MLP G5 Discussion and Speculation Thread

@Background Pony #4ECC  

 
There is a slight problem that it’s technically already trying to live off FiM’s previous success by just being the implied far-off future. Personally, I do think this was mostly meant to be it’s own thing. But in an attempt to try to keep G4’s fanbase interested they put in the part where this is supposedly the future. When it feels like there’s too many differences (Example: Animals having horns and/or wings or those odd ball shapes for the bunnies when G4 had pretty normal looking animals, Cutie Marks on only one side (Even if that’s how it was in generations before G4. In the show it’s pretty clear there’s marks on both sides)) not to mention the many unexplained questions of how we got the to the end of G4 and Start of G5 that I’m not sure will ever get a clear answer other then to leave the fans to their own theories on what happened in between.

@Northern Verve  

 
There will be a lot of reworking after the movie, not least when it comes to the animals which is the worst point in the whole case around the G5. Since it was originally originally intended to have its own lore, we therefore see a lot of strange things about the movie, before those who work on the TV series while the film production was underway, decided to make use of the G4 lore in world construction, which was a wise step. But that involved reworking.

About the little details about G4 in G5 (like the book of friendship the main character seems to have, as far as I know, and I’m fine with this very little connection), I’m gonna say this: If G5 ended up being too dependent on G4’s “legacy” and references, it would split the MLP fandom into even more factions that don’t see eye to eye. I can imagine the complaints.
 
“They should have covered this”  
“They should have used that”  
“This character wasn’t in G4”  
“There are retcons”  
“That G4 pony wasn’t as good as this G4 pony”  
“This character should have returned”  
“This G4 episode wasn’t as good as this other episode”
 
The list of complaints would be looonger than what we already have complained about G4’s shenanigans.
 
I get the concerns. I was concerned about the last seasons of MLP:FiM when I finished season 7, so I get it. But the last thing the G5 needs to be is to be a tribute to G4 and a compilation of “remember this?” moments. Considering that MLP:FiM has a lot of problems and for the sake of G5 to be exciting, the story, world and context needs to be smaller focused and completely re-engineered, even the little details.
 
It’s not like G4 was perfect if we have to be honest. If it was, we would notice it.

@Ring Team  
Yeah they need to forge their own path

@Ring Team
 
They could have prevented most of the concerns about G4 to G5 if they had established as it’s own original world though. There would still be a “This isn’t as good as G4” faction but saying it’s the future (Even if it’s thousands of years later) comes with alot more landmines that G5 will probably mostly tiptoe around rather then attempting to defuse them then if it was just it’s own universe like all other MLP generations prior to G4.
 
Additionally, whether or not someone was a fan of either one or both of the final two seasons. It established a pretty happy and conclusive ending to G4 that for many G5’s premise may feel like another happy ending override even in the context that the events of G4 is sooooo far in the past that it’s considered ancient times. It’d arguably be more palatable in a universe of FiM where Seasons 8 and 9 didn’t happen. Cause the Friendship School basically already had fulfilled Sunny’s goal and more of not just bringing the ponies more at peace with the nations around Equestria, but it had been the thing that saved Equestria in The Ending of the End when Cozy, Tirek, and Chrysalis had almost split the main 3 types of ponies again.
 
You don’t have to necessarily agree with the way they executed the Friendship school since I know Season 8 is a controversial season. But it can still just be hard to believe that the world deteriorates to what seems to be even worse then the Hearth’s Warming tale (Where the three types hated eachother sure, but they still worked together. Even in the context that they did it for eachother’s survival they didn’t scream in fright of another type of pony, just work with them begrudgingly. Not a whole earth pony town screaming and running at the sight of ONE unicorn) when The Last Problem showed just how successful the school would end up being. Whether or not someone likes or doesn’t like the ending, that’s how G4 ended. And unless they’re being really vindictive even those not a fan of the ending should find it weird that Equestria is retreading ground G4 already did in the same world… more then a thousands of years before the first episode of Friendship is Magic no less. (Again, referring to the Hearth’s warming tale)
 
At least with it being thousands of years later it won’t pin the blame at the Mane 6 or even just Twilight for failing at some point. Though it certainly raises questions on how the many generations that would fail to uphold what Twilight and her friends established.

I feel real bad for these up in coming writers because honestly they were going to get discord from multiple people, whether or not they chose if g5 was or wasn’t it’s own universe. To me, riding on the back of g4 seems like a very lazy move since stuff is already established, but it’s understandable on why they would choose to stick with that.
 
In all honesty I just hope these writers come up with actual interesting things and maybe bring back stuff from previous generations that g4 didn’t use or explore very well. (Mostly g1 stuff because some of those episodes are down right crazy.)

Yeah, but here’s the thing: MLP:FiM doesn’t have an internal consistency that would justify the complaint of “all of this for nothing in G5”.
 
We have read many complaints about G4. Some flanderized characters, some unnecessary returns, the last seasons, Cozy Glow as a character, the lack of development of some characters, the status-quo of the show that allows the characters to repeat the same mistakes over and over again without consequences, the redesign of the changelings, Starlight Glimmer overall, the episode of Spike’s “father”, Non-compete clause… and a long etc. I finished watching the show a couple of months ago, and while I still like it, I won’t pretend it makes sense.
 
Not saying the show was inconsistent would be the same thing as lying. If I said “all of the magic of friendship was meaningless at the end of it in G5” as an excuse to say that G5 is not cool, then that would suggest that the G4 was great. And it isn’t. In fact, I could argue that the premise of G5 makes sense because G4 is a very flawed TV show.

Isn’t G.M. Berrow, one of the movie’s writers, returning for G5? I mean, she wrote for G4 and was the story editor for Pony Life’s second season, so she kinda knows how the franchise works. And I’m sure that many writers from G4 and G4.5 (don’t use Pony Life to judge their work, they worked in other stuff as well) are returning, so I think everything will be fine!

@GoodVibesGorgeous  
Exactly.

You think MA Larson might come back?

@Cosmas-the-Explorer  
no

@Ring Team  
While that’s true, the show does have some internal consistency across the earlier seasons, which is mostly broken down in the later seasons as writers unfamiliar with it are brought on more and more. It’d similarly be a lie to say that there’s absolutely zero internal consistency, especially if you evaluate the show by seasons.

@Ring Team
 
I’m not saying G4 was perfect or always great. There’s some episodes I dislike and/or recurring concepts I was pretty lukewarm or less for one reason or another. Though admittedly I may not be as hard on the final two seasons as some others may be. My main point is in regards to your wish for it to have little-to-no G4 influence. When that would have been easier if it had been it’s own world entirely. But now that they are trying to sneak in a connection between G4 and G5, the fans who prefer G4 complaints are now more unavoidable (Hence the minefield analogy) then they already were.
 
I get why they want to refer G4 as the ancient past, but if you truly want little-to-no G4 influence like you stated. G5 being an entirely new universe would of done that (Or a good compromise might of been that G4 is fictional in G5’s world, in a sense that’d make it real meta for our world and would even explain Sunny’s toys more) in a much more for sure fashion to try to stand on it’s own. Where as is, it’s trying to use G4’s popularity as a starting block. So G4 references, whether it’s in comments the staff get on Social Media and quite possibly in much of the production/writing for the Netflix show might be literally unavoidable now.

To the people saying “It didn’t last forever so it was all pointless”, do yourself a favour and never learn about world history.
 
 
I’ve been in the G4 fandom since December of 2010, and a lot of what I’m already appreciating about G5 requires the context of G4 to appreciate. Couple of points:
 
A consistent tech level wasn’t a priority in G4, but the anachronisms are an integral part of G5’s worldbuilding.
 
Even in Season One, the fandom was more curious about zebras than they were about unicorns. Which is kind of weird if you stop and think about it, since unicorns are mythological creatures. But we basically knew everything about unicorns by episode 6, but the zebras were a complete mystery. Compare that to G5, where Sunny meeting and befriending a unicorn is a huge deal; not just for her, but for the whole world. Between unicorns using magic, pegasi flying, and the three tribes getting along, G5 seems to be about taking the things we took for granted in G4, and having them mean something.
 
Speaking of species, you can’t characterize someone or something if it’s never given anything to react to. Unicorns, pegasi, and earth ponies were never given anything to collectively react to, so their characterization was lacking. The closest G4 got to that was the changelings and the hippogriffs, so I’m glad that the premise of G5 lets them do this with the core species.

One week for the movie. :P

Well time to hide the g5 tag

@northern haste  
Why?

@Wiimeiser  
Russian release people posting pictures

I’ve been a bit silent on G5. Because I feel like I should let them tell the story they want not to force them to write I want.
 
I wanted it to be a certain way and it seems like they won’t go with everything I want (although some things).
 
But maybe that’s okay. Part of me might prefer some dark sad story with G5 ponies but that’s just me. For me I’ll just let them tell their story not mine. And I’ll see if they execute their own concepts well. It should be judged on its own merits.
 
I might still give my own wacky theories from time to time. But I won’t be obsessed with them like before.
 
I encourage you all to say what you will about G5, just remember that G5 will go its own way not necessarily the way we envision it.

@Cosmas-the-Explorer  
👍

Befor Pipp there was Millenial Luster Dawn  
 

New G5 clip from Netflix
 
How to protect yourself from a unicorn attack

@ichiban iceychan 1517  
That answers some questions, actually. Also, seeing Sunny in what can be described as a mechanical alicorn costume.

Been a while since we got a spoiler warning banner.
 
It’s finally happening. MLP’s gonna be ruined forever for the 5th time.

@Dustcan  
imiss the spoiler warning.
 
It’s like welcoming back an old friend.