Zero Blogs: Shine, Smooze, and Celestia · 5:04pm May 18th, 2015
I'm going to tell you guys a secret: I love Celestia. Not on a waifu-level mind you, but just as a character. Nicole Oliver does an excellent job portraying her as a powerful, but kindly ruler of Equestria. She's caring for her subjects, wants the best for them, and would gladly put her life on the line to protect them. Which is why when I decided to put her in Shine, I wanted to be sure I gave her the best treatment possible, something I feel that the show's writers haven't done.
Now obviously, she couldn't be the one to defeat Adagio. That was ultimately Sunset's battle, and having her intervene would have cheapened the victory. At the same time however, I wasn't just going to have her come all the way from Equestria only to get swatted aside by the Dazzlings. And just leaving her out of the story wouldn't work either. In order for Sunset's redemption to be complete, she needed to find forgiveness from her former teacher and not just Twilight and the students.
So, I had her be the one to defeat Aria and Sonata and deal Adagio a setback. Moreover, by having Adagio explicitly cheat in order to win, Celestia's defeat remains dignified.
On the show however...
Friendship is Magic: According to the writing staff, Nightmare Moon disposed of Celestia before appearing at the Summer Sun Celebration. (0-1)
Sonic Rainboom: Sat by and did nothing while Rarity plunged to her death. At least the Wonderbolts made an effort. (0-2)
Cutie Mark Chronicles: Easily reverses Twilight's out of control magic (1-2)
Return of Harmony: Helped restore a Discorded Twilight back to her senses. (2-2)
Lesson Zero: Once again easily dispelling Twilight's magic (3-2)
A Canterlot Wedding: Her first onscreen Worfing by Chrysalis. (3-3)
The Crystal Empire: I...don't have anything to say on this one (3-3).
Princess Twilight Sparkle: Immediately kidnapped by the plunder seeds. (3-4)
Equestria Games: Unable to stop the falling ice cloud (3-5)
Twilight's Kingdom: Her plan to send Discord fails, her plan to keep the magic safe from Tirek fails, and she gets thrown into Equestrian Hell. Not really her day (3-6)
Equestria Girls: Unable to stop Sunset Shimmer from turning evil (3-7)
And most recently, unable to stop the Smooze from soaking the gala (3-8).
I'm just so tired of her being so useless. As of now, her prowess has basically become an Informed Ability because Twilight and co. save the day every--
Rose: What about the Cutie Map?
Almost every time. This is why I was so adamant that she needs her own episode. In the comics, all of those failures have left her broken and emotionally weak. But that's often the problem with fictional mentors. If they're not fighting alongside the main characters (like say Power Rangers), they either get taken out of commission or killed so their student can step forward.
I just wish we could see Celestia get the respect from the writers that she really deserves.
I like Celestia too. In the eyes of the writers though, I think she's more a tool than a character. Her only purpose in the show seems to be to drive Twilight bonkers and shove the story forward. It's why when she does show up her character and abilities are all over the place -- the only defined role she has is as Twilights role model. I agree that Celestia has massive wasted potential and I would love to see a couple episodes just about her and Luna, but until then that's what we have this site for!
I'll also be keeping your thoughts about Celestia's role in mind later when I finally manage to level this mountain of math.
Onwards, to analytic geometry!
You know... given that Celestia invited Discord to the gala in hopes of him causing trouble, one could argue that she was merely pretending to be unable to stop the Smooze and would have stepped in had things become dangerous.
Beyond that I fully agree with you. I like Tia and really wish she got more positive attention from the writers. Out of all the major cast members she's the one we arguably know the least about and really needs her own episode.
I count those as three separate points, but whatever gets you through the day.
3430859 Oh? You have evidence that suggests otherwise?
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I think the fact that Celestia sending Discord, a literal wildcard, after Tirek instead of the MARES WHO CAN GET SHIT DONE WITHOUT BEING SWAYED EASILY, speaks for itself. Also the fact that she hosted a wedding in the middle of a time of war. Completely disregarded Twilight's warnings, and never even apologized for it. And she sent Twilight to save the Crystal Empire under the notion of it being a test (while possibly knowing that Twilight has a phobia of those), instead of just GETTING OFF HER LAZY ASS AND DEAL WITH THE PROBLEM HERSELF! (Luna even implies that the two royal sisters could have handled the situation better than Twilight could have)....
Sorry, I digress. But there is my evidence. however, that does not mean that I don't respect your opinion. Let's just agree to disagree.
You know I actually have a blog on this specific topic we're debating. You can comment there, give your two cents. It would be much appreciated.
After sending her and her friends after him without any knowledge of what he was capable of doing in the first place. Although to be fair she probably thought that it was just going to be a point-shoot-victory thing with little to no conflict. But that shows a little stupidity on her part. I mean, seriously, did she not think that as soon as Discord got free that he would immediately take measures to render the Elements useless, seeing as how they were strong enough to put him in prison?
3433304 The guy can warp reality on a whim. There's not much preparation one can do in that situation. Plus, the chamber the elements were in was supposed to be protected already. What more could she do?
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At the very least Celestia could have told them to expect the unexpected when it came to Discord.
She also could have checked on the Elements before sending for Twilight so that she wouldn't be setting them up for complete and utter failure. Also if she was smart enough she would have been able to see through Discord's little riddle-trap. I mean, honestly a child could figure that out. But Celestia and Twilight literally had to have it spelled out for them. And don't give me that there was no time excuse. There really was plenty of time for Twilight and/or Celestia to think about it, they were just too focused on the task of getting rid of Discord that they went with the first solution they had to the problem and never thought about it again until he revealed how he trapped the bearers.
I found a fic that explores this topic. It does make some very valid points. Don't worry it doesn't paint Celestia in too bad a light (not like those bullshit Tyrantlestia fics), it just shows that even though she is an immortal alicorn, she is still prone to be able to make stupid mistakes. Also a bit of Trollestia in there, but not so bad that it makes you want to just outright kill her. It does have a happy ending, just not in the way you expect. Here is the link:
BOOM!