I don’t like the ST myself, but the Mary Sue argument is very silly and indicative of one’s attitude towards women. “We don’t hate women, we hate poorly written characters” doesn’t apply when a person defends the prequel trilogy over these films.
The Mary Sue argument is not indicative of a personal attitude against women. That is ridiculous. A person can think that Rey is a Mary Sue without thinking that all other strong female characters are Mary Sues.
For example, in Wonder Woman, Diana is a goddess and a trained Amazonian warrior. Although Diana kicks ass, she is relatable because the screenwriters endow her with a flaw: Naïveté. A fish out of water, she is unacquainted with human customs and believes the death of Aries will end all war forever. Her weakness leads to growth and makes her interesting. Although Zeus sculpted her from clay, Diana seems far more human than Rey, who seems more like a cardboard cutout than an actual person, flaws and all.
Compare Luke’s first meeting with Han Solo to Rey’s. Han immediately casts doubt on Luke’s piloting abilities. “Who’s going to fly it, kid! You?” On the run, Han says, “Traveling through hyperspace isn’t like dusting crops, boy!” Unable to decipher the controls, Luke asks, “What’s that flashing?” In contrast, Rey immediately one-ups Han. When Rey fixes the Falcon, Han is awestruck. Then he offers her a job. See the difference?