Bedtime Ramblings: Starlight Glimmer: Why don't I like her? · 10:50pm Dec 29th, 2016
Well, everyone, I'm nearly finished with Season 6. The only episode I haven't watched is the finale, and honestly, I'm not looking forward to it at all, considering that of the four characters the episode stars (Starlight, Trixie, Discord, Thorax), the only character I sort of like is Discord, since he at least manages to make me laugh. However, I don't like any of the others one little bit. I could explain my problems with the others in greater detail, but for the sake of staying on topic, I'll just focus on the most disappointing one of the bunch, who is consequently the one who's gotten the most screentime in Season 6: Starlight Glimmer. I gave her every chance this season to make me like her, and she blew it every single time. But why? It's not like I'm against reformed villains; after all, I like Luna, the aforementioned Discord, and Sunset Shimmer, and they all went the reformed villain route, so what's the problem with Starlight? Well, since I'm noticing that I'm increasingly alone on this one, I'm going to explain why I don't like Starlight as clearly as I possibly can, so people who do like Starlight can possibly see where I'm coming from.
Reason 1: Consequences? What are those?
This is far from my biggest problem with Starlight, but it is the first issue that popped up with her, and subsequent episodes failed to make it any less of a problem, so we're starting with it. As I said before in my blog on Season 5's redemptions, Starlight Glimmer had quite possibly the single worst redemption in the show's running time, and time has not sweetened it at all. Now, don't get me wrong, I don't have a problem with Starlight being redeemed, nor do I have a problem with all of the Main 6 forgiving her so quickly. Quite the contrary: I think that's how it should be done when redeeming villains who are quite clearly regretful of their actions. After all, the Main 6 are supposed to be role models, so having them forgive someone for their actions against them is a good way to show the target audience that even enemies could become friends.
What I do have a problem with is everypony on the planet doing that exact same thing, especially for something as major as psychological enslavement and temporal terrorism. Another thing that this show should get across is that negative actions have consequences. It doesn't need to be something big and blatantly obvious, such as Starlight being hurt or imprisoned or something, but there needs to be something. Even something as simple as other ponies (main 6 excluded) being on edge and suspicious around them would be enough. Every prior antagonist went through some form of consequence for their actions, including minor antagonist like Gilda, Lightning Dust, and the Flimflam brothers. Heck, even Trixie, for as much as I don't like her, did receive some form of comeuppance for her transgressions, disproportionate as it was. Not the case with Starlight. She had several opportunities to have some consequences for her actions be bestowed (from the Ourtownians, from Sunburst, or even from ponies trying to keep away from her in No 2nd Prances), but in every case, no one seemed to care.
That's one of the major things that bugs me about her: she was handed everything by Season 6. The show acted like her past misdemeanors of psychological manipulation, messing with the time stream, and possibly attempted murder were as inconsequential as a cashier giving you a penny less change than you're owed. While I don't object to redeemed villains, I'd prefer it if they actually put in some effort towards redemption first! But I could forgive that, if it weren't for...
2: Starlight is entirely reactionary.
Starlight doesn't do anything unless she's pushed towards it by someone else! Think about it: Who was it that pushed her to make amends with the citizens of Ourtown? Twilight. Who pushed her to reconnect with her old friend Sunburst? Twilight. Who was it that pushed for her to go out and make some friends? Twilight again. Who was the one that got her to actually take a chance and enjoy the holiday spirit? Also Twilight. And although she's not directly responsible for Starlight taking over her friend's minds in Every Little Thing She Does, it's pretty clear that Starlight wouldn't have attempted it if she didn't think that she had some form of time limit to accomplish a friendship lesson. And who put that impression into her head? Twilight! Some pushing isn't a problem with me, but when the only things a character does of their own volition are highly negative activities, it just makes the character seem really unlikable!
For comparison, let's go to one of my all time favorite characters in the show, who was also once at the same crossroads as Starlight: Sunset Shimmer. Unlike Starlight, Sunset didn't need anyone else to push her towards being a better person. She could've very easily just stuck with the other Humane 5 and drowned out the whispers about her until graduation, but instead, she went out of her way to make herself a better person. She went out of her way to offer assistance towards other groups in the movie when everyone was painting those posters, and she took it upon herself to introduce the new students (i.e The Dazzlings) so they would know the new her before the old her. She did everything to show everyone that she was a new improved character without anyone pushing her to do it. After all, her new friends, although they had a habit of accidentally bringing up her past, wouldn't have minded whether she pushed outwards or stuck with them. However, she went out of the way to make it clear she'd changed, which helped her win the hearts of many, myself included. Heck, her proactive nature didn't even stop after she got her redemption. In the 3rd movie, without any prompt other than her own curiosity, she went out of her way to try to figure out why they were ponying up even outside of their music. She didn't have to do any of this, but that's the difference between a Sunset and a Starlight. A Sunset takes action, a Starlight won't unless she was pushed towards it, and even then, she'll resist it every step of the way (how many times did she stall on the way to visit Sunburst again) Again, I haven't watched the finale, so maybe they fixed that and had her show some intiative of her own for once, but frankly, even if they did, it would be too little, too late, especially since...
3: Starlight has the weakest personality of any main pony thus far
Say what you will about the other Main 6: like them or hate them, at least they all have very clear, multifaceted and oftentimes bombastic personalities. Starlight, though... doesn't. Seriously, unlike the main 6, who I got a pretty good idea after one, maybe two episodes, I seriously can't tell what Starlight's personality is supposed to be, even after five episodes with her in a major role. It's incredibly bland, and oftentimes she feels like she was written to be a blank slate. I think I can get away with saying that she has less of a personality than the ponies of G3; at least they had some form of quirk, even though it was usually nothing more than something like excessively whistling or having an affinity for the word 'darling'. Starlight doesn't even have anything like that after several appearances. In addition, unlike the other main 6, she doesn't have any issues to work past, aside from maybe being a bit short sighted, and even that's a stretch (and handled better with Rainbow Dash anyway). She could've had something with the guilt of major transgressions, but that was completely chucked out the window once the pilot episode concluded, leaving me with... nothing. She neither inspires nor entertains, and it's only made worse when you consider...
4: Starlight has no weaknesses
I sort of covered this with the last one, but it doesn't just apply to personality. To put it simply, Season 6 spent it's time making Starlight better than everyone at everything! She's just as magically skilled as Twilight (if not more so), she's more efficient at baking sweets then Pinkie, she's better with Animals than Fluttershy, and thanks to Every Little Thing She Does, she's faster than Rainbow Dash too! All we need now is a direct parallel to Rarity and Applejack, and we'll have a perfect portrayal of the elusive Mary Sue: a bland, poorly written character who's inexplicably better than everyone at everything, and is inexplicably adored by everybody around her despite doing nothing! I don't like using the term, but it really seems to apply to Starlight in every meaning of the word!
Now, I'm sure someone will say that I only don't like Starlight because I went into Season 6 not liking her. Well, Season 6 had multiple chances to make me like Starlight Glimmer, and it fucked it up every single time! I went into Rainbow Rocks not liking Sunset, and yet by the end, I ended up adoring her! Same goes with Luna and even Gilda, who went from being an unlikeable character to actually being an okay one in Lost Treasure of Griffonstone, and that was just one episode! What's Starlight's excuse when she's had five reedemed episodes (seven counting the finale) and still can't make herself seem likeable in the slightest?
Final note to Starlight fans
Now, this last bit goes out to everyone who is a fan of Starlight Glimmer. If you legitimately like her, and really think she's a good character even after everything I'd said, then please, please, please tell me why. Please write down every positive point you can think of, every counterargument you can come up with, every reason that she's a character worth rooting for, because I honestly think that it might open up my eyes to a way of thinking that I had never even considered. Believe me, I don't want to dislike Starlight as much as I do. I went into every episode featuring her with an open mind. I really wanted to be proven wrong. But I'm sorry, after five Starlight-centric episodes, and not seeing a single thing done to remedy my issues, I honestly can't come to any other conclusion then this: Every Little Thing She Does is Tragic.
I couldn't have put it better myself. Well done, my friend.
You're not alone here, I don't like Starlight myself, no depth into her character!
seriously, what? I barely see any difference between Sunset and Glimmy.
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Let's look at the evidence that was available at the time this was written shall we?
Sunset Shimmer post redemption: Was visibly shown for an entire movie doing everything she could to prove to the other students that she was a new and improved person, with the only one pushing her towards that goal being herself, thus earning here redemption through her own actions. (Rainbow Rocks)
Starlight Glimmer post redemption: In addition to having everyone in the world forgiving her for everything she'd ever done in no time whatsoever, is constantly pushed towards improving herself by Twilight via friendship lessons, and even then, often resists it to the best of her ability (Cutie Re-mark, The Crystalling)
Sunset Shimmer post redemption: Willingly goes out of her way to learn more about the bizarre magic that she and her friends exude for no reason other than she's determined to learn more. (Friendship Games)
Starlight Glimmer post redemption: So unassertive that she's shown as more than willing to watch as a newly made friend attempts a suicidal stunt by herself until Twilight steps in (No Second Prances)
Also Starlight Glimmer post redemption: Willing to brainwash her friends simply to fulfill a friendship lesson (Every Little Thing She Does)
Yeah, they look about the same to me.