spoiler Why do you think?

[Rainbow Glitterswirl 220]

So I didn’t see this particular subject approached in a thread. I saw a theory that Discord might have been cut out becuase he might have been able to end the fight before it started. But I’m truly curious,

Why do YOU think Discord was left out of the plot?

I mean, it’s the festival of friendship. He and Fluttershy are besties and he’s friendly enough with the girls, so he should have been there. We see him depicted in a balloon animal AND in the dancing crowd during the credits, MULTIPLE times.

Also, why not have him in there for comedic relief? Have him get frozen in stone like the other girls. OR make him have a background with the Storm King so he knows how bad it’s going to get. 

OR do you think it was scheduling conflicts with John de Lancie, that may have made him have to be cut? 

Has anyone heard or read a definite answer to this question?

[Hierok 11,831]

2 minutes ago, Rainbow Glitterswirl said:

So I didn’t see this particular subject approached in a thread. I saw a theory that Discord might have been cut out becuase he might have been able to end the fight before it started. But I’m truly curious,

Why do YOU think Discord was left out of the plot?

I mean, it’s the festival of friendship. He and Fluttershy are besties and he’s friendly enough with the girls, so he should have been there. We see him depicted in a balloon animal AND in the dancing crowd during the credits, MULTIPLE times.

Also, why not have him in there for comedic relief? Have him get frozen in stone like the other girls. OR make him have a background with the Storm King so he knows how bad it’s going to get. 

OR do you think it was scheduling conflicts with John de Lancie, that may have made him have to be cut? 

Has anyone heard or read a definite answer to this question?

Just what that theory said. If he did fight, the fight would be over in less then a minute. He probably made Tempest a frog or something and transformed the rest in balloons. 

[Jeric 46,851]

2 minutes ago, Rainbow Glitterswirl said:

Why do YOU think Discord was left out of the plot?

Because it would be useless, or provide an unnecessary opportunity cost. JDL flat out stated that they didn't want him in the film. He breaks the story or requires a contrivance to keep him from breaking the story. 

This is why I wish they severely reduced his magic back in Season 4. His very lack of presence leads to threads like these, which amounts to nothing more than fodder for a HISHE. I really am starting to dislike the character because of this constant complaint. 

GG Fandom. You turned Discord into my personal Jar Jar of FiM. 

[Rainbow Glitterswirl 220]

6 minutes ago, Jeric said:

Because it would be useless, or provide an unnecessary opportunity cost. JDL flat out stated that they didn't want him in the film. He breaks the story or requires a contrivance to keep him from breaking the story. 

This is why I wish they severely reduced his magic back in Season 4. His very lack of presence leads to threads like these, which amounts to nothing more than fodder for a HISHE. I really am starting to dislike the character because of this constant complaint. 

GG Fandom. You turned Discord into my personal Jar Jar of FiM. 

Man Jeric, those are some deep words, the Jar Jar of FiM!  becuase as we all know Jar Jar was terrible. 

 

Thank you for clarifying that with JDL’s comment! 

[Hierok 11,831]

7 minutes ago, Jeric said:

Because it would be useless, or provide an unnecessary opportunity cost. JDL flat out stated that they didn't want him in the film. He breaks the story or requires a contrivance to keep him from breaking the story. 

This is why I wish they severely reduced his magic back in Season 4. His very lack of presence leads to threads like these, which amounts to nothing more than fodder for a HISHE. I really am starting to dislike the character because of this constant complaint. 

GG Fandom. You turned Discord into my personal Jar Jar of FiM. 

Dislike Discord? We can not let this happen! 

[Rainbow Glitterswirl 220]

I know @A Honorable Mentioned Hierok! Can you believe it?! Lol 

[Hierok 11,831]

1 minute ago, Rainbow Glitterswirl said:

I know @A Honorable Mentioned Hierok! Can you believe it?! Lol 

I can not. 

[Jeric 46,851]

2 minutes ago, A Honorable Mentioned Hierok said:

Dislike Discord? We can not let this happen! 

To be fair, this topic usually surfaces the cantankerous side of me. Discord is best used in slice of life appearances, and Season 7 had perhaps one of his best overall appearances with the phenomenal DH. 

[Rainbow Glitterswirl 220]

Although now thinking about it, perhaps @Jeric brings up a good point?

 

Did the writers make Discord too powerful for his own future in the universe? Because any foe or problem they face could ultimately be fixed by him at the snap of his fingers. 

 

[Babyyoshi309 1,829]

21 minutes ago, Rainbow Glitterswirl said:

Man Jeric, those are some deep words, the Jar Jar of FiM!  becuase as we all know Jar Jar was terrible. 

Don't kill me, but...

...

...

...

I like Jar Jar. 

[Rainbow Glitterswirl 220]

@Babyyoshi309

Edited November 5, 2017 by Rainbow Glitterswirl

[Darkcoucou 21]

Hmm... I think Discord got left out because if he was in the Movie, he would probably have parttaken in the Battle at the beginning of the Movie,

maybe he would've been able to save Celestia and Luna and Cadence, somehow destroying the Story itself...

Also, if he was in the Movie, he would probably become the Main Character sooner or later, something that wouldn't work

well in a Movie that's trying to Introduce the Main 6.

[Jeric 46,851]

12 minutes ago, Babyyoshi309 said:

Don't kill me, but...

...

...

...

I like Jar Jar. 

So be it ... Jar Jar

 

[Deae Rising Shine~ 55,429]

well, what more chaos then a group of unknown attack the main capitol, disable 3 of 4 alicorns and hunting the last one? He probably had decided to enter, if things went against them ... or Fluttershy hurted heavily. not the first time he annoys Twilight to teach her a lesson, eh?

[Bizarre Wizard 4,985]

I think it's because he's SPIRIT OF CHAOS first of all. He never comes by the schedule.

On the other hoof Tirek showed us that Discord isn't ultimate power and Storm King is really powerful wizard as he could defeat alicorns so easily.

We need to ask the expert anyways. @Randimaxis?

[Ivan The Adorable 304]

Honestly? They didn't have any reason to include him in the story and didn't feel the need to address why. Production also began after Season 4 and they probably hadn't accounted for Discord being very present as the ready and willing ally he became.

The early seasons Celestia answer works for Discord too: They have other things to do and their canon power to solve problems by themselves isn't as great as the fandom imagines it should be

[Unlikeable Pony 2,698]

This movie was made for normies, hence virtually everything was reduced to its barest plotpoints, so brand new people wouldn't be confused. You introduce discord you have to explain who he is and how he used to be a villain, you introduce the EOH you have to explain them, ect.

it was far easier just to not have him show up and quietly hope fans don't cry foul while the new audience embraces the world, and then expand things in the next movie.

[Jeric 46,851]

2 hours ago, Unlikeable Pony said:

it was far easier just to not have him show up and quietly hope fans don't cry foul while the new audience embraces the world, and then expand things in the next movie.

There is a bit of truth to that. Unfortunately, after Shadow Play I saw the same complaints. Paradoxically I recall people annoyed at the way he was depowered in To Where and Back Again. 

It's the no-win argument in the FiM fandom. The Discord Dilemma. I just had a fun idea ... a series of fan animatics inserting Discord in the beginning of every episode solving the problem before the theme even plays. 

My Little Pony - Zero Conflict is Magic. 

[Unlikeable Pony 2,698]

19 minutes ago, Jeric said:

There is a bit of truth to that. Unfortunately, after Shadow Play I saw the same complaints. Paradoxically I recall people annoyed at the way he was depowered in To Where and Back Again. 

It's the no-win argument in the FiM fandom. The Discord Dilemma. I just had a fun idea ... a series of fan animatics inserting Discord in the beginning of every episode solving the problem before the theme even plays. 

My Little Pony - Zero Conflict is Magic. 

Discord's alot like the EOH in that he causes a hell of alot of plot problems, in that he's theoretically near omnipotent, in the same way the EOH should be able to instant win every conflict they get into.

Honestly, in order to avoid discord causing plot issues they need to find a way to somehow power limit him so that he can't interact fully with the "outside world" of his dimension too much without running out of juice so that he can't beat every villain without banishing him back to his chaos dimension for a while or something.

[Randimaxis 8,652]

9 hours ago, Crypty said:

We need to ask the expert anyways. @Randimaxis?

*ahem* Thank you for the vote of confidence, Crypty.

Anyway, there are a few possibilities that could be viable here...

Easily enough, the first possibility is that he just didn't show due to personal preference.  In episodes like 'Dungeons and Discords', we see him being rather reclusive and snide when it comes to what ponies find "fun" - hence his hesitance at being approached by Mac and Spike.  There are some things he simply doesn't care for... and possibly with all the talk of 'parties' and 'friendship', he may have simply decided it would be too 'cutesy' and such to attend directly.  Now, when he hears about what happened, he might be jealous of missing out on an adventure, but he'll still secretly be glad he didn't have to actually DO anything.

Secondly, there's a possibility that lies not so much with the show... but with Discordianism.  The tale of the 'Original Snub' is one that's been told again and again: chaos goddess not invited to party, chaos goddess creates the Golden Apple of Discord, sends Apple to party bearing the words "to the prettiest one", other goddesses fight over who gets it... and before you know it, you have the Trojan War.  So maybe he was feeling jilted (that mailstallion might have lost the invite on purpose after how he got freaked out delivering stuff last time), and he simply didn't show out of spite... and maybe stirred up enough headwinds to send Lovely Edgepone and her stooges to Canterlot.

Or, and this is my favorite theory... DeLancie wanted a bit too much money to appear in the movie.  How do I come to such a conclusion?  Well, it has to do with the opening scene with Pinkie Pie; DeLancie possibly wouldn't agree to the movie due to amount of pay, or perhaps something in the script didn't agree with him, or maybe he simply got too busy... but to me?  Having a balloon mock-up of a character and having it lose air like it did - as in a long and raucous fart - might have been the animators way of telling John that he was 'an old fart' for not being in the movie... or perhaps that he was 'full of hot air'.  Now, mind you - I'm not saying exactly that DeLancie was being mean or opportunistic... but the 'teasing poke' aspect of that scene says a lot to me.

There's also the possibility that Discord might have been having his own adventure at the time... perhaps even due to the Storm King's preparations to invade Equestria.  Ol' S.K. wasn't a dumb bunny, no way - he already knew about ponies, and I'm sure that something as rare as a draconequus wouldn't have missed the eyes of possible spies and informants.  S.K. may have engineered something to keep our dragon horse buddy busy while he took Equestria - he may have even believed that the pretty trinket he had would possibly best the Lord of Chaos, so he wasn't worried about what would come after - he'd just whammy him with a storm.

And, as a fifth and final possibility?  It simply wasn't in the script.

6 hours ago, Jeric said:

I just had a fun idea ... a series of fan animatics inserting Discord in the beginning of every episode solving the problem before the theme even plays. 

My Little Killjoy: Preventive Countermeasures Are Magic

My whole damned kingdom for someone who would do this wonderful thing.

[Widdershins 9,959]

You know what'd be hilarious, @Randimaxis? If it turned out you were actually John DeLancie and you've just been playing a long game of a guise in these forums. You'd sure know about gentle jabs from the production team at you that way.

   No, what I theorize is something perhaps a bit easier and simultaneously more convoluted.  We could call this a Q theory or just perhaps...

 He just didn't care.

 I have this mental image of him being hamfistedly shoved into the party planning scenes with Discord just lazing about like a sunning snake. He doesn't even notice much when things turn sour, and as everything blows up, Fluttershy scampers to his feet in a plea for help.

  "D-d-Discord! You have to do something!"

    Oh dear Fluttershy, You know I do treasure our friendship and all that. I do sincerely wish you the best on your journey to find a solution. But I simply can't just poof this all away. All of your little pony circle of friends made it out all alright, didn't they?

  "H-how can you be so h-heartless? Our nation is falling apart!"

  Well, I am quite literally heartless, but I sense that wasn't the crux of your message there. But you do forget, Little Flutterhorse. I'm, like, several bazillion decades old now or something. If I stepped in everytime a nation was crumbling on behalf of the fond relationships I had since formed, then Equestria, and possibly the three or four nations that existed before it on this planet, would have never have formed on time like they did. Besides... this is your adventure.

 

    It is the same I theorize for Celestia too. The more power you have, the less you can reliably use it. If we had the All-Powerful Discord Stick to shake whenever the going got tough, we'd never have any fun or enough... well, discord in our lives to make it worth living for. That's why Celestia has to coax ponies into making their own decisions. If she just takes all the responsibility herself, society and her mental state will crumble before long. A kind dictator is still a dictator. A story, like life, needs constant struggle to grow. I'm sure any thousand-year-old entity, like any parent, knows they can't just swoop in to make everything better every single time.