Concerning Rainbow Dash's role

[heavens-champion 1,905]

Did anyone think that Rainbow Dash had a lot more potential than the writers show, especially after seeing the alternate timelines in the Cutie Re-Mark where she's a soldier in the Sombra timeline, and serving Nightmare Moon in the Nightmare Moon timeline? Like say, the one who interacts with Twilight the most, argues with Twilight the most (example: imagine if it was Rainbow Dash arguing with Twilight about stealing the Pearl of Transformation in the movie)?

Edited February 23, 2019 by heavens-champion

[DonMaguz 1,023]

I think that the main and secondary characters are so well designed that every one of them have a lot of unused potential.

Now, about Rainbow Dash, I think her Wonderbolt dream has been well handled but after she became a Wonderbolt it slowed down too much.

I think that episodes like 'Daring Done?', 'Secrets and Pies', 'Non-Compete Clause' and 'The End in Friend' wandered around what we already know about Rainbow Dash and didn't really give us anything new to explore about her.

This is why I like her episodes with Scootaloo a whole lot more, I think she shines the most when doing something for a friend she cares about, and it is when we also got to explore her character a bit more.

About her 'warrior' selves, I really don't think it can be explored too much under current conditions of Equestria.

About her arguing with Twilight about the Pearl it doesn't make too much sense, actually I think she's the one who would had most likely taken Twilight's side, because of her rushed personality and goal oriented tunnel vision. I think the role suited Applejack the best (granted, she was the first one to question Twilight about it) but the scene was given to Pinkie because she's more popular and they needed as much Pinkie as they could on the movie.

Edited February 23, 2019 by DonMaguz

[TheAnimationFanatic 3,599]

19 minutes ago, DonMaguz said:

I think that the main and secondary characters are so well designed that every one of them have a lot of unused potential.

Now, about Rainbow Dash, I think her Wonderbolt dream has been well handled but after she became a Wonderbolt it slowed down too much.

I think that episodes like 'Daring Done?', 'Secrets and Pies', 'Non-Compete Clause' and 'The End in Friend' wandered around what we already know about Rainbow Dash and didn't really give us anything new to explore about her.

This is why I like her episodes with Scootaloo a whole lot more, I think she shines the most when doing something for a friend she cares about, and it is when we also got to explore her character a bit more.

About her 'warrior' selves, I really don't think it can be explored too much under current conditions of Equestria.

About her arguing with Twilight about the Pearl it doesn't make too much sense, actually I think she's the one who would had most likely taken Twilight's side, because of her rushed personality and goal oriented tunnel vision. I think the role suited Applejack the best (granted, she was the first one to question Twilight about it) but the scene was given to Pinkie because she's more popular and they needed as much Pinkie as they could on the movie.

I disagree. I'd argue she's continued to grow in her post Wonderbolt ascension episode.

[FlareGun45 2,221]

2 hours ago, heavens-champion said:

Did anyone think that Rainbow Dash had a lot more potential than the writers show, especially after seeing the alternate timelines in the Cutie Re-Mark where she's a soldier in the Sombra timeline, and serving Nightmare Moon in the Nightmare Moon timeline? Like say, the one who interacts with Twilight the most, argues with Twilight the most (example: imagine if it was Rainbow Dash arguing with Twilight about stealing the Pearl of Transformation in the movie)?

I would agree! I was always like that to Spike, and it seems like alota other characters have unused potential! If the writers could just focus on better ways to develop their characters instead of just making those ridiculous Slice of Life episodes with repeated morals, the show would be higher on my Top 10 Favorite Shows list!

[Megas 27,972]

Between her arc with Scootaloo and Wonderbolts and how both have been handled, her Wonderbolts arc is the biggest waste of time and potential in terms of both growth and characters. With how it climaxed with Newbie Dash and how the Wonderbolts themselves have been handled since then, it seriously gives the impression that the writers don’t care about it. People say that they’re great in post ND episodes but i’ve always felt they were just doing the bare minimum, we still have yet to get episodes actually dedicated to the group, and any episodes features RD with the WBs usually tend to benefit her relationship with Scootaloo and other facets, rather than her role in the Wonderbolts or the team. The only Wonderbolts that they’ve made decent characters are Soarin, Thunderlane(who literally just joined), Sky Stinger and Vapor Trail, both whom are new cadets. Hell, it’s depressing when the comics have have done both the Wonderbolts and that part of RD’s character arc more justice than the show, we actually see a few of them in the spotlight, and they actually feel like Rainbow Dash’s friends, even in weak comics like freaking Wings over Yakakistan. It’s mainly the big 3, but they’re still a massive step the shitshows the show has done with them 

 

In contrast, her arc with Scootaloo has mostly been fantastic, with the sole exception being Newbie Dash, which is....Newbie Dash, an episode that was practically hellbent on fucking her over. Unlike the WBs, this has been handled really well, and to me, what makes it great is that it isn’t one sided, RD can learn as much from Scootaloo(PG, The Washouts) as Scootaloo can learn from her(Sleepless In Ponyville, Flight to the Finish)

Edited March 12, 2019 by This Whomps

[Thrond 3,265]

I dunno, I think she's done quite a bit already. Not convinced those things you've listed are more significant than being one of Twilight's best friends and becoming a Wonderbolt like she's always dreamed. Anyway, as a Wonderbolt she's probably already part of the military. 

I do think the show has missed some opportunities to focus two-parters on the rest of the mane six, though. 

[FirePuppy 736]

12 hours ago, TheAnimationFanatic said:

I disagree. I'd argue she's continued to grow in her post Wonderbolt ascension episode.

I don't know what to say about that. Rainbow Dash episodes are sort of becoming a waste of time for me nowadays. I mean, at first I liked them, but since about Season 6, they gradually began to go the opposite way.

[Megas 27,972]

There's nothing wrong with having normal episodes every now and then, not everything has to be about arcs or anything, sometimes it's fine to just have small, fun episodes, and even then she can still get something out of it, like Stranger Than Fanfiction, Secrets and Pies and Grannies Gone Wild

5 hours ago, FirePuppy said:

I don't know what to say about that. Rainbow Dash episodes are sort of becoming a waste of time for me nowadays. I mean, at first I liked them, but since about Season 6, they gradually began to go the opposite way.

You say about anyone that isn't Pinkie though

[imawesome 450]

I actually agree with a lot of this, which is why 

Spoiler

Applejack

is my new "best pony".  I love Rainbow a lot, which is why I'm not completely disregarding her character. Remember, the new EqG special stars Rainbow, so a lot about her could be explored in that. 

[n1029 229]

I'd really like to see the show get some more emotional moments out of her this last season. Obviously they need to resolve the Scootaloo arc somehow, but also I'd like a scene where she just really breaks down and gives in to all the waves of emotion she tries to suppress. I feel like she's the Mane pony who up to this point has sacrificed the most for her friends' sakes, and has come to deeply value their presence in her life even as much as she tries to deflect that sentiment with her boasting. She really does hate being all alone and I want to see her actually confess that to them. 

 

 

Edited February 24, 2019 by n1029

[MangoFoalix 25,047]

20 hours ago, FirePuppy said:

I don't know what to say about that. Rainbow Dash episodes are sort of becoming a waste of time for me nowadays. I mean, at first I liked them, but since about Season 6, they gradually began to go the opposite way.

I mean, if you looked at other characters in a postitive light instead of just looking at Pinkie that way, you could probably be a bit more open minded.

[Pondsumo 10]

I still think she would've made a better protagonist than Twilight, if only for the fact that her rebellious personality would've made her relationship with Celestia more engaging than Twilight's sycophantic brown-nosing. 

[heavens-champion 1,905]

On 2/28/2019 at 10:32 PM, Pondsumo said:

I still think she would've made a better protagonist than Twilight, if only for the fact that her rebellious personality would've made her relationship with Celestia more engaging than Twilight's sycophantic brown-nosing. 

Wow. You might as well be calling Twilight a butt-kisser.

[heavens-champion 1,905]

On 2/24/2019 at 1:12 AM, AlexanderThrond said:

I dunno, I think she's done quite a bit already. Not convinced those things you've listed are more significant than being one of Twilight's best friends and becoming a Wonderbolt like she's always dreamed. Anyway, as a Wonderbolt she's probably already part of the military. 

I do think the show has missed some opportunities to focus two-parters on the rest of the mane six, though. 

What about her having a hidden power? You know, besides the Elements.

[Thrond 3,265]

On 3/19/2019 at 4:26 PM, heavens-champion said:

What about her having a hidden power? You know, besides the Elements.

I really don't see how that is necessary. 

[heavens-champion 1,905]

2 minutes ago, AlexanderThrond said:

I really don't see how that is necessary. 

I guess I'm just a little biased towards her and want to make her more interesting than she already is.

[Thrond 3,265]

5 hours ago, heavens-champion said:

I guess I'm just a little biased towards her and want to make her more interesting than she already is.

I think she's already very interesting. 

[heavens-champion 1,905]

On 3/24/2019 at 12:22 AM, AlexanderThrond said:

I think she's already very interesting. 

I didn't say that she wasn't interesting. I just thought maybe she could be Twilight's number 2, or something.

Still, don't you find it odd that she forgave Starlight for travelling back in time and trying to stop her from performing the Sonic Rainboom so easily?

Edited March 30, 2019 by heavens-champion

[Thrond 3,265]

25 minutes ago, heavens-champion said:

I didn't say that she wasn't interesting. I just thought maybe she could be Twilight's number 2, or something.

Still, don't you find it odd that she forgave Starlight for travelling back in time and trying to stop her from performing the Sonic Rainboom so easily?

Rainbow Dash didn’t see that happen so it probably didn’t leave that much of an impact on her. 

[BornAgainBrony 2,398]

Dash's best destiny is probably military. I know the Wonderbolts are kind of like an Airforce Reserve, but as seen in the alternate timeline, she would probably become very important really quick. If a big bad badder than all other bads shows up in S9? I could see this playing out. I'd mused about what a "final conflict" would be like in the show, and I always saw Dash having an integral role in that. I even have a really epic shot in my head for how a 'first strike' could happen.

[n1029 229]

I honestly don't think "military" is what's really in her blood; at least as a long term profession. She saw the Wonderbolts as a reputable outlet for her physical talents, but I think she's too much of a free spirit and goofball at heart to really enjoy a position of stern higher authority like Spitfire's, and her coaching style is a lot more about positive encouragement than weeding out slackers. I see her shifting her full attention to Scootaloo and the school eventually after she's realized there isn't much else she wants from them.

Edited March 31, 2019 by n1029

[EpicEnergy 23,240]

I'm satisfied with what we got regarding Rainbow Dash's potential in the show.

[Sepul-Coloratura 763]

Regardless of The Cutie Re-Mark episode, I really think she has very little to do in the show right now. And it's been becoming more and more like that since she joined the Wonderbolts. And it's not like the Wonderbolts was the only thing for her to do. It's not like her sole purpose was to join the Wonderbolts and after she fulfilled it she didn't have anything to do. But the show treated her like so. At some point, the show treated her as if the only thing to do with her in the show was something related to the Wonderbolts. 

Most of her episodes became about Tank, the Wonderbolts or Daring Do. And most of the Wonderbolts test episodes and most of Daring Do episodes tackles a similar topic, relatively speaking, and became worse over time. Her episodes are less about herself or her relationship with the Mane Six. That's a similar path Applejack went through when her episodes became less about herself and more about her family. What is special about Rainbow Dash? They should write an episode based around that question. And her identity was ambiguous from the start because she wasn't that royal to begin with. Applejack had some interesting episodes about being honest, Rarity had some interesting episodes about selfishness. But when it comes to Rainbow Dash, when they tackled the internal conflict embedded within the character itself, it played out pretty bland like Rainbow Falls or her segment at Season 1 premiere.

Rainbow Dash's unique character came from her love for adventures and physical action. Sometimes it was about her ego. Sometimes it's her doing too much pranks. But when it became all about her becoming a Wonderbolt, which it isn't, she had nothing more interesting to do. I think the best episodes of Rainbow Dash is when it's exclusively about her being herself. Fussing around shouting 'awesome' doesn't make her important in the show.

And also, they still can tackle the issue about flying and the Wonderbolts. The show stopped using those concepts as a writing material for an episode. But it still can be done. Joining the Wonderbolts doesn't mean she doesn't have to work and move forward as hard as she did before, and it also doesn't mean the show has to treat her like she is the best flyer of all Equestria and no longer show her trying and practicing. Rainbow Dash's life has many more to look forward, only the show doesn't portray it. Rainbow Dash playing pranks, her cheerful laughing, her obsession with awesomeness isn't an ornaments of her, it's the manifestation of herself. The conclusion would be like :

1. Good Rainbow Dash episodes are becoming less and less.
2. Rainbow Dash episodes aren't tackling better subjects.
3. When she's a supporting role, she is just a dummy shouting 'awesome'.

It's funny because she was my best pony when I first started watching the show, now she's my least favorite.

Edited May 2, 2019 by Sepul-Coloratura

[RDDash 19,237]

Well when she first started being a Wonderbolt was her goal, now she is kind of done. Not sure what else is it to her life story.

 

When I think of Rainbow Dash she is that kind of person who always wanted to go to the Wonderbolts. But now when she finally arrived to be in the Wonderbolts it kind of stops working because she is also hero of Equestria, element of harmony, last and in many cases the first line of defense for Equestria.

She goes with the Mane 6, zaps villains for Princess Celestia with the rainbow laser of doom. She is also somehow finds the time to play the teacher in Twilight Sparkle's school. (How/why/when does she finds all of this time for everything)

 

Edited May 4, 2019 by R.D.Dash

[Sepul-Coloratura 763]

On 3/31/2019 at 11:29 AM, BornAgainBrony said:

Dash's best destiny is probably military. I know the Wonderbolts are kind of like an Airforce Reserve, but as seen in the alternate timeline, she would probably become very important really quick. If a big bad badder than all other bads shows up in S9? I could see this playing out. I'd mused about what a "final conflict" would be like in the show, and I always saw Dash having an integral role in that. I even have a really epic shot in my head for how a 'first strike' could happen.

It would be awesome if things go that way, but things haven't been that way. When it came to epic battles, it was always about powerful unicorn magic, alicorn magic, magical artifacts, the elements. Rainbow Dash's role has been very small and impractical. I'd like to see her become the Captain America of the team in combat situations, but portraying her as a hothead sacrificed her intelligence and practicality, symbolism, complexity.