Why does Luna get most of the love while Celestia doesn't?

[Toastie 109]

In my opinion I prefer Luna because she is represented as the underdog and the shadow to her sister. Moreover I believe Luna has more memorable moments in comparison to Celestia who hasn't really even had an episode of her own yet. And just my opinion Luna just looks allot more bad ass

 

However this should hopefully be changed in S4 seeing as Twilight is now an Alicorn so probably I hint more of the princesses would be put in which is good because all of them (excluding Twilight of course  are extremely under developed characters. If this does happen then Celestia will have her time in the spotlight, but until them Luna for Life

[Pixel Stick 927]

 

And with that A Bird in the Hoof episode, Celestia just assumed that Fluttershy was good with animals so she would know how to deal with a phoenix.

 

Actually, Celestia was apparently completely unaware that Fluttershy had taken her phoenix and didn't know she was trying to nurse it back to health.  She was remarkably understanding and forgiving when she learned what was going on, but up until that point, I don't think there was any assumption on that.

 

Back to the original question: From my point of view, we see Celestia all the time, so her presence in the show isn't very remarkable.  She's established as the ruler and essentially Twilight's "quest hub", so when we see her, most of us probably think "Oh, hey Celestia."

 

On the other hand, Luna stands out for two reasons: First, she was a powerful villain who was defeated, forgiven and redeemed, thus giving her some appeal and intrigue.  It's been hinted at in the show that she still struggles with the jealousy that originally transformed her into Nightmare Moon to begin with, and the fact that she still has a lot to learn about getting along with the common pony is obvious.  There's always a hint that she could become evil again, so the fact that she so far hasn't is pretty remarkable.

 

And the second reason: She simply isn't seen much.  She's made, what, nine appearances in the entire show?  (Friendship is Magic Parts 1 and 2, Luna Eclipsed, Canterlot Wedding Parts 1 and 2, Crystal Empire Parts 1 and 2, Sleepless in Ponyville, and Magical Mystery Cure.)  Derpy has appeared in more episodes than her.  And her dream duty appearance in Sleepless suddenly gave her a fascinating and purely unique ability that, at least in my opinion, made her a very deep character.

 

I certainly don't dislike Celestia at all - as a benevolent leader, I think she does just fine.  She just doesn't strike me as an interesting character like Luna does.

[Argumedies 1,748]

There was only one moment that I was a bit upset on what Celestial did and that was in S2E3 Lesson Zero when twilight was freaking out about these "reports" and Celestial justified it by showing right at the exact second it was past due. That to me was just B.S. and then she told all the others who are NOT her students to write as well.

 

Now, that said, knowing the macanics of the story and the fundamentals of the show I can understand why things happened the way they did, but that still didn't make it right by me.

 

I don't hate Celestial but some of the things she does and doesn't do just rubs me the wrong way.

 

As far as Luna goes I do like her better. I like her characters colors and I've always been fascinated with the moon. So those were two things in her favor

 

I like her attitude and she doesn't come off as a perfect princess. She has more visible flaws and we know her history so she is, despite her lack of screen time, more relatable then the other princesses.

[Loona 287]

I love all of the princesses equally   I'm a pony-princess fan.

 

...Ok, that may be untrue. I like Luna more because she rarely gets any showtime, leaving it up to us to decide what happens to her. Celestia takes too much credit for everything, while Luna is pushed into the background, forgotten.

[SparklingTwilight 109]

I guess it would be because Celestia hasn't really shown many flaws at this point, which makes her become viewed as a Mary-Sue kind of character. Personally, I'd love an episode that delves a little more into her personality, as Luna already got one.

Speaking about Luna, she's socially awkward, so that's a flaw of hers that makes her more relatable.

I do like Luna more, but that could change with a Celestia episode.

[Nature's Spell 526]

Celestia is what she needs to be and fills her role well, but I think the fandom is allergic to any straight pony personality, which is a problem shared by Celestia and Applejack. They do what needs to be done and that isn't always fun. The other issue (oft mentioned) is that her character has not been well flushed out by the writers. I think they try, and are doing better, but they lost control of the message and it's hard to get it back.

 

Luna is all the things that Celestia is not, or is not allowed to show being the straight pony. Dark, mysterious, dangerous yet so awkward and relatable. Next to Twi she is my favorite pony and I totally agree with those who say she is the best princess overall.

Edited April 3, 2013 by Nature Spell

[Dark Qiviut 22,185]

I love Celestia more than Luna, but as of this point, Luna is the better princess when it comes to genuine characterizations.

 

The bronies began to love Luna initially because of at least three things:

1. Her underdog status. In the pilot, Luna is viewed as the feared princess because of her transformation to Nightmare Moon. In the world where Celestia is revered and worshiped, Luna's night is barely given attention because they're asleep. It left her cold and jealous, and then following her defeat, she was given the chance to redeem herself. The Western World loves the underdog.
2. Her design stands out amongst all of the ponies. In contrast to the pastel colorings almost every pony has, she has a very dark blue color scheme in both of her designs, and it reflects very well with her cutie mark and personality.
3. The mystery behind who she was. Celestia is portrayed as a deity authority figure with a developed personality that's already set in stone. Luna had little true personality to tag along.

When Luna was a focal point in Luna Eclipsed, the mystery remained despite not being as engulfed, and she was given a different design that was well-liked and portrayed her as royalty in contrast to her season one version. But what she brought was genuine character. She developed, but she's flawed and does whatever she can to be appreciated. Even afterwards, she still tries such as her want to participate in Twilight's mission to rescue the Crystal Empire. Besides Twilight, she's the most realistic and balanced alicorn princess. The most realistic character you have, the more the brony fandom will continue to follow that character. Luna was mysterious and then showed strengths and flaws physically and emotionally that made sense, and she retained that edge ever since.

 

Celestia doesn't have the edge nor the emotional flaws that make her as believable as Luna (or even Cadance). She's been around a long time, but her character has barely been explored. Instead of emotional and psychological flaws that make sense for her, she's portrayed as always strong-willed and is the main authority figure. Characters like these are popular, but they don't carry that huge stronghold compared to edgier, underdog characters. In a show where three-dimensional characterization pushes the stories, she's quite flat. So far, she's shown two or three spots where genuine characterization from her is shown: Friendship Is Magic, Part 2 (reuniting with Luna), Return of Harmony, Part 1 (losing her composure when confronting Discord), and Magical Mystery Cure (Celestia's Ballad). She's my third favorite character, but taste and quality don't mix. Celestia needs much more thorough writing to get a much bigger attachment towards her as a character instead of a two-dimensional deity.

 

 

It's all because of the memes that destroyed her. Trollestia, Molestia, Tyrant Celestia...

Because of those, people think that's her real personality, thus hating her. It's all shits and giggles...

False. Most of the fandom who follows these memes are HUGE Celestia fans. Almost every brony that I've bumped to who isn't a fan of Celestia despises them.

Edited April 3, 2013 by Dark Qiviut

[Argumedies 1,748]

Also let's not forget that as fast as Trollestia/Molestia brought Celestial down. Gamer Luna propelled her upwords in the gamer parts of the Brony community.

Edited April 3, 2013 by Argumedies

[Castle Bleck 19,177]

Because the Royal Canterlot Voice & "We" are awesome.

Edited November 12, 2014 by A.V.

[Mars Caramel 319]

The only thing I like about Luna is just how royal she acts. I always loved Celestia ever since she first appeared, when she appeared all kind and loving.

 

Anyone who hates Celestia due to all these stupid memes really need to get themselves checked out.

[Shanks 10,811]

Anyone who hates Celestia due to all these stupid memes really need to get themselves checked out.

Agreed, though I don't really know many people who hate her because of that I have heard people hate character for far more ridiculous reasons than that though. I do like Celestia though just not as much as Luna, I don't really take the Molestia and Trollestia memes seriously as they were never meant to be take seriously in the first place.

[Stormwind 53]

Luna feels like a more realistic character to me. While she is powerful and important she is flawed and struggles with acceptance. Also Celestia is very manipulative and has more questionable motives and character traits. Over all i just think that Luna is better realized than Celestia.

[Sherlock 1]

Okay, Luna is best (cough, rainbow dash) pony! Shes blue, epic, and...GOES INTO SCOOTS DREAMS!!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And shes a god.

 

 

 

Celestea on the other hand, is boring and..white. She is a leader and always does right. No...Celley (trying to find a nickname ) is....always....a backround pony. :L

[FractalMoon 378]

In my opinion it's what other people said. It's all about how much you can relate to the character. Luna is much more of an underdog than Celestia, and that leads to many more people being able to relate to her (If you haven't read the Fanfic/Fanart "Excerpts from Luna's Moon Diary" it will seriously tint your perception. link here: http://moongazeponies.deviantart.com/art/Excerpts-from-Luna-s-Moon-Diaries-203241434) We've all felt abandoned or unappreciated before, not many can say that they have ever felt like Celestia.

[Giegue 8]

While Celestia doesn't get much characterization, I like her for what I see in her (doesn't act superior to her subjects, has a sense of humor, understanding). She doesn't come across as a Sue; the mane 6 solve almost all the conflicts and when she tried to in the s2 finale, she recieves the Worf Effect. Guess Luna's fanbase has to do with her personality.

[NavelColt 22,876]

Unfortunately it's bred from their very characters, and their history.

 

>Celestia is an ideal ruler. The more regal, kind and 'perfect' a ruler is, the more fun it is to make fun of them as something they aren't. This is why Molestia and Trollestria are such huge memes in the fanbase.

>Celestia banished Luna. This is a gold mine for the above, no matter how hesitant or saddened Celestia may have been when doing it.

>Meanwhile you have Nightmare Moon/Luna, the sympathetic character who was made to be that way from the get go. She was then shown to have the 'loveable, naive' attitude in Luna Eclipsed. Instant fans, everywhere.

 

I personally enjoy Celestia more than Luna. Luna's fanbase is bloated as all hell, while Celestia gets more troll memes than true fans. That's the true injustice here Celestia has a great design, a wise, regal personality, awesome voice actor, and a great role in the show as a mentor. The troll memes add to her character IMO, because it -is- funny to make fun of such a Lawful Good character, but many people take it too far, don't separate fandom from reality and treat her like shit both in show and off. Which is stupid.

[SBaby 660]

You all may not believe me when I say this.  But as much as I make fun of Celestia and call her a Mary Sue, I actually find her to be a very interesting character.  She's immortal, and she's essentially the ruler of a nation.  But I find myself on many occasions asking a few questions.  How did she become immortal?  And for that matter, how did she get the FREAKING SUN as her cutie mark?

 

Here's what I'm getting at.  I think what we really need to boost Celestia's character, is one good episode centered around her.  Something that addresses one or both of these.  I see alot of potential regarding this.  Maybe she initially didn't want to be immortal, but had no choice because of who she was.  Maybe she was chosen to be the proverbial Sun Goddess, but didn't originally want that kind of power or responsibility, instead wishing only to be a normal pony, like the rest of the inhabitants of Equestria.

 

I know that she's the mentor character, but I'm sure most of the mane 6 consider her to be at least a good friend, and that they care about her.  Even she likely has her off days, or times when she reflects on past events.

Edited April 19, 2013 by SBaby

[Edgeworth1001 648]

She's immortal

The princesses are theorized to be immortal. They haven't confirmed yet whenever Alicorns can or can't live for all eternity.

Edited April 20, 2013 by Edgeworth1001

[Planty 1,052]

Personally fandom made things like the whole gamer Luna makes her seem more cool to me then Celestia.

 

Luna also seems to just have an aura of being cool around her compared to Celestia, she certainly doesn't loose easily to a Queen that gets killed by what she feeds off in the end .

 

I like Celestia in many ways, she just get portrayed as kind of weak in the show I think, we have not seen enough of Luna for my liking !

[Derpular 90]

I totally understand why Luna gets love- I think she's awesome- but I also don't get why Celestia doesn't; she's awesome too. Honestly, I love them both equally, and I don't see why most people feel they need to take sides. As Celestia said, they were meant to rule together.

[SBaby 660]

The princesses are theorized to be immortal. They haven't confirmed yet whenever Alicorns can or can't live for all eternity.

 

Perhaps I should rephrase that.  She's lived for at least a thousand years, likely longer.  There's no indication on exactly how long she's been alive for, but we know it's much longer than ponies in FiM normally live for.  So she's either immortal, or she ages extremely slowly.

 

The point I'd make is immortal or not, she's lived for a very long time.  At some point, she must have had to come to terms with this, and it would make for a great episode to explore this idea.

 

This all goes back to my previous point in how I find her character to be interesting.

Edited April 20, 2013 by SBaby

[Nature's Spell 526]

The other thing about Celestia is that the writers never show her being introspective or apologizing. The perfect example is Canterlot wedding. She does not support Twilight and even seems annoyed with her, but never says she's sorry for not believing in Twilight when she's proven correct.

 

Now I still like her a lot and my head canon tries to even out the writers lapses, but there are good reasons that Luna is favored. However, a few good episodes on Celestia would go a long way in helping.

Edited April 20, 2013 by Nature Spell

[Silverhoof 2,839]

Celestia is stuck in the kind mentor/mother figure. That limits what she can do in the show.

 

Luna is free to explore and expand her character. This is why, Luna gets the love. Her character is free of stereotypical roles. She can go out, be crazy and double the fun. After the Nightmare Night, it was really exciting to see her enter dreams...but who would have made the connection? Freedom to develop her own character is what makes her appealing.

 

Luna gets the Sherbert AND the love.

[Shanks 10,811]

 The troll memes add to her character IMO, because it -is- funny to make fun of such a Lawful Good character, but many people take it too far, don't separate fandom from reality and treat her like shit both in show and off. Which is stupid.

I never really took any of the Trollestia and Molestia meme's seriously and think that some Celestia fans can take them a bit too seriously and get a little too defensive about it sometimes. What I find funny about those meme's is that they are so ridiculously out of character and over the top that you can't help but laugh. If you look hard enough pretty much every pony has at least one joke or meme about them that is contrary to their actual character in the show. Applejack has been my favorite pony since I first started watching and though they aren't as common as the Molestia and Trollestia jokes I have found some jokes about her being a hillbilly which I still find funny even though I know it is not entirely true.

[Metemponychosis 1,238]

My personal opinion. I haven't read all the posts yet...

What made Luna popular is the fandom not the show. She was popular WAY before the Luna Eclipsed episode because of the whole "my big sister is evil" attitude some fans have towards Celestia, as if Luna is the victim and she was oh so sad, all alone in the moon while Celestia was ruling Equestria as if she had orchestrated the whole thing.

 

Add to that that the producers seemed to forget that Luna exists sometimes...

It's the same with Discord. He is plainly a villain that people worship and excuse him for "just having fun". No matter all the bullshit he put ponies through, just because his voice actor is so awesome.

 

Headcanon over canon.