Ranking the Sunburst Episodes (From Worst to Best) · 1:27pm Mar 10th, 2019
This might seem unconventional considering Sunburst hasn't really gotten that much focus, but if characters like Daring Do and Trixie can be on the lists despite infrequent appearances then so can Sunburst. Of course, he doesn't have that many episodes to himself, only a total of 6. But it actually gives him a leg up on Daring Do who got only 4. Granted, this is because Sunburst has had two two parters and got three episodes at the very end of Season 7, but every bit counts.
The same disclaimers as always apply, again this is a list of how the episodes stack up in regards to Sunburst potrayals not necessarily their overall quality.
6. and 5. The Crystalling Parts 1 and 2 (Season 6, Episodes 1 and 2)
Why they're on the bottom: Sunburst's big debut wasn't bad by any means but he most definitely got overshadowed by reformed Starlight and Flurry Heart. Plus, much of what we saw of him made him out to be a male Moondancer more or less. It isn't until the tail end of the two parter that he even confesses or gets a chance to truly shine. What might be most interesting is the mention from Princess Celestia that Sunburst used to be a student of hers (most likely in the time between Sunset and Twilight).
4. The Parent Map (Season 8, Episode 8)
Why it's in the bottom half: Sunburst is only half of the focus of this episode and him being called by the map is a stretch that remains unexplained to this very day, and cheapens the overall appeal of the map since if it can call Sunburst of all ponies it can call anyone for any reason to anywhere. They do try to use this episode to explain how he lost touch with Starlight (he may have discarded her letters by accident, thinking they were from his mom), but an interesting thing to note is that we saw him with both his parents in a flashback though there's no word or explanation on where his dad is or what happened to him. Anyway, Sunburst gets a little time to shine in the episode, but he mostly just plays off of others.
3. and 2. Shadow Play Parts 1 and 2 (Part 1 is better than Part 2) (Season 7, Episodes 25 and 26)
Why they're not on the top: In regards to Sunburst episodes, this is the only time that the first part of "Shadow Play" is better than the second half. In the second half, although Sunburst is clearly there, he is easily overshadowed and doesn't really contribute much. In the first part he's not unlike the sixth or seventh ranger of the group, particularly working alongside Twilight to lead the charge to find and free the pillars. Of course there is the obvious problem of how no one thought about what would happen when the pillars were freed, and you'd think Sunburst of all ponies might worry about that. I believe he went to Hollow Shade with the rest of the group, but I don't think he contributed to the effort to free Stygian (I could be wrong though).
1. Uncommon Bond (Season 7, Episode 24)
Why it's on the top: This is very much a day in the limelight for Sunburst, an episode all about him. Considering he had made only a few small appearances up to this point, giving him an entire episode of focus was a risk. Thankfully, he managed to prove that he deserved a spotlight episode. Yes, him bonding with Maud and even Trixie can feel like a bit of a stretch. And Sunburst yelling at Starlight, though kind of justified considering she'd turn them into blank flank foals, was a bit excessive since he originally came to Ponyville to hang out with her. He does make up for it though, and in a big way. Sunburst really became his own character in this episode, not simply a character tied to Starlight. So for all those reasons, I'm putting this episode in the top spot.
And there you have it, come back tomorrow when we'll rank the celebrity episodes.
I would personally swap Shadow Play and Parent Map, but agreed with everything else!
I'd personally put Parent Map on the top, but I otherwise agree