Starlight being shoved down peoples throat

[Firedog 320]

Now I know everyone's gonna groan over this topic, but just for the record here.

I AM a starlight fan okay.

 

I originally wasn't really on board of the idea that Starlight was being shoved down peoples throats. But I can really see it now after mirror magic.

Don't get me wrong she was fine there but she really has nothing to do with equestria girls. Why did they bring her in to become the hero?

 

Also she has had like 3 season openers and 2 season finales dedicated to her. like what? 

 

She has like four episodes for herself this season. 

 

Don't get me wrong, I like Starlight but at times it seems they really are trying to force people to like her by giving more episodes of her.

 

 

Okay, now you are all free to complain about this thread in the comments.

[Firedog 320]

Just now, Trixie The Evil said:

I like seeing her get more episodes. I'd rather that then the same old mane 6 with reused plot ideas, and the same old mane 6 saving the day as they always do. 

I agree with that, but we got a lot more secondary characters than starlight.

[Drunkfrank 1,125]

Lets see..

She was the antagonist for two of the two parters, and people liked that at the time, I guess Chrysalis is shoved down our throats as well?

She was not the only central character in the season 6 premiere, Twilight shared a good deal of the screen time as well.

She was not the only main character in the season 6 finale, that episode was dedicated to SECONDARY characters, I don't see how that was a bad thing at all.

 

She has had 4 main roles in season 7, there have been 13 and she is not listed as a main character for nearly any of the new episodes up to 23.

 

She is not forced down peoples throats, this fandom just sucks at accepting change and we are quick to rage out and be salty rather than try to look at things with a clear head.

Edited July 12, 2017 by ryanmahaffe

[Ganondorf8 11,321]

I'm fine with Starlight getting all this attention yet she will always be a secondary character and not a main one. Sure, she has had more appearances than other secondary characters yet even she doesn't appear in every episode. Heck, sometimes Starlight will appear yet merely be in the background and without any dialogue as the episode isn't focused on her.

[Black Sabbath 2,486]

12 minutes ago, Ganondorf8 said:

Sure, she has had more appearances than other secondary characters yet even she doesn't appear in every episode.

But no main character appear in every single episode, so I fail to see your point. 

[Tao 7,809]

 

I don't really think she is being "shoved" onto us as a whole,  she's just good to help keep the story moving!  Personally I like how they have been and are using in say like the final with the bug queen.   Given that two parts was just killer and had some snappy writing in also the normal OP charterers had to use their minds and other talents to save the day.  Which it's also ok for a good strong 2ed to have a few eps on their own in my book.  We could say Trixie could be shoved down our outhouses given in how many eps she has popped up or Discord?

[Megas 27,695]

It's only a problem when they trivialize the Mane six in favor of pushing her/make her look good. 

This was a massive problem in S6 but not so much in S7

[FlareGun45 2,221]

Hey, how you think I feel? We got three episodes left that don't have summaries yet, and Spike didn't get his second episode this season yet! I'm liking Starlight's episodes this season so far, don't get me wrong, and I like her very much! But it's not all about her. 

Hey if we're lucky, maybe the season finale won't star Starlight! Like maybe she'll appear, but just won't be the starring character.

[Jeric 46,852]

3 hours ago, Firedog said:

Okay, now you are all free to complain about this thread in the comments.

I appreciate the permission you have granted us to have open communication on a public forum. Blessings!

 

*Sees common internet phrase that laugh in the face of original language and the power of dynamic communication

*Cracks knuckles. 

I don't see them as forcing anything. At least not in the way many here would mean that when they say it. I mean, we aren't actually creating the show ourselves so whatever they produce is just there for our consumption. It's like saying they are forcing us to listen to the theme song, or see Spike. We have literally no agency over what stories get broadcasted. That is with full knowledge and awareness that some characters are controversial. We have no agency in creating FiM. Unless somehow I missed a cool choose your own adventure version of the show. So yes, they are forcing Starlight on us, by nature of the fact that they are forcing everything on us. 

But! We do have one form of agency. We choose whether we like something, or not. Once we make that decision we choose how we act. Keep watching. Stop watching. Take to the internet to lament with others over the state of affairs of Ponies. There are quite an assortment of responses. 

Now, do I think that Starlight Glimmer is being used too much to drive specific episodes? Not really. So far she has had a purpose in every single one of her episodes. I enjoy her appearances. Do I believe that the show is purposely increasing her involvement with full knowledge some people really hate her ... 

 

Any more of that and I'm going to have to consider her a main character and protagonist. I'll still watch. 

[Adderbane 121]

Starlight serves as an alternate main character for episodes where the Mane 6 won't work ( such as rock solid friendship and no second prances), and as a replacement Twilight for things Twilight has had too much character development to do.  Can you imagine the people screaming "out of character!!!!" if Twilight had taken Starlight's role in a royal problem?

[Jeric 46,852]

3 hours ago, Trixie The Evil said:

I like seeing her get more episodes. I'd rather that then the same old mane 6 with reused plot ideas, and the same old mane 6 saving the day as they always do. 

 

14 minutes ago, Adderbane said:

Starlight serves as an alternate main character for episodes where the Mane 6 won't work ( such as rock solid friendship and no second prances), and as a replacement Twilight for things Twilight has had too much character development to do.  Can you imagine the people screaming "out of character!!!!" if Twilight had taken Starlight's role in a royal problem?

Complete agreement. This is actually why the character is extremely valuable for the people who craft the stories. With many of the Mane Six fully realized characters with so much progression, you sometimes need a new vessel to tell stories you find yourselves locked out of. It's why the staff adore her.

Tangentially related: Kelly Sheridan is awesome. I remember her telling me and my son, "Yeah, I'm a bit of a controversial pony, but I have so much fun playing her."

[KillerKingBakudan 702]

Come on. A lot of people believed Starlight was just a carbon copy of Sunset. Maybe they stuck her in Mirror Magic so they can exhibit just how different they are from each other despite both being reformed villains? Ever think of that? Of all the three EQG specials, that one was by far the most popular for that very reason. With that kind of positive reception, maybe we can finally see more of Sunset in FIM itself?

[Tilgoreth 1,915]

I can't dissagree with you. She has appeared a lot even though she was only reformed two seasons ago. I mean Twilight didn't even get a episode last season. That being said she is a nessecary charcter. The mane six have already completed their arcs. There isn't much else the showstaff can do with them in that regard. Which is where the map comes in and why the charcters now focus on helping other people with their problems. Starlight hasn't completed her arc yet. Their's still a lot the writers can do with her. 

[KH7672 1,604]

Short answer: No

As a secondary character she's in enough episodes and left out of enough. I'd say she'd be forced too much if she was given episode treatment like Sunset, who is certainly a main character in her franchise. I never once felt she was a main character because of the lack of shoving. Still even looking back to The Cutie Re-mark montage, that was less of a "congratulations, you're our new best friend, can't wait to hang out every day!" and more "Welcome to Ponyville, since   you're new let's show you what we like to do for fun and feel more a part of the community. Good luck with your new life   as Twilight's roommate, but if you ever need any help don't hesitate to ask because we understand how messed up you are!"

[Thrond 3,263]

I find some of her recent appearances weirdly unjustified, and I can't always put my finger on why. Like, why does it just happen that, in "Rock Solid Friendship," Maud's new friend is this particular character? I feel like I shouldn't be as bothered by that as I am. "A Royal Problem" had the dreaded map, but that issue predates Starlight being part of the main cast; I feel more justified being irritated at that, but the problem there isn't with Starlight. 

I assume her prevalence is because she's relatively fresh and not that many stories have been told with her yet, and although I complained about her presence in "Mirror Magic," I can see why the writers would find the contrast between her and Sunset interesting. My issue continues to be that Starlight is just a boring character who doesn't really do anything that couldn't be done by one of the extant main characters, and that - alongside the surprising blandness of her conversation with Sunset - is why she felt so unnecessary in "Mirror Magic." 

I was going to write something about how she has way more episodes in season 7 than everyone else, but based on what's announced right now, she's actually gonna have the exact same number of focus episodes as Twilight and Rarity. (To be clear, I'm counting "Celestial Advice" for Twilight only.) On top of that, she only appeared in 1/3 of the Equestria Girls specials, so I guess she only seems to be getting more episodes because her appearances are loaded into the season's first half. 

Weird how the comment you were meaning to type can change halfway through. 

[GrimGrimoire 4,973]

 

She has had 2 actual episodes where she is the main character this season. She has had 2 episodes where she has played a supporting character. We have had 13 episodes this season. If that counts as forcing her down our throats, then the Mane 6 in general over the seasons must be a full body cavity invasion with no negotiations. That explains why we have not gotten as many pairings and group episodes about them... you can't extract all that pony invasion in one sitting.

 

[Thrond 3,263]

I think part of the issue might be that she's just so isolated as a character. On one hand, this is beneficial to giving characters like Trixie more screen time, but on the other, this makes her feel disconnected from the main friend group and gives the feeling that she's somehow taking time away from the "actual" main characters. I assume she feels this way more than the CMC because one, she gets more episodes, and two, she appeared much later in the show's run. Personally, I'd probably be fine with this if I liked Starlight more. 

[Lambdadelta 1,462]

Dang it, this show SHOVE ponies to MY THROATS!!! Xd I have to consume almost everything (even shits) of media these day. Xd ahhhhhhhhhhhhhgggg (me in the past, screaming in agony when he took a break from animes then saw Mlp for the first time....)

.........

Yeah yeah yeah, they force Starlight to us alright, like they did with CMC and no one complain. CMC get more episodes and screentime than Starlight Glimmer.   It took me 5 seasons to care about those kids and they are over the place in S7, Cutie Mark CRUSADING!!!

Like it or not, Starlight is not a mere background character, she is like a main character or something, and i am disappointed that she is treated just a little better than Discord. 

I agree with you about Mirror Magic, that episode is like a fan-service to me.

Random thoughts: If someone decide to FORCE SUNSET SHIMMER the "better character" to your throats, you guys resist???

ha... ha... ha...

[Dark Qiviut 22,431]

3 hours ago, Whompy Whomperson said:

It's only a problem when they trivialize the Mane six in favor of pushing her/make her look good. 

This was a massive problem in S6 but not so much in S7

You're on the right track. Another problem has been Starlight making really stupid decisions while still treating her as a good guy. She uses magic as a tool, and almost every time, her decision goes horribly awry. Sometimes written well, sometimes not.

Personally, I'd like to see her use of magic be used as an ability to help strengthen friendships and solve solutions, but not done in a way that shortcuts the story.

--

Now, is Starlight being shoved down people's throats? Quantitatively, not really. She didn't get that many episodes last year, and the trend continues here. Since FLI, she's been in one episode and one EQG special; both of which she's the best part. The reason many feel this way is the quality of her appearances and her episodes have been very inconsistent in totality.

Her quantitatively woeful and lousy character arc is a major flaw last season. She didn't get enough appearances, yet when she was included, she mostly sucked. Season seven inserted her more, but does so much more smartly.

4 hours ago, ryanmahaffe said:

this fandom just sucks at accepting change

You are objectively wrong. "Bronies don't accept change" is such a daft strawman and blatant lie and that using it kills your opinion outright. It's not the change itself, but the quality of the change. If Starlight's path to redemption was written well, people wouldn't complain. Unlike last season, she much better written and better characterized this season, but DHX dropped a big ball with her last season that they have to be extra careful with her. Expect people to pan it if they insert and/or write her poorly.

Edited July 13, 2017 by Dark Qiviut

[Megas 27,695]

1 hour ago, Dark Qiviut said:

You're on the right track. Another problem has been Starlight making really stupid decisions while still treating her as a good guy. She uses magic as a tool, and almost every time, her decision goes horribly awry. Sometimes written well, sometimes not.

Personally, I'd like to see her use of magic be used as an ability to help strengthen friendships and solve solutions, but not done in a way that shortcuts the story.

--

Now, is Starlight being shoved down people's throats? Quantitatively, not really. She didn't get that many episodes last year, and the trend continues here. Since FLI, she's been in one episode and one EQG special; both of which she's the best part. The reason many feel this way is the quality of her appearances and her episodes have been very inconsistent in totality.

Her quantitatively woeful and lousy character arc is a major flaw last season. She didn't get enough appearances, yet when she was included, she mostly sucked. Season seven inserted her more, but does so much more smartly.

What was especially bad was that despite being absent for a good majority of S6 she was still thrust into the spotlight of all of the important episodes, and this is where my "trivializing the mane 6" argument comes up, as most of those episodes did completely turn them into plot devices either by mind control or turning them into damsels in distress, not even fucking jobbers. Worse when you realize most(exception being No Second Prances) were handled by the head writers for that season

All Bottled Up meanwhile, wrote the mane 6 away from Starlight to give her the spotlight but they still feel like actual characters there instead of plot devices

Edited July 13, 2017 by Whompy Whomperson

[Steve Piranha 29,428]

Well, it's true that Starlight has been getting more focus this season, but she still not OWN the season if you see the remaining synopsis  . Still, I'm now glad she's there to stay, as she offer a fresh perspective where the Mane 6 virtually reached their development.... in fact, I think they've took too long to introduce a new protagonist 

Edited July 13, 2017 by Steve Piranha

[Prospekt 11,018]

I think a bad episode is a bad episode, no matter who is in it. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

As for Starlight specifically, I've long since accepted that she's perhaps been the most controversial character within the fanbase since the moment she was reformed. You either love her or you hate her, and I happen to identify with the former. But... Starlight is being shoved down our throats? Isn't that overreacting a bit? It's a kids show for crying out loud. And the Mane 6 are beginning to show their age, with some like Fluttershy having changed plenty since the beginning. @Adderbane makes an excellent point:

5 hours ago, Adderbane said:

Starlight serves as an alternate main character for episodes where the Mane 6 won't work ( such as rock solid friendship and no second prances), and as a replacement Twilight for things Twilight has had too much character development to do.  Can you imagine the people screaming "out of character!!!!" if Twilight had taken Starlight's role in a royal problem?

If this show is to continue, it needs variety. And new protagonists make for plenty of variety.

4 hours ago, KillerKingBakudan said:

Come on. A lot of people believed Starlight was just a carbon copy of Sunset. Maybe they stuck her in Mirror Magic so they can exhibit just how different they are from each other despite both being reformed villains? Ever think of that? Of all the three EQG specials, that one was by far the most popular for that very reason. With that kind of positive reception, maybe we can finally see more of Sunset in FIM itself?

And then there's the idea that Starlight is too much like Sunset Shimmer. Couldn't be further from the truth. The two characters have different backgrounds, with different pasts that led to their acts of villainy. One went down a destructive cult-like path that could've ruined the lives of plenty of other ponies; she was extremely lucky to have been forgiven. The other ran from her teacher into a whole 'nother universe and made mischief as a bully. One took a while to grasp friendship after being reformed. She still has plenty to learn. The other grasped friendship quickly and helped form a "Mane 7" team before too long.

[Hierok 11,831]

Well, think about it. The mane 6 become less and less interesting, so the writers need some new material in order to give the show enough potential and motivation to go on. And Starlight is that new material, but you'll see. Eventually, if the show keeps going, she will become less important too over the seasons. I don't think she is shoved into peoples throats only because she'll get more and more episodes. That's is what a character is suppossed to do in the first place. 

10 hours ago, Trixie The Evil said:

I wanna see them too. 

You wanna see all secondary characters get episodes for themself? But don't you thing it is really hard to follow the show if you miss one episode. And the kids who watch tv, which isn't following the order can't keep up. 

[Ganondorf8 11,321]

8 hours ago, Yamet said:

But no main character appear in every single episode, so I fail to see your point. 

I think I wasn't thinking clearly when I said that so allow me to reiterate my thoughts. Starlight will always be a secondary character as that is the role that suits her best without the writers compromising the current formula they have with the Mane Six being the central case whom the show revolves around. Sure, she has more appearances than other secondary characters but I attribute that to her playing catch-up since by the time she was introduced, other secondary characters had been given lots of development while she was a fresh slate.

[Hierok 11,831]

27 minutes ago, Ganondorf8 said:

I think I wasn't thinking clearly when I said that so allow me to reiterate my thoughts. Starlight will always be a secondary character as that is the role that suits her best without the writers compromising the current formula they have with the Mane Six being the central case whom the show revolves around. Sure, she has more appearances than other secondary characters but I attribute that to her playing catch-up since by the time she was introduced, other secondary characters had been given lots of development while she was a fresh slate.

But couldn't she join the mane 6? I think having a mane 7 is more reliable on having good episodes, because you'll get a lot more options for stories.