid.” Vogler’s update “The Crossing of the Threshold,” occurs
as she rebuffs BB-8’s attempts to team up reflects the fact that modern mythmaking with the help of the mentor. This is the

with her. Vogler describes the “Refusal of doesn’t necessarily need divine intervention point where Rey fully commits to the
the Call” as being based in fear, and Rey’s or supernatural beings. (Marvel’s The adventure that was offered when she
fear is of making personal connections Avengers, for example, inverts the trope responded to BB-8’s initial cries for
—as seen again later when she rips her by having mortal Nick Fury mentor demi- help. Like Luke agreeing to accompany
hand away from Finn’s. god Thor.) Obi-Wan to Alderaan, Rey steps past her
The next step, “Meeting with the In The Force Awakens, Rey’s mentor reluctance to leave behind her ordinary
Mentor,” was originally named by Campbell is Han Solo. Before she meets him, life (even when she initially agrees to go
though, she experiences Campbell’s with BB-8, she insists that it will only be
“Belly of the Whale,” a literal swallowing a brief distraction from her daily cares)
into the unknown as the ship she has stolen, and accepts the path of the unknown.
the Millennium Falcon, disappears inside It is at this stage that Vogler’s take
a massive space freighter. In A New Hope, on the Hero’s Journey and Campbell’s
Luke has already teamed up with his original begin to diverge signifi cantly.
mentor, Obi-Wan Kenobi, when he enters After the first act, Rey’s path takes her

the bowels of the Death Star. The lesson to Takodana, where she encounters
here is that, for all its seeming rigidity, archetypal “Tests,” “Enemies,” “Allies,”
the Hero’s Journey remains fl uid, and and a character-defi ning “Ordeal.”
the monomyth structure merely a guide. Campbell’s model focuses on both the
Rey meets Han inside the Belly of the transformation this brings and the
Whale, where her mentor imparts his reintegration back into the ordinary world
knowledge—in this case his non-Jedi’s that follows. However, Vogler dispenses
understanding of the supernatural forces with the reintegration and makes his
at work in the galaxy. Mentors often pass version all about the excitement of the
along a talisman to use on the heroic quest, silver screen: After the hero transforms,
and for Luke this was his father’s lightsaber. they race headlong into a rollercoaster
For Rey, it could be seen as the blaster ride of danger and exhilaration until the
Han gives her on Takodana, or it could story reaches its climax.
be the Millennium Falcon itself, passed Where Rey’s story differs most
on in stages throughout the story. importantly from the classic monomyth,

The final stage of Vogler’s fi rst act, though, is that, within the context of the
movie, she is no one important. Unlike
Luke Skywalker, she isn’t identifi ed as
the son of a Jedi hero, and she isn’t shown
with a supernatural guardian who has
been living nearby. Counter to most myths
and stories studied by Campbell, Rey isn’t
introduced to the audience as “chosen.”
The similarities between the two
models and Rey’s own journey show
that the foundation for creating compelling
heroes hasn’t changed much over the
centuries. But the differences prove there
is still innovation and excitement to be
had as we update our notions of just who
those heroes can be. a

MORE TO SAY

Tricia Barr is the co-author of Ultimate
Star Wars and host of the popular Star
Wars podcast Fangirls Going Rogue.
Follow her on Twitter @fangirlcantina.

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