Third Time the Charm

Third Time the Charm

Rey, in The Force Awakens, operated on a rule I call “Third Time the Charm" which basically means that, for any skill that she isn't already proficient in, it takes three attempts to get it perfect at which point she is a master at it unless the plot demands otherwise. You may argue that this shows she isn't overpowered but to me it is all but a clear admittance to the fact that she is by the screenwriters, as if to say, "See; she isn't perfect at everything. Not immediately that is. It's the fact that this rule of three can be applied to every skill that she isn't immediately good at makes it so gloriously, glaringly obvious!

Also force powers aren't cheap party tricks that simply require a bit of force sensitivity to pull off. Luke's only use of the force in A New Hope was to make himself more aware of his surroundings to increase his proficiency in something he was already a master of. Without training from a Jedi the best he manages and this is in Empire Strikes Back, which is a fair time later, is to struggle to pull a lightsaber 3 foot and I doubt having discovered his force sensitivity Luke had been sitting on his laurels between the two films.

Rey, meanwhile is able to pull off a Jedi mind trick within hours/a day or two of learning about the force as well as managing a force pull of almost 10 meters. 

Then there's her lightsaber ability. True, she had by no means mastered it and Kylo Ren was injured, not only by Chewie but also by Finn (a fact a lot of people seem to forget), however Kylo Ren would still have a huge advantage. People also seem to forget that just minutes earlier Rey had just been knocked unconscious and would have been suffering from severe concussion during the fight. "But what about her ability with a staff, surely that would help her with a lightsaber?" WRONG, WRONG, WRONG!!! Rey's fighting ability with a staff would make her more a danger to herself than her opponent as due to the fundamental difference in weight distribution, it would lead her to the very nasty and potentially fatal habit of overextending which, at best, would simply leave her wide open to attack after every strike and at worst would lead to her accidently amputating her own limbs. Yes the force could assistance her somewhat but it doesn't download "how to" guides into her brain and give her the required muscle memory to make it instinctive.

~ Paul Willox