Starlight being shoved down peoples throat

[heavens-champion 1,907]

Technically, Celestial Advice was more about Twilight than it was about Starlight.

[Photon Jet 5,493]

While we all agree and disagree on Starlight Glimmer appearing more often, she's still a great character despite everything.

[FlareGun45 2,221]

21 minutes ago, Photon Jet said:

While we all agree and disagree on Starlight Glimmer appearing more often, she's still a great character despite everything.

We can agree there!

[AlbaTross 1,586]

Is it weird that I'm actually on both sides of the debate?  Like, I actually do think Starlight should appear more often, and just be treated as one of the mane cast already, but when she does appear at major points like finales and even films, she tends to showboat, and has either been the hero or one of the heroes quite a bit lately.  First there's the season 6 finale, then the Accord arc in the comics, and now she's even stealing the spotlight in the EQG universe, which I didn't think was possible, but yeah, it happened.  Also, she was the one to star in the first Celestia/Luna episode that fans have been wanting since well before Starlight existed.

I actually think Starlight meeting Sunset had to happen, because fans wanted it to, and that's pretty neat.  I just think Starlight singlehandedly saving the day, in an EQG special, just gives more ammunition to the camp that thinks she's being shoved down our throats.

But, she's also forgotten about in other instances.  I actually support the movie being about the mane six and Spike with all the showboating she's been doing lately, and also because it harkens back to the old days of the series.  However, I think Starlight should officially start being treated as part of the mane cast going forward.  Not only will we finally get more episodes where Starlight interacts with more of the mane six on an individual basis besides just Twilight, but while we will be seeing more of her, she will likely showboat a lot less because she will just be another cast member.  We won't need to clamour for more Starlight ex machina anymore than we would like to see any of the mane six other than Twilight singlehandedly save the day.  It's a win-win.  

As it stands she's kind of on the fringe, but also takes the lead at times, and it's just this weird back and forth paradox.  I just want the writers to find her place in the series and agree on it for a change.  Is she the new mane character or is she a side character we can forget about from time to time, or is she something in between?  The in between is what I'm hoping for in the near future.

[Thrond 3,271]

12 hours ago, Hierok said:

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.

Nonsense. The mane six are only becoming less interesting because the writers aren't bothering to make them interesting. There's still loads of untapped potential that the show hasn't so much as gestured towards. 

The closest thing to this statement that I'd be willing to accept is that the mane six have outgrown the themes and format of the show, which perhaps has a little truth to it. The kinds of stories I would like from them now have a lot more to do with developing their careers than with friendship, and any attempts to develop both might not be very relatable to the little girls this show is still largely aimed towards. This show has always been about friendships between adults, but it's never been specifically about adult friendships. 

But what I always see is that the mane six "can't develop anymore" or "are becoming less and less interesting," which I just don't see any truth in. Plus, I doubt the show is so limited that it can't still deliver universal friendship lessons with the mane six anyway. The writers just need to try harder and think outside the box a bit more. 

[Firedog 321]

3 hours ago, AlbaTross said:

Is it weird that I'm actually on both sides of the debate?  Like, I actually do think Starlight should appear more often, and just be treated as one of the mane cast already, but when she does appear at major points like finales and even films, she tends to showboat, and has either been the hero or one of the heroes quite a bit lately.

2

This is the point I was trying to get at.

 

Like I don't dislike starlight at all, a bunch of people assuming that I dislike starlight in this thread :/

[Tilgoreth 1,915]

I don't know if Starlight being shoved down people's throats is a bad thing. I mean Trixie seems too enjoy it, so who's too judge?

[Toon4Thought 274]

Considering she doesn't appear very much outside of her own episodes (which, even then, she really doesn't get any more of than at least half of the Mane 6), I really don't think she has been shoved in our faces.

I think her getting a central role in The Crystalling and To Where and Back Again were justified in that she seemed to take up the big arc in season 6. In fact, you can definitely tell throughout that season that the writers were really trying to hit a good balance between giving her enough of a presence for it all to matter but not so much that it takes away from the Mane 6. And Celestial Focus is more a Twilight episode than anything else.

As for Mirror Magic, while I do feel like the others should've contributed a little more than they did, I think it makes sense for Starlight to be the one to reason with Juniper Montage since they were both willing to go to extremes for the sake of petty revenge. (Also, let's face it, her EQG design alone made bringing her there worthwhile) Not to mention I honestly think that entire special opened up a lot of great ideas in terms of her connection with Sunset that I would definitely want to see explored.

In short, while I do think maybe some of her focus should be moved to another mid-season ep, I never got the impression that they are intentionally giving her more focus than the others.

[Ganondorf8 11,700]

17 hours ago, Hierok said:

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.

If Starlight was declared a main character, the fandom would be in an uproar over it.

[Luminance 2,187]

So far for her character, Season 7 did a ton of improvement with a direction for her, better than the previous season. It might of seen like Starlight is emphasized but in reality she isn't because she's not the primary focus in the majority of episodes. Only a few in S6 and a few in S7 while the mane 6 still exists and their characterization still has potential with or without Starlight.  

 

[Jade Fire 7,059]

starlight is a new main character and like any new main character in any series shes going to have alot of episodes. also starlight is a fan favorite among a lot of the fan base myself included, and they want to see her more as well, shes not really being shoved down anyone's throat,  even tho the starlight haters are more vocal about they're hate of starlight, the majority of the fan base wants to see more starlight.

Edited October 23, 2017 by Jade Fire

[FirePuppy 739]

I wouldn't mind if there was another four episodes focusing on Starlight for Season 8.

Besides, I'm caring less about Twilight, Applejack, Rarity, and Rainbow Dash after 7 seasons of them now.

[Castle Bleck 19,446]

On 7/12/2017 at 7:41 PM, Jeric said:

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."

 

Given that she's also Barbie, someone inevitably made the overlap:

 

[FlareGun45 2,221]

I don't mind more Starlight, but I want more Spike episodes! This season almost completely cheated him like in season 5! At least this season his one episode was awesome, but he needs more than one episode! Can he have 3, 4, or more next season? He can even share a majority of those episodes with another main character! No problemo!

[Megas 28,100]

lol Using Starlight a lot more actually improved her for me

Though the fact that S7 used her a lot better helps too

Edited October 24, 2017 by Kiryu-Chan

[Lambdadelta 1,462]

12 hours ago, Kiryu-Chan said:

lol Using Starlight a lot more actually improved her for me

Though the fact that S7 used her a lot better helps too

Not only using more but better.

 

 

[Hierok 11,833]

12 hours ago, Kiryu-Chan said:

lol Using Starlight a lot more actually improved her for me

Though the fact that S7 used her a lot better helps too

It really gives her a character development she really needed to sort of forgive herself. I only hoped it would not push Spike more to the background. 

[Jade Fire 7,059]

lol when i posted to this thread that hadn't had any activity since July i never thought it would spark this much conversation ^-^ kinda awesome really

Edited October 24, 2017 by Jade Fire

[Them's Seeing Ponies 282]

On ‎13‎/‎07‎/‎2017 at 6:20 PM, AlbaTross said:

Is it weird that I'm actually on both sides of the debate?  Like, I actually do think Starlight should appear more often, and just be treated as one of the mane cast already, but when she does appear at major points like finales and even films, she tends to showboat, and has either been the hero or one of the heroes quite a bit lately.  First there's the season 6 finale, then the Accord arc in the comics, and now she's even stealing the spotlight in the EQG universe, which I didn't think was possible, but yeah, it happened.  Also, she was the one to star in the first Celestia/Luna episode that fans have been wanting since well before Starlight existed.

I actually think Starlight meeting Sunset had to happen, because fans wanted it to, and that's pretty neat.  I just think Starlight singlehandedly saving the day, in an EQG special, just gives more ammunition to the camp that thinks she's being shoved down our throats.

But, she's also forgotten about in other instances.  I actually support the movie being about the mane six and Spike with all the showboating she's been doing lately, and also because it harkens back to the old days of the series.  However, I think Starlight should officially start being treated as part of the mane cast going forward.  Not only will we finally get more episodes where Starlight interacts with more of the mane six on an individual basis besides just Twilight, but while we will be seeing more of her, she will likely showboat a lot less because she will just be another cast member.  We won't need to clamour for more Starlight ex machina anymore than we would like to see any of the mane six other than Twilight singlehandedly save the day.  It's a win-win.  

As it stands she's kind of on the fringe, but also takes the lead at times, and it's just this weird back and forth paradox.  I just want the writers to find her place in the series and agree on it for a change.  Is she the new mane character or is she a side character we can forget about from time to time, or is she something in between?  The in between is what I'm hoping for in the near future.

And finally someone says it.

The show writers themselves seem to be completely bewildered on how to handle Starlight. They seem to want to commit to developing her and her 'band' (Trixie, Maud, Thorax, Sunburst, etc.) because they seem to consider it more straightforwardly simple and interesting than further developing the mane 6 and possibly Spike (the writers seem to be even more confused about whether the mane 6 are wise friendship mentors or morality amnesiacs, but this is a topic for another time), but at the same time are not giving Starlight a clear position within the mane 6 or allowing her to interact with them (it could be because the writers want to explore different, fresher character dynamics, but the near-absolute nature of the segregation between the remane 5 and Starlight feels like a mixture of cheap fanservice (oh look guys, it's Trixie and Maud!') and lack of assurance and direction on handling the mane 6 in general), which creates a weird disconnect between the 'mane 6' and 'Starlight' episodes, giving the impression that Starlight is 'taking over' because of the reasons in the reply above and her tendency to completely occupy any of her own focus episodes alongside her own 'main cast' due to the segregation between her and the mane 6. The two feel like different shows at times (not in tone but in cast) and both suffer as a result. Much of the frustration surrounding Starlight also seems to derive from her inconsistency as a character - neither seasons 6 nor 7 establish any distinct character traits for her post-reformation, which creates the most inconsistent character the show has seen yet - she's either a season 1 Twilight clone (albeit blander), a subdued and somewhat morally grey student ('A Royal Problem') or a laid-back kite enthusiast ('Rock Solid Friendship'). None of the writers can agree on any actual character traits for her past her reformation, and yet the writers also enjoy glorifying her during her time in the spotlight to convince us that we should be loving this character. But we cannot due to lack of traits. There is little personality in Starlight for the audience to connect with, so we feel that DHX's emphasis on her is objectively 'shallow' in some cases.

[ShootingStar159 2,157]

20 minutes ago, Them's Seeing Ponies said:

And finally someone says it.

The show writers themselves seem to be completely bewildered on how to handle Starlight. They seem to want to commit to developing her and her 'band' (Trixie, Maud, Thorax, Sunburst, etc.) because they seem to consider it more straightforwardly simple and interesting than further developing the mane 6 and possibly Spike (the writers seem to be even more confused about whether the mane 6 are wise friendship mentors or morality amnesiacs, but this is a topic for another time), but at the same time are not giving Starlight a clear position within the mane 6 or allowing her to interact with them (it could be because the writers want to explore different, fresher character dynamics, but the near-absolute nature of the segregation between the remane 5 and Starlight feels like a mixture of cheap fanservice (oh look guys, it's Trixie and Maud!') and lack of assurance and direction on handling the mane 6 in general), which creates a weird disconnect between the 'mane 6' and 'Starlight' episodes, giving the impression that Starlight is 'taking over' because of the reasons in the reply above and her tendency to completely occupy any of her own focus episodes alongside her own 'main cast' due to the segregation between her and the mane 6. The two feel like different shows at times (not in tone but in cast) and both suffer as a result. Much of the frustration surrounding Starlight also seems to derive from her inconsistency as a character - neither seasons 6 nor 7 establish any distinct character traits for her post-reformation, which creates the most inconsistent character the show has seen yet - she's either a season 1 Twilight clone (albeit blander), a subdued and somewhat morally grey student ('A Royal Problem') or a laid-back kite enthusiast ('Rock Solid Friendship'). None of the writers can agree on any actual character traits for her past her reformation, and yet the writers also enjoy glorifying her during her time in the spotlight to convince us that we should be loving this character. But we cannot due to lack of traits. There is little personality in Starlight for the audience to connect with, so we feel that DHX's emphasis on her is objectively 'shallow' in some cases.

Ugh. 

I don’t know what bothers me more, how much I disagree with this, or the fact you’ve appointed yourself spokesperson for the audience. Believe it or not, there is a large group of fans that do not find Starlight bland, don’t have a problem reading her personality, and find it easy to connect with her character. Maybe just speak for yourself in the future, instead of presuming to speak for an entire group of people with all sorts of different opinions. 

[Them's Seeing Ponies 282]

12 minutes ago, ShootingStar159 said:

Ugh. 

I don’t know what bothers me more, how much I disagree with this, or the fact you’ve appointed yourself spokesperson for the audience. Believe it or not, there is a large group of fans that do not find Starlight bland, don’t have a problem reading her personality, and find it easy to connect with her character. Maybe just speak for yourself in the future, instead of presuming to speak for an entire group of people with all sorts of different opinions. 

Okay then. It would be nice if you hadn't started the reply by treating what I had written as something kind of disgusting (I understand what you were going for, though). My phrasing was poor, I admit, but I'll stick to my own opinion silently.

[Megas 28,100]

22 minutes ago, ShootingStar159 said:

Ugh. 

I don’t know what bothers me more, how much I disagree with this, or the fact you’ve appointed yourself spokesperson for the audience. Believe it or not, there is a large group of fans that do not find Starlight bland, don’t have a problem reading her personality, and find it easy to connect with her character. Maybe just speak for yourself in the future, instead of presuming to speak for an entire group of people with all sorts of different opinions. 

I mean, he's not wrong about the disconnect between Starlight and the Remane 5, despite the show pushing her as a 7th main member of the group, they both still feel very much distant, yet the show wants us to believe they're all close. I think that's probably one area both sides of the argument can agree upon

[KH7672 1,604]

27 minutes ago, Kiryu-Chan said:

I mean, he's not wrong about the disconnect between Starlight and the Remane 5, despite the show pushing her as a 7th main member of the group, they both still feel very much distant, yet the show wants us to believe they're all close. I think that's probably one area both sides of the argument can agree upon

I mean.........what really have we seen that makes them seem like they ARE actually close supposed. From the beginning of that montage in The Cutie Re-mark I've always seen them as seeing Starlight as Twilight's pupil or just another resident of Ponyville given some help to adjust to her new life. Like she isn't invited to things with them, and when do they actually go and talk to her (not the other way around like a student going to her teachers)? When she is brought into their stories it's because she's either useful for the situation (Fame and Misfortune/It Isn't The Mane Thing) or there's a character she is actually close with involved in the story (Crystalling/Shadow Play). I'd say Pinkie is the only one who has been casual with her but that's also Pinkie's nature so....

I can't say this has been the best route for her character but I feel people were so quick to immediately want to see her as a Sunset clone who doesn't deserve to be part of the Mane 6 (which I fully agree Sunset has been wonderfully integrated into her own main cast) that maybe just maybe she never was supposed to feel like that in the first place. All she is is just another character thrown into the ever expanding ensemble cast meant to give some stories to develop secondary characters like herself.

[ShootingStar159 2,157]

4 hours ago, Kiryu-Chan said:

I mean, he's not wrong about the disconnect between Starlight and the Remane 5, despite the show pushing her as a 7th main member of the group, they both still feel very much distant, yet the show wants us to believe they're all close. I think that's probably one area both sides of the argument can agree upon

Like @KH7672 said, I’m not so sure Starlight is being played off as part of the main group, at least not yet. Who knows, there were some episodes where she was shown being there for Rarity or Fluttershy, so maybe that I’ll change going forward. With what little we saw from the season 8 animatic, they all might be working closely together from now on.

[Whirlwindmark 41]

She's the side kick of the Mane 6 or the "The Six Horsewomen of incompetence"