spoiler G5: How do you feel about the idea of the Mane 6 being replaced as the main characters

[FlareGun45 2,221]

On 5/7/2018 at 5:43 AM, Califorum said:

I want to see completely new characters. G5 is a new show, it should really be a new show and not just a rehash of the old. Wipe the existing stuff away and lets start with a clean slate, please.

Yes. This. Please.

I already know Twilight as an alicorn princess, not an earth pony geek. And AJ is a farmpony, not a pony from a bad neighborhood. Just change their looks and their names, and then maybe I'll give G5 a chance!  I can treat it as a sequel many years into the future instead of just a remake!

[FirePuppy 735]

If there were guaranteed to be changes to the Mane Six, I'd see Applejack and Rarity both transition to secondary characters or background ponies, since Applejack isn't getting as much attention as she did through Season 6, and Rarity's going the right way for that in Season 8 already.

[Brainstorm 4,108]

I still think G4 is the best. Nothing can beat MLPFIM.

[heavens-champion 1,905]

On ‎5‎/‎7‎/‎2018 at 7:30 AM, Whomps said:

It’s not that big of a deal, they do this all the time with their other franchises like Transformers and GI Joe , the only difference is that this is somehow new for bronies 

But for Transformers, Optimus Prime is almost always the main character.

And there's always a Cybertron.

Edited May 9, 2018 by heavens-champion

[Rising Dusk 27,693]

I would personally prefer that new characters become the Mane cast for Gen 5.  Friendship is Magic is the story of the Mane six and it should remain that way.  If Gen 5 is aiming for a hard reboot, which based on my research seems to be the case although still up in the air, then new characters should be created to fit the story.  Not change our favorite ponies to fit a new generation.  Right now we're looking at a complete do-over of not just characters, but the whole world of Equestria itself is changing, and possibly a complete change of how even magic works between the different types of ponies.

I know the example is out there of past MLP generations having their characters recycled into Gen 4, but there is a big difference to take into account.  That being the popularity of the current generation that birthed a whole fandom of millions.  The Mane six are now iconic and their characters vastly more expanded upon and established.  While an extreme example, it could be compared to suddenly deciding that Pikachu is going to be a fire type in the next generation.

To be fair though, this is all a leak that could mean nothing to what will actually happen in 2020.  We'll just have to wait for more information.

[Steve Piranha 29,424]

On 5/8/2018 at 7:00 PM, BlueBook said:

I'm not a big fan of the whole new reboot thing :/ I would really hate to see the chracters we know and love be drastically changed or the world that we know so well to be changed. If anything, insead of another reboot with brand new characters (or altered characters) we should just get a next gen version. Like what they have done with shows like Full House, That's So Raven, Boy Meets World, Rugrats, and a few others I don't remember. We should still see the mane six in the show, but it should be about their kids. I also wouldn't object to upping the animation or changing the style.

Avatar the Legend of Korra is another great example

I think the art style change is inevitable, but I'd rather have the new show being a spin off of FIM, with a new cast, and the Mane6 being treated as legacy characters. But I don't think it's necessary to go so far in the future, maybe at a time where the cuties hit their teens is enough. I'd like the new cast to be younger than the Mane6, but older than the cuties are, and their adventures occurs in a newly founded Equestrian town, but having the old characters open to make guess appearances 

12 hours ago, Rising Dusk said:

.

To be fair though, this is all a leak that could mean nothing to what will actually happen in 2020.  We'll just have to wait for more information.

I'd say the there's a higher chance for it to be a reboot, at least the brainstorming in the leaks suggest so. However, it's as likely for that idea to be scrapped in favor of a FIM spinoff, or adapted to said FIM spinoff. 

The leaks show evidence that the upcoming show it's in it's early stages of development, and you have no idea how many changes a project goes through during it's development. Including adapting scrapped ideas for later use

[cmarston1 5,959]

22 hours ago, heavens-champion said:

But for Transformers, Optimus Prime is almost always the main character.

And there's always a Cybertron.

Yeah but the Optimus of G1 is different from the Optimus of Animated as well as the Optimus of Prime.  The same goes for other characters such as the Grimlock of G1 being different from his counterparts in Animated and Robots In Disguise, Ratchet from G1 being different from his Animated and Prime versions, and the same would go for Bumblebee as well.  I could go on, but I think I listed enough examples.  Hasbro has already done this trend of taking established characters and changing them in reboots, so I don't see a problem with doing the same with MLP.  Also if I recall, characters vsuch as Pinkie Pie, Scootaloo, Cheerilee, Rarity, Rainbow Dash and Applejack are reimaginings of previous MLP generation characters.

Edited May 10, 2018 by cmarston1

[Castle Bleck 19,361]

Better that than abruptly 180-ing iconic characters (e.g., Applejack).

[The Nth Doctor 662]

Brand new cast in a brand new world and story would be the ideal setup

Let MLP Gen IV be its own thing

People will shove the two gens together regardless of what happens and the inter-generational wars will be hilarious

[Singe 2,111]

It depends mainly on the direction of the show. If they're not doing the "friendship" thing, then a new cast would be a must.

[AlbaTross 1,586]

On 2018-05-06 at 9:04 PM, heavens-champion said:

How do you feel about the Mane 6 not being the Main characters in Generation 5?

Hi, as this topic isn't about the current show, but rather about speculation on the upcoming series, it has been moved to Sugarcube Corner.

[Ganondorf8 11,309]

If generation five is going to be its own thing and not be connected to generation four, then having the Mane Six involved wouldn't make sense and instead new incarnations of them or different characters altogether will be the preference.

[Lunar Glow 676]

When I first saw the question my gut immediately said that it would like to keep the Mane Six, through and through. But now I'm realizing that realistically speaking, what usually happens during a reboot of a show is a completely new idea. Why would the creators go announce an entirely new generation just to be displaying the same stuff, the only change being the new animation? I guess what I'm feeling is that I don't want G4 to leave because I've fallen so in love with it. So I say all or nothing. If they plan on doing a new generation, I'd be interested in seeing more light being shone on the CMC's and perhaps the friends they make as the new "Mane Six;" I wouldn't want completely new ponies being created just for the sake of a "clean slate." I just hope that the show keeps the down-to-Earth and real qualities in the characters, new or not, and doesn't evolve (or in this case devolve) to please exclusively the younger audience, rather the whole spectrum or fans as it does so beautifully now. 

[Kings&Hooves14 616]

I would prefer it.

Rebooting the Mane Six would be akin to someone coming up to me and saying, "Hey, I'm sorry your friends left. Good news...I found you some new pals! They have the same names and hairstyles as your old buds--it will be just like old times, right? Wait, where are you going?"

Edited May 16, 2018 by Kings&Hooves14

[kaiser5578 340]

i kind of like the idea, we have a few characters that could work as effective replacements without forcing the mane six out entirely

Starlight (The obvious Twilight replacement)

Trixie (a good Rainbowdash replacement)

Spike (not really a replacement but he's needed some more focus for longer than any other character)

Discord (I love his and Trixie's interactions)

do you guys have any other ideas for another two members? I'd say Luna but i think she might be busy

[ColdGoldLazarus 8]

I would rather a half-and-half cast; some familiar faces reimagined (Twilight Sparkle except she stays a unicorn this time, please) rubbing shoulders with either new creations, or older-gen characters who never showed up in FIM. (Firefly, perhaps?)

Either way, though, what I'm concerned about is the setting. I liked Equestria well enough, but it became increasingly inconsistent the further the show went, and introduced a lot of cool concepts and locations without spending adequate time fleshing them out.

[Jeric 46,851]

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[Rikifive 24,187]

On 5/7/2018 at 6:12 AM, ShadOBabe said:

I wouldn't mind if they were the same characters. But if the leaks are correct, it apears they're going to be drastically altered. If THAT'S the case, I wish they'd just go ahead and make entirely new characters, rather than radically change the ones we already love.

Yeah, altering characters we love would be ridiculous. I know similar things happened with previous generations, but that's also what I dislike. For me they are completely different ponies, even if they share the same name. Personally I don't care about character connections between generations and I wouldn't like to see that happen one more time. Either they should include mane 6 as they are (probably older or something) or come up with entirely new cast. 

They just shouldn't wreck the characters everybody knows well, who does that? 

If somebody bought some pony merchandise; it will all go legacy~outdated~wrong; What's the point of this?  Just leave it be.

Edited June 28, 2018 by Rikifive

[Bronyfordays 401]

Really tough choice for me, while I would like to see some returning characters, I'd also like freshness. I honestly don't know what's in store, but whatever they have planned, I'm sure I'll like it anyways.

[GlitterMoon 225]

41 minutes ago, Bronyfordays said:

Really tough choice for me, while I would like to see some returning characters, I'd also like freshness. I honestly don't know what's in store, but whatever they have planned, I'm sure I'll like it anyways.

Same with me!

[Steve Piranha 29,424]

On 5/16/2018 at 10:30 AM, Kings&Hooves14 said:

I would prefer it.

Rebooting the Mane Six would be akin to someone coming up to me and saying, "Hey, I'm sorry your friends left. Good news...I found you some new pals! They have the same names and hairstyles as your old buds--it will be just like old times, right? Wait, where are you going?"

They could afford to do such thing in previous generations, due to the collectible nature of the franchise, and they never bothered to give the character dept FIM has in comparison. Assuming this upcoming show ends up as a spinoff, I do think it's time to give the spotlight to new characters. I fear the Mane6 may have overstayed their welcome, both in the show, and the toys 

 

 

7 hours ago, Bronyfordays said:

Really tough choice for me, while I would like to see some returning characters, I'd also like freshness. I honestly don't know what's in store, but whatever they have planned, I'm sure I'll like it anyways.

So may I. However, I'm still not ready to say goodbye to FIM's world . That's why I'm biased towards it being a spinoff. New focus, new characters, but same world

[Narcissus 354]

I don't mind if they make new characters, freshness is good because otherwise it would get stagnant and die a boring death. I doubt they'll come up with a new cast as perfect as the Mane 6 because you can only catch lightning in a bottle so many times, but it doesn't have to be the best to be good enough. So I'm okay with it. 

[KatonRyu 1,033]

I'd be fine with it, really. G4, much as I like it, has pretty much run its course. I hope Hasbro realizes this and will allow the series to end strong, without falling into seasonal rot like many other good shows have done in the past. Honestly, I was already beginning to fear for that in season 6, but that season's second half and most of 7 and 8 have redeemed it for the most part.

A G5 with all-new characters and a different setting would allow the show to feel 'new' again, while hopefully retaining the traits that made G4 work so well. Sure, it would take some time to get used to, but I really don't think it's something bad.

[Ganondox 899]

I'd rather G5 NOT feature the mane six. I'd rather Fluttershy be Fluttershy, not have the name be split across two different characters. 

[Misty Shadow 7,869]

I really wouldn't mind G5 being a brand new story focusing on brand new characters. I feel G4 is getting close to wrapping up its story and the stories of the current main cast well enough. I also feel there's enough rehashing of the old in today's entertainment market, and while I do agree that some callbacks and cameos of the old cast could be cool in G5, I think I'm growing to be more interested in seeing a new story with new characters.