**WARNING: This article contains spoilers for The Force Awakens and The Last Jedi**
As a girl who loves everything fantasy and sci-fi, I encounter the phrase “Mary Sue” more than I like. For those of you who don’t know, a “Mary Sue” is a derogatory term used to describe a female character who exhibits “unrealistic” abilities or seems to be perfect in every way. Most often, this term is used as an insult to bash those who like a character for their traits or call out the character’s writers for their incompetence.
A prime example of this is Rey from the Star Wars sequel trilogy, a character I would not be able to write about without bias because I love her so much. It’s because of this admiration that it is so hard for me to listen to people call her a “Mary Sue” for no reason. The main complaint goes back to a scene in The Force Awakens where Rey faces Kylo Ren, a Jedi that studied under Luke Skywalker before turning to the Dark Side, in a lightsaber duel. I understand where these people are coming from, I really do, but there is one crucial point they are missing in their assessment of Rey. She lived on a desert planet alone since she was very young and had to learn how to scavenge for parts of crashed ships to sell to a local scum lord for rations. But the main point of my argument is that she had to carry a big stick across her back as a weapon for self-defense. And the fact that she knows how to use it pretty well tells us that, sadly, she actually had to fight other scavengers and inhabitants of Jakku. What is a lightsaber but a giant, glowing stick capable of chopping off limbs with one fell swoop? So, no, I do not think it was an unfair fight. And I do not find it surprising that a girl like Rey could get a hit on Kylo Ren when she’s had to fight for her survival for years on a desert planet. In fact, I recall a certain boy from a desert planet who destroyed a bigger enemy and defeated one of the best pilots of his generation in a chase. But of course, nobody would dare call Luke Skywalker a “Mary Sue”.
That being said, Finn with the lightsaber dueling Kylo Ren and escaping with his life might just be a stretch. I mean, the boy grew up as a stormtrooper and only knew how to use a blaster. So, do you really think he could escape a trained Jedi turned Dark Side? Of course not. But I don’t ever hear the argument that Finn is a Mary Sue. In any case, I love Finn dearly. So, I would never stoop to the level of those intolerable fanboys by calling him something so derogatory.
The sad truth is that no writer is perfect. There will always be flaws in every piece of literature, every film, and TV show. Yes, even “The Office” has inconsistencies. What matters is what you get out of them, not the sexist things someone has to say about the inconsistencies of your favorite character’s scenes. The Last Jedi might be a mess, but if you got anything from that movie, such as a quote or a beautiful scene (*cough* the almost hand-touching scene *cough*), that is precious. So, do not let any gatekeeper on the internet keep you from it.
So what do you do when someone calls your favorite character a “Mary Sue”? I’ll tell you. You laugh and know that they’re wrong and will perpetually look for the faults in things where you find beauty.