Does anyone else get the feeling . . . · 9:00pm Jul 11th, 2019
. . . Starlight Glimmer is five to ten years older than the Mane Six (or Seven)?
For context: I always have assumed, based on Ms. Faust’s assertions the Mane Six were supposed to be in the age range of twelve to eighteen, they started the series roughly in the middle of that—around fifteen, give or take a year, which would make them roughly high-school underclassman age. Imagine that.
Also, it seems pretty clear from “Lesson Zero” among other indicators each season is supposed to represent about as many weeks of time as there are episodes—twenty-six for all except season three, which is thirteen. That will make the Mane Six around nineteen or so, plus or minus, at series end.
Still, even assuming the higher end of the stated range, they would be in their early twenties, and I just get this vibe that Starlight is supposed to be in her mid- to late twenties. (“I’m a grown mare!”) Certainly it would explain how she had the time and maturity to take over even a small village.
Addendum: As for Sunset Shimmer, it seems clear to me she’s supposed to be in the same age range as the rest of the Mane Seven. Anything else has weird and creepy implications I doubt Hasbro would be okay with according to a tweet by Ishi Rudell, she’s a couple of years older. Though there’s no dialog in the first featurette covering it, the chapter-book adaptation adds to Celestia’s explanation in front of the mirror:
“[Sunset] began her studies not long before Twilight,” Celestia explained.
Twilight racked her brain and realized she did recall seeing the pony somewhere before. “I don’t really know her. But now I think I remember seeing her in Canterlot. . . .”
“Not long”, to my mind, means in this context, “close enough to be in the same school year”. Apparently “not long” can be as much as a couple of years.
Regardless of word of Faust, I think most people think the mane six are early 20s at the start of the show and mid or late twenties by now. But yeah, Starlight is probably older than them by a bit.
I've always assumed them to be in their mid-twenties, with Rarity the eldest and Twilight or Rainbow the youngest. I pegged Sunset as being at least five or so years older than Twilight, old enough to have been Twilight's age when she left, a good span of time before Twilight came to study under Celestia.
As to Starlight, I'd assume her to be older than Twilight, but not so old that being an understudy to her feels strange. If she was more than ten years beyond her the relationship would feel strange. I think she'd be about the same age as Shining Armor, given that she is assumed to be the same age as Sunburst, who seems to be the same age as the crystal prince and princess.
For that matter, Sunset must have graduated/left Celestia's school before Twilight arrived, as I really can't see two such dedicated scholars missing each other. Therefore Starlight would also be older by the same margin.
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Ms. Faust’s stated ages make sense in the context of a pre-industrialized society—in other words, all of human history except the last century to century and a half—when adolescents were considered junior adults rather than senior children, though I grant one has to clip off the lower end even for that. That’s why I gravitate to the “fifteen plus or minus one” age bracket, and it’s my base assumption for my own fiction. As for age order, I just throw up my hands and don’t even touch that!
Yeah, I think early twenties for the mane 6, mid/late twenties for Sunset, and thirty-ish for Starlight feels about right.
I've always thought that Starlight Glimmer was about ten years older than Twilight, yeah.
I always thought that they were about 17 or so. Yeah, I'll buy Starlight being 5 years older than the others.
I've operated on the assumption that Starlight Glimmer was at least a little older than the Mane Six, though I don't think she's very much older than they are.
Oh yes. I've always considered Starlight to be in her mid- to late-thirties.
Starlight has to be older.
There is no way, absolutely no way that a teenager would be able to devote that kind of time into a well-thought out scheme for revenge.
At least, not into one that actually worked.
I always figured that the M6 started around 15, that Sunny left around 14 (head and personal story canon, around a hundred years prior to Twi’s apprenticeship). Starlight I figure 5 or 10 years older, so yeah.
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Do you mean Starlight or Sunset? Either one would fit your assertion, but Sunset slightly better. If Starlight, agreed. If Sunset, I’d be willing to lay down a cash bet against it.
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Starlight, naturally. Sunset’s scheme for revenge never worked.