It seems pretty weird that a board game featuring North America’s top grossing film of all timewouldn’t include the movie’s main character, but that’s exactly what Hasbro did.
After the multinational toy and board games company released the special edition version of Star Wars: The Force Awakens Monopoly, people began to notice that one of the story’s main characters was absent. That main character also happened to be its female lead Rey, played by actress Daisy Ridley.
The toymaker has since reneged on its decision and announced yesterday plans to add Rey, the film’s central lead and Force-sensitive, to the movie-themed game, which already allows players to select key characters like Darth Vader, Luke Skywalker, Finn, and Kylo Ren. Including the likes of Luke was particularly head-scratching, given his low profile in the film.
Hasbro’s choice to exclude Rey first made headlines after a mother tweeted a letter written by her eight-year-old daughter asking, “How could you leave out Rey?!”
The full article first appeared in Paste Magazine on Jan. 7, 2016.