Rachel Ferrier

“	Are we still alive?	„
	~ Rachel Ferrier

Rachel Ferrier is the deuteragonist of the 2005 science-fiction film War of the Worlds. She is a 10-year old girl who suffers from an anxiety disorder, who is visiting her divorced father Ray for the weekend along with her brother Robbie, and she struggles to survive when aliens invade the earth in order to exterminate humanity.

She was portrayed by Dakota Fanning.

Her Goodness Ranking[]

Her Heroic Deeds[]

She’s an extremely innocent child who loves her family very much, and finds any violence or fighting distressing.
She inspires Ray to become a better person and redeem himself as a father throughout the film.
She makes an effort to reach out to her father, greeting him politely and accepting a hug from him despite them not being close. When Ray and Robbie argue, Rachel tries to make jokes and defuse the tension, and tries to give Ray advice on how to get through to him. She also tries to show Ray an award she won in a horse show in the hope that he’ll be proud of her.
When a thunderstorm hits, she senses it’s not a normal storm and says they should go inside, while also showing concern for Robbie and asking where he is.
She’s horrified by the aliens’ brutality and attempted genocide, but she shows no ill will or hatred towards them, and focuses on keeping her family safe rather than seek revenge.
She’s worried for her mother when she finds her house empty, and asks Ray for reassurance that she’s alive.
When Robbie starts another argument with his father, Rachel tells him to stop and asks both of them not to fight.
She apologizes to her father for straying out of sight during a bathroom break (which caused her to see a river full of corpses).
She’s fearful for Robbie’s safety when he tries to leave them and join a military unit to fight the aliens, fearing that he’ll get himself killed. When Robbie starts to argue with Ray, Rachel breaks up the fight and tearfully begs her brother not to leave, saying she’d have no one to take care of her, which gets through to Robbie.
She shows concern for a crowd of refugees fleeing the aliens. When a man attacks their car, Rachel innocently asks Ray if they can give him a ride, showing her selfless nature and desire to help others.
She’s the only one who spots the signs that the aliens are about to attack the ferry, and manages to stay calm and alert Ray and Robbie to the threat.
She forgives Robbie for leaving his family to fight the aliens, asking Ray if he’ll be okay. She also opens up much more to her father, showing him her horse ribbon and asking him to sing her lullabies.
She shows no ill will to Ogilvy, despite his menacing behavior.
She manages to stay hidden from the aliens in the basement for several days, and controls her fear as they search the basement, managing to stay hidden in a chair and makes no noise even when the aliens move the chair.
When Ray and Ogilvy fight for control of a shotgun, Rachel realizes they’re distracted and takes it on herself to watch the aliens’ movements, despite her fear of them.
She shows concern for Ray after he sees the aliens harvesting humans for their blood, even though she doesn’t realize what he saw and only knows he’s upset about something.
She's distressed as she sees Ray's conflict with Ogilvy escalate, and Ray has to cover her eyes and ears before killing him so she won't realize what he's doing. She also shows concern for Ogilvy's life, as she fearfully asks Ray what he's going to do, and tearfully sings a calming lullaby to block out her awareness of what's happening. When Ray emerges, Rachel calmly removes her blindfold, sensing that her father has prevailed, and tenderly embraces him, showing that she still loves him and understands he did it to protect her.
She stays alert while Ray sleeps, and while she’s terrified when the alien probe returns and sees her, she alerts her father to the danger, allowing him to fight the probe off.
When Ray is grabbed by the tentacle in the tripod basket, Rachel wraps her arms around him and tries to save him from being taken, which buys him some time to destroy the tripod and save those inside. She’s also very proud of her father for doing this and looks at him with awe afterwards.
She’s relieved when the aliens die because it means the threat is over and they can’t hurt anyone anymore, but she does not enjoy or take pleasure in their deaths.

Why Doesn’t She Stand Out?[]

Rachel ultimately fails the admirable standards to her father Ray, who was more active in saving the world from the aliens.
While it was believed that she was screaming to distract the tripod during her abduction, the film never confirmed it to be the case making it rely on Fridge Brilliance. It was more likely her screaming in fear.

External Links[]

Rachel Ferrier on the Heroes Wiki
Rachel Ferrier on the Love Exalted Wiki
Rachel Ferrier on the War of the Worlds Wiki

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Live-Action
Rachel Ferrier