TavorX said:
Wait, where was it said Luke had already been in the Imperial Academy before ANH? I thought the whole issue with Luke/Lars was that he wanted to join the Academy but Lars denied him over and over again (Luke: “Yeah, that’s what you said last time too”.) Luke from what I understand had the natural talent just like his father of piloting (I’m pretty sure Luke mentioned he piloted a T-16 through Beggar’s Canyon).Also, Rey’s piloting isn’t exactly flawless. That Falcon took some dings and nicks during that sequence. The reason she could pull off those maneuvers and escape was because of the Force. Remember Obi-Wan’s line? “In my experience, there is no such thing as luck.”
On top of that, I’m pretty sure Rey had plenty of opportunities flying ships. She, however, chose to stay on Jakku simply because she feared if she left, then she might miss her chance to see her parents again. Rey in her spare time could had learned over the years to learn how ships work, learn to fix them, and eventually learn how to fly them in her spare time.
You’re right, I guess I misinterpreted Owen’s line in Italian. I thought he said “Andrai all’accademia un altro anno” (you’ll go to the academy FOR ANOTHER year), while he maybe said “Andrai all’accademia l’altro anno” 😄
Anyway, according to Biggs, “Luke is the best bushpilot in the outer rim territories”, which probably means he had a LOT of practice on Tatooine, and it was clearly stated for Luke, unlike in TFA for Rey (only in the SE, unfortunately, because they had to originally cut Biggs’ introduction…)
Rey’s piloting may not been flawless, but she outdid two or three tie-fighters (or whatever they’re called now) while doing a lot of rolls, which don’t seem to be very easy to put off, especially with a ship so big flying inside small tunnels. She knows how to fly pretty well!
I agree that she’s stayed on Jakku mainly hoping she would see her parents again, but still, when did she learn how to fly? It’s never stated, not once, as far as I remember.
Bingowings said:
Rey could just be absorbing skills from the minds of people around her. She knows the Falcon because Han and Chewie do […]
I doubt this one, because Han and Chewie weren’t on the Falcon when she escaped from Jakku, so she couldn’t learn how it works. Also, whenever she learned from someone (Kylo Ren) or something (Luke’s lightsaber), it was always clearly shown through pauses and closeups.
Anyway even if she could absorb knowledge, nobody questioned her skills in the movie, so it still feels like a deus-ex-machina, especially during the her fight against Kylo Ren.