You know what just occurred to me? · 7:27pm May 20th, 2017
Yeah, it's one of those blogs again. So here's one for you! Starlight Glimmer is basically Seven of Nine from Star Trek Voyager.
So I was watching today's episode that released in Canada. Don't worry, those of you waiting on the US release. It's not about the episode itself, so there won't be any spoilers.
So what am I going on about here? For those of you who don't know your Trek, let's delve a little into the history of Seven of Nine. Seven of Nine, Tertiary Adjunct of Unimatrix 01, was born as Annika Hansen. Her parents were exobiologists, and their quest to study the Borg led them all the way to the Delta Quadrant. It was there that young Annika was assimilated by the Borg Collective to be a drone. Later in her life, she was found and rescued by the crew of the Federation Starship USS Voyager and had a hard time coming to terms with her own humanity.
Why am I telling you this? Well, think about it. This is basically Starlight's backstory! She went through a traumatic event that left her all alone as child, check, became a member of a collective that suppressed individuality, check, and was rescued by the main heroine to return and see the light, check!
Out of universe, this holds true as well. Seven and Starlight both joined their respective series after it had already been on the air for a couple of years. Both were controversial additions to the cast, and some fans feel that focus on them has detracted from the existing main characters they'd joined.
The themes explored with their characters are also very similar. Both are socially awkward and prone to backsliding into their old ways. One of Seven's catchphrases on Voyager was "I am Borg," usually delivered in a tense situation as to reassure herself in situations that seemed desperate. Yet she became visibly uncomfortable every time someone else brought up her past as a drone, all those memories of atrocities she had no control over but was forced to commit flooding back in.
And we've seen the same coping mechanism in Starlight. Starlight brings up her past all the time to play off her insecurities about her new environment. Yet we've seen that Trixie bringing up the same events very much bothers her.
The same criticisms have also been leveled at both Seven and Starlight, for example being overpowered. Seven's remaining Borg implants often gave her an advantage over her crewmates, be it enhanced strength, senses, knowledge or an ability to resist dangers that might kill any human crewmember. Starlight has been accused of being overpowered, holding her own or even surpassing the Princess of Friendship and Magic in sheer magical power and ability to create new spells.
In the later seasons of Voyager, Seven would get stuck with plots that were about opening her humanity little by little. (As Voyager tended to do, there was a lot of 'one step forward, two steps back' involved.) Starlight is also in this position of now being tutored in friendship one step at a time. Ah, but who is doing the tutoring?
The similarities don't just end with Seven and Starlight. I'd be remiss not to mention their mentors. Just as Captain Kathryn Janeway saw something in Seven, so did Twilight in Starlight. Both have had to struggle with their responibilities as a leader while also trying to be the mother figure to someone that needed to reconnect with the rest of humanity (or ponykind in Starlight's case.) And they've both had their share of disappointments, yet could be proud of their disciples in the end.
Hell, even Spike kinda parallels the Doctor's role in that constellation, being there as the confidant on personal matters.
So I think that's a very interesting parallel between, what should be, two completely different shows. Then again, Star Trek has always tried to maintain a very positive outlook on humanity, a trait it shares with My Little Pony. So perhaps this revelation isn't so surprising after all.
What do you all think?
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I think I just found a possible alternative Mommy figure for Starlight for a PWNY story.
Interesting comparison. I've long thought that MLP and Star Trek have a lot in common: for all the character-driven drama on the surface of both shows, they have a philosophical core that isn't afraid to get introspective and thoughtful. And while Star Trek continually asks the question "what does it mean to be human?", MLP asks "what does it mean to be a friend?" I don't think the parallels are coincidental.
Also they share an actor (arguably a character, even). Plus, you know, William Shatner is guest starring this season. There's that too.
4540340
That would be an awesome story. Plus, you writing lines for Voyager's EMH would be comedy gold.
4540379
True.
Unfortunately, that would put Starlight and Celestia in the same timeline. That would be...complex, and difficult to justify.
4540421
As a fan of all of your PWNY stories, go ahead, do it. After all, Starlight is experienced with altering dimensional and temporal magic!
4540421
Or it would be an epic set-up for a crossover.
You wanna shoot me a PM about what you've got planned for Celestia? Maybe I can see a way to make it work that you don't with an outside eye.
Oh my god she totally is.
And in both cases, I think them joining the cast improved the show considerably