Ranking the Starlight Glimmer Episodes (From Worst to Best) · 6:43pm Mar 1st, 2019
Starlight Glimmer is still very much a polarizing character within the fandom. The "sixth ranger" of the mane six, she's often lived in the shadow of more popular reformed characters like Sunset Shimmer and Discord (and even more recently Tempest Shadow). Her episodes have been quite polarizing as well, all 19 of them. But today we're going to be looking at them all, trying to determine which (if any) are her best outings and which are her worst.
As always this list is purely the result of my personal opinion, and Starlight episodes are episodes where she played at least a contributing role to the moral and had a clearly defined presence (so episodes like "Shadow Play" and "The Maud Couple" will not qualify).
19. and 18. The Cutie Re-Mark Parts 1 and 2 (Part 2 is lower than Part 1) (Season 5, Episodes 25 and 26)
Why they're on the bottom: Starlight's reformation remains the most polarizing moment in the show since Twilight Sparkle became an alicorn, and there's no denying this two parter didn't put its best foot forward to achieve that goal. It's probably cheating to count Starlight's episodes as an antagonist, but that would be like if we only counted Tempest's appearances as a protagonist or Sunset Shimmer's appearances only as a protagonist, you can't have the good without the bad. Anyway, Starlight is noticeably plot armored here, but that's not the worst of it. The worst of it is that she is absolutely irrepentant even in the face of seeing that her actions could very well wipe out all existence. And her motivations for doing it? A friend got his cutie mark before she did and moved away, that's it. Even with some of the added details, that backstory is still very weak. Yet just because Twilight can't stop Starlight in a contest of strength she decides Starlight can totally be a good pony even though there's nothing to suggest it.
17. Every Little Thing She Does (Season 6, Episode 21)
Why it's in the bottom three: It's really saying something when Starlight has to be told why using mind control spells on her friends is a bad idea! If you're trying to make your character likeable and sympathetic, you have to know that there are some lines you can't cross. Here, Starlight, who has been shirking her friendship lessons, decides to combine them all into one and the moment she can't decide which one to do first she casts a spell combo that turns her friends into mindless zombies that obey her every command. Not once does she seem to be remorseful for doing so, not once does she try to undo the spell or look for a way to do so. And yet it all takes to make everyone okay with her again is for her to give an apology, a very bare bones at that. And we're supposed to believe this is a pony Twilight thought could be reformed?
16. A Royal Problem (Season 7, Episode 10)
Why it's so low: Episodes like this really make it feel like Starlight is the writers' pet who gets special treatment. Why else would she get the first solo map mission as well as an episode centered around the royal sisters (something the fandom had been clamoring for from day one)? The problem is that Starlight's interactions with both princesses feel very forced, she has no actual established chemistry aside from one line from an earlier episode that hasn't been dwelled upon further. And what does she do the moment things start going south because she thought it'd be a great idea to get the two sisters together right when Luna's getting off her night shift? She casts a spell that swaps the two sisters cutie marks and powers! She's lucky that they were both up to the task and that they didn't cause any lasting harm during this twenty four hour swap! Yet somehow it's totally okay, it's not her fault she does what she does, everyone should just stop putting so much pressure on her (and by everyone we mean Twilight). If not for the fact that the sisters ultimately worked things out for the better and took it all in stride, I imagine Starlight wouldn't have walked away a free mare.
15. Road to Friendship (Season 8, Episode 19)
Why it's in the bottom five: It seems like Starlight has a tendency to make other characters look good at her expense. To be fair she does apologize for the actions she does in this one, but the episode itself admits that the trade wasn't hers to make (and how could she even have the means to trade away Trixie's wagon if Trixie herself wasn't involved or consulted?). Plus, Starlight ends up being the one who complains a lot, whereas Trixie is actually mature enough to apologize for snipping at Starlight over not making a reservation. And there's this really weird detail at the start of "Friendship Bound" where she's riding atop Trixie's wagon and says "Beats walking though, Trixie." before she jumps down and walks along with Trixie (somehow without breaking her legs, she really should've teleported). Her loud snoring and sleep deprived jabbing at Trixie can only do so much to make up for it.
14. To Change a Changeling (Season 7, Episode 19 in production order/17 in airdate)
Why it's low: Starlight, alongside Thorax, is probably the most likeable character of the whole bunch here. But even then they find a way to mess up with her. At first she seems like a saint compared to how much Trixie is being an annoying bragger, but eventually she decides to stage a fake monster attack just to get Pharaynx and Thorax to cooperate and get along. And when Pharaynx goes off on his own to fight, she tries to rope the other changelings into sticking up for him. At the very end she tries to get out of trouble by encouraging Pharaynx to tell an embarrassing story.
13. No Second Prances (Season 6, Episode 6)
Why it's not in the bottom five: This episode probably would be higher if not for a few big problems. The first is that this episode completely glosses over Starlight having to earn the trust of the mane six in her first focus episode since the Season 6 premiere. The second is that she complains about Twilight not trusting her as if she thinks trust is something you can just give. The third is that she decides to bail on an important dinner Twilight set up without even leaving a note or trying to talk Trixie into attending. And the fourth is that she really doesn't do much aside from assist Trixie once or twice, and get her heart broken. It's a shame too, because there are quite a few moments of genuine bonding between her and Trixie, and I like the idea of Starlight being the unaware third party in a friendly rivalry that hasn't been fully settled yet.
12. A Matter of Principals (Season 8, Episode 14 in production order/15 in airdate)
Why it's low: Now we move from episodes where Starlight is completely in the wrong or mostly in the wrong, to episodes where she's in the right and is getting unfairly punished for it or otherwise made to suffer. Starlight just trying to do her job as acting headmare should be a fine episode, but of course Discord has to come along and take offense to it. And throughout the whole episode he continues to torture and torment Starlight, yet she's painted as in the wrong for punishing him (even if she goes overboard with it). She's the one entitled to an apology, yet it's she who ends up apologizing for reasons that make no sense. And what's even worse is that the episode acknowledges the fact that she and Discord are supposed to be friends.
11. All Bottled Up (Season 7, Episode 2)
Why it's not in the top ten: At least Starlight isn't completely without blame here. But again she gets put through the wringer for no good reason. All she did to bring this on herself was attempt to teach Trixie magic. Because of that she has to resort to literally bottling up her anger, and yet she expects a thick headed Trixie to be a mind reader. Not that Trixie is doing any better, Trixie spends the whole episode thinking she's done nothing wrong and completely fails to clue in even a little that Starlight might be upset or frustrated. Yet once again, when Starlight is the one entitled to an apology she is the one who ends up apologizing. It's stuff like this that can make it hard to see her friendship with Trixie as genuine.
10. The Parent Map (Season 8, Episode 8)
Why it's in the top ten: The existence of Firelight does help to explain somewhat about Starlight's past and why she ended up the way she did, but they focus so little on that that it's easy to forget. Plus, Starlight is only half the focus of this episode and by this point the show's gone kind of overboard with the "Amazingly embarrassing parents" trope. Supposedly there's a line that suggests Starlight's mother is dead, but that's all speculation to go on (though I do like the idea of Firelight being a single parent).
9. and 8. The Crystalling Parts 1 and 2 (Season 6, Episode 1 and 2)
Why they're high: Reformed Starlight is actually the least controversial thing about this whole two parter, in fact she's actually not bad at all compared to the huge continuity mess that is Flurry Heart. It's very clear that the writers knew they couldn't come up with a valid reason that wouldn't completely mess up the lore of the show, but they don't even try to explain it they just handwave it away as "We have no idea, Hasbro just insisted on a new toy". And the entire first part is mostly spent on Flurry Heart with very little focus actually going to reformed Starlight (who plays off of Spike so well). What little we do see sorts of raises questions, particularly when she tries to weasel her way out of meeting Sunburst and doesn't tell him even a little about her past or what she did. She does give a pretty good speech to Sunburst in the second half and I wish they'd dwelled upon it more. I'm just glad that this two parter didn't write out Starlight like some fans speculated it might (and for a time it kind of looked like it would). Plus, as would become a trend for Starlight focus episodes, they establish a pattern of Twilight not being a good mentor/teacher even though they try to compare it to Twilight as Celestia's student.
7. and 6. To Where and Back Again (Season 6, Episode 25 and 26)
Why they're not in the top five: It's still kind of saying something that Starlight got a season finale to herself and yet Spike and the CMC will never get one (or a season premiere for that matter). That's not to say this two parter is bad, far from it. It does have problems with its set-up (which the entire first part is spent on) and the resolution, and while it was good for a season finale I most certainly don't think it would've functioned as a series finale (to date only "Magical Mystery Cure" and "Shadow Play" felt like they could've ended there if they really wanted to, "Twilight's Kingdom" teased an entire new playset and didn't give the mane six a chance to shine outside of Twilight and "The Best Gift Ever" though a fantastic holiday special, really wouldn't have been the kind of bang to go out on). I do like they allowed Starlight to make bad decisions and fail, showing that she doesn't have much of a plan and is really winging it. I also like how she tries to connect to Chrysalis in the guise of "I've been where you've been". I just don't think it needed to be necessary to have the princesses captured again, considering "The Crystalling" actually let them be useful for a change.
5. A Hearth's Warming Tail (Season 6, Episode 8)
Why it's in the top five: I suppose you can consider this a Starlight Glimmer episode, since it's all about her learning to accept the holiday and even embrace it. That's really the only other way to describe it compared to a Christmas themed episode. I think what helps is that we get some occasional connection back to reality, particularly in the form of comments from Starlight (especially the meta joke about Twilight sounding like Pinkie Pie). It's largely on here because Starlight isn't doing something questionable or something else questionable is happening around her.
4. Uncommon Bond (Season 7, Episode 24)
Why it's not in the top three: Kudos to this episode for actually calling Starlight out when she uses magic to shortcut her way to a solution, though to be honest Sunburst is kind of rude. He came to Ponyville originally to spend time with Starlight, not with others, and the moment she wants to do something alone with him he complains and says he doesn't want to. He's actually lucky Starlight was so mature and changed him back, when she could've easily kept him as a colt. But it does feel a bit heavy handed that Starlight thinks she has so much in common with Sunburst, despite the fact that it's been years and they haven't spent much time together since meeting again.
3. and 2. The Cutie Map a.k.a Cutie Markless Parts 1 and 2 (Season 5, Episodes 1 and 2)
Why they're not on the top: Starlight was an effective antagonist for the Season 5 premiere, back then the fact that we didn't know much about her or her motivations meant that there was nothing to contradict or otherwise cast doubt on her character. Plus, she served as an example of an evil hiding in plain sight, but one that no one knew was a threat until it was almost too late. Of course, Starlight wasn't really the focus compared to the equal four (Double Diamond, Party Favor, Sugar Belle, and Night Glider) or the mane six for that matter. But this was one time where the antagonist getting away made sense. It was too risky to chase after Starlight when she went into the caves, because she could easily ambush them or even have faked going in to trap them. Ultimately though, since these episodes are focused on Starlight as an antagonist and not a protagonist they don't quite reach the top spot.
1. Rock Solid Friendship (Season 7, Episode 4)
Why it's on the top: This is the kind of Starlight potrayal Season 6 was sorely lacking (where Starlight basically disappeared if she wasn't in the spotlight) even if she came into play a ways into the episode. Her bond with Maud felt genuine and fleshed out, despite Pinkie's constant interruptions. In fact, Starlight said and did nothing wrong, everything would've been just fine if Pinkie had left well enough alone. And Starlight's love of kites isn't something the writers just made up on the spot either, a look at her room in the Season 6 finale shows there were kites laying around, and her cutie mark even sort of resembles a kite. So for all those reasons, I'm gladly putting this one on the top spot.
And there you have it, come back tomorrow when we'll rank the Mane Six/Seven/Eight episodes.
Hi.
For once, we both have all of the same episodes on our lists.
Naturally, though, our rankings differ quite a bit.
Here's my ranking:
The Parent Map
Road to Friendship
Matter of Principals
A Royal Problem
Uncommon Bond
To Change a Changeling
To Where and Back Again
All Bottled Up
Every Little Thing She Does
No Second Prances
A Hearth’s Warming Tail
Cutie Re-Mark
The Crystalling
Cutie Map
tbh her reformation isnt too big fo a deal to me, its just how the ponies are, and its a show marketed for kids, they redeem far more than punish. as for a royal problem, I loved that episode, not cuz starlight was the main character, I think she was there more to set up the plot and give comedy, the episode was really about the royal sisters, and I kinda like starlight as an instigator of sorts in a situation like this
I think that you are overlooking a fact for a Royal problem. Starlight was the only character that could do that mission.
Twilight? No way. She would be defending Celestia side and not even listen to Luna. Even starlight calls her out and twilight even admits it.
Spike same.
Rarity
Doesn’t know Luna at all.
Pinkie pie won’t fit
Rainbow dash? Wonderbolt loyalty to Celestia.
Applejack same as rainbow but for giving her family a place to live.
Fluttershy duh she was scared by Luna. So it is a highly unlikely.
The cmcs busy helping others.
The other Crystal empire.
Trixie? On a tour.
Starlight is the only one because she has something that the other ones don’t.
No relationship to any of the princesses except for twilight.
About Starlight's backstory, there's a little something that hints towards it in "The Parent Map". Here's an interesting thought user "AC97" brought up:
5021808 But why did we need anypony else? Why not just have the royal sisters voluntarily swap? Celestia would be easily goaded into it since she took up Luna's duties a thousand years ago.
5021925
She couldn’t access the dream realm. Only Luna could do that. She is completely powerless in that realm.
5021953 With Luna's powers she could.
5022054
But at the time of Luna’s banishment Celestia could only move the moon. Because nightmare Moon had her cutie Mark. As seen in the season 4 finale to give the skill needed or the certain magic the cutie Mark goes away. So that means dreamwalking is Luna’s biggest skill.