Total Annihilation vs. Solarian Warriors! A barn encounter? | Wraith's Journal #60 part 1 [S4E19 - The Right Way and Here to Help]
We're getting close to the finale and things aren't looking good. Eclipsa defeats the Solarian but it comes at a cost... Star and Marco have a talk while helping the pig-goats; and a truth is revealed! One betrayal leads to another. And Star must face her ultimate destiny! It's intense and heart-wrenching, but let's dive in!
~
Eclipsa's shield is failing, but Star shows up just in time in her butterfly form and blasts the Solarian Warrior, distracting it! She's also got a bunch of friends with her! Star then launches a rainbow whale at the Solarian which knocks it down the cliff.
Eclipsa explains that it's a Solarian Warrior, and they deduce that it must be Mina - the only Solarian left. Star introduces the "greatest warriors in all of Mewni": Kelly, Jorby, Talon, Quirky, Rich Pigeon, Pony, and Seahorse. Eclipsa doubts they can fight Mina, since even her powerful spells were no match. Nonetheless, Star and the warriors charge into the town to fight Mina.
The kingdom has been decimated. Star runs into a Monster with a Solarian wound like Globgor's. He collapses from the pain.
~Mina went after innocents. Beef with Eclipsa is one thing, but these people didn't do anything.
Star's "greatest warriors" encounter Mina one by one and are struck by the Solarian sword. They're all easily incapacitated.
Globgor's wound is getting worse. Eclipsa and Janna look at a book by Emily Kelpbottom on magical ailments and are horrified by what will happen to those afflicted by the Solarian magic. The "...scar of magic ... consumes its enemy..."
Eclipsa also explains that the Solarians are:
Eclipsa: ...an army of powerful warriors enchanted with the queen's magic. The magic made the soldiers unstable to the point where they destroyed themselves. All except Mina.
~Does the Solarian magic inflict the same sort of damage to the warrior over time, or is it something different? Does the spell cocktail - which robs the person of their morality and their free will - do that? Or was the war at the time simply so brutal that they couldn't stand everything that happened? It's terrible. The magic destroyed them.
Star is the only one left standing. Mina goes in for a killing blow on Pony, but Star physically stops her with a rainbow fist.
Pony, wounded, actually gives an inspiring speech:
Pony: Don't let that monster win! She is filled with hate! But you.. you need to look around you!
Star looks around at her wounded friends.
Pony: You are surrounded by love! You've got a big heart, girl! You got the biggest heart that Mewni has ever seen! SHOW HER YOUR HEART!
Star summons enough energy and parries Mina's attack.
Star: RAINBOW KAIJU BATTLE ARMOR!
Star dons a large, transparent, rainbow suit of armor.
~Star saved the best for last! 2 new spells for this battle! Awesome.
Star starts dueling Mina. She's actually able to beat her with this spell:
Star: Mina! You need to stop this!
The fight continues.
Star: Mewni has changed! And it's not... changing... BACK!
Star throws Mina a great distance, stunning her.
Meanwhile, Eclipsa, Sir Dashing and Janna rigged up a cart with explosives to crash into Mina. It arrives and detonates, with Star covering herself and Eclipsa shielding herself and Janna.
In the dust, Mina gets up and stabs through Star's armor, narrowly missing her. This dispels Star's armor and she falls to the ground. Star is dazed, and Mina raises her boot to crush Star.
~It was going so well...
Eclipsa stuns Mina with a spell before raising her Wand again:
Eclipsa: I call the spell which has no name! // My mother's gift with which she reigned! // Eclipse my heart with rightful power!
Everything turns purple; Eclipsa's eyes and cheek emblems are glowing.
Eclipsa: STAND BEFORE THE QUEEN AND COWER!
Eclipsa launches a purple butterfly at Mina, which passes through Mina, instantly annihilating the parts that the spell touched. The spell continues, destroying part of the forest and part of a mountain before flying off...
\"It'll eat its way through every dimension until there's nothing left.\"
~"Annihilate! That's the verb I've been looking for!" Annihilate (Dictionary.com) - to reduce to utter ruin or nonexistence; destroy utterly.
~The Total Annihilation Spell. The Spell With No Name. Star may have held her own against Mina for a moment, with arguably her [Star's] ultimate spell, but she was still no match for the level of destruction of the Solarian magic - magic that has wounded innocents and her friends, and Globgor too.
~The arms race of magic has created more and more powerful spells, deadlier and deadlier spells... more and more destructive spells. If the only thing that could actually stop a Solarian Warrior is this Total Annihilation Spell, what does that say about magic? What does that mean for the universe? This is not The Right Way to use this power.
~Destruction is, by nature, evil. Sure, sometimes destroying things can be good: Burning down a forest to allow something new to grow can be good, but the balance is maintained: creation and destruction. This is just destruction. The Solarian Warriors were created by Solaria to destroy all Monsters. The Total Annihilation Spell was conceptualized when the Solarians were ineffective. We were warned that this spell could 'destroy all dimensions'. Where does it stop? Can it ever stop?
Star is okay. Eclipsa collapses from fatigue.
Marco comes running and calls out for Star. Star is so excited she tackle-hugs him to the ground and pins her head to his midsection:
Marco: Star, listen—
Star: Shhh! Shh-shh-shh-shh-shh! [whispering] Shut up, shut up, shut up. Let me listen to your heartbeat.. for just one minute.
Marco: Oh, okay. [hugs Star back]
Star: (quietly) Oh, I am gonna keep you in my pocket from now on.
Marco: What?
Star: Nothing. Okay, I can tell by your heart rate that you have bad news, so lay it on me.
~Gonna interrupt real quick. This is such a cute moment! Star is relieved Marco is okay. Also goes to show how strong their bond is that they can communicate with, uh.. heartbeat? Also, told ya Star would remember what Marco said in the Realm of Magic.
Marco: Mina Loveberry is coming to attack Eclipsa.
Star: Dude, you're a little late. Eclipsa just defeated her with a big ol' spell.
Marco: Uhhh... [looks up at the dead Solarian above them] ...that's not Mina.
Star and Eclipsa are shocked and confused.
Marco: I don't know who that is, but Mina is heading here right now. And she's not alone.
On the horizon is an entire army of Solarian Warriors, led by Mina herself.
Star: There are... hundreds of them!
Eclipsa finally faints.
~It took everything they had to defeat 1 Solarian Warrior. Star's friends all got hurt. They used all their explosives which didn't make a dent. Star's armor held up until it got hit... once. Eclipsa used the Total Annihilation Spell but it exhausted her and did a lot of collateral damage (not to mention damage we didn't see after it flew off - it didn't disappear).
~History is repeating itself. The Solarians barely defeated the Monster army centuries ago. Now a new breed of Solarians are attacking not just Monsters, but Mewmans and a Butterfly Queen. Right as it seemed we started to see peace, there's people who just want to destroy it all... but if they end up destroying themselves in the process, is it even worth it? Is fighting ever worth it?
~
Princess Spiderbite is apparently visiting Slime and his family at this moment... right as the Solarians invade.
~It's worth noting at this point that Princess Pony Head and Spiderbite, and Prince Rich Pigeon are here, in danger, because of the Solarians. Add in Meteora and that's half the royal heirs in the line of fire - all to get Eclipsa and the Monsters.
Mina stops the advance to note that 'Doug-Doug' (the Solarian who got annihilated) is dead. She almost seems shocked. Nonetheless, she remains determined.
Eclipsa and the others retreat into Monster Temple and lock it down. Mina flies up outside to inform them that they have until the crow of a cockerel she found to surrender. They're surrounded.
Star taunts Mina as she leaves, but Eclipsa stands her down, saying:
Eclipsa: Star, I appreciate your fighting spirit, but I don't know if I have the energy to do that spell again.
Star: Yeah, that's right! You're not doing that spell again! That thing was insane! I mean, kudos on taking out that Solarian Warrior, [looks out at the destroyed Solarian, and the destroyed landscape around it] but.. you decimated everything around it...
~This is an underrated moment for Star in her story. In her introduction she talked about beating up Monsters for fun. Slowly, she saw how "unfair" her family was toward Monsters. Later, and through the present, she has worked to undo some of the wrongs her family has committed, and unite Mewni for a brighter future.
~Star is seeing firsthand how destructive her family's magic is - how it is capable of such great destruction. For all the good she tried to do, for all the months she sacrificed to bring people together, she's on the verge of seeing that go up in smoke.. in an afternoon.
Suddenly, an eagle carrying Moon and River flies in. Star greets them:
Star: Mom?! You came! [runs up to Moon and hugs her] Did you see them, Mom? Those soldiers are everywhere! We defeated one of them, but it took everything we had!
Moon looks around at the frightened Mewmans and Monsters that have retreated into the Temple.
Moon: I'm Here to Help.
Moon is led to a makeshift infirmary where Star's friends are being attended to. They're all in bad shape.
Moon: Oh dear. Okay, well, this can be treated. We need to figure out how to get the glow-wounded to the Magic Sanctuary.
~Would that even work? Even if it did, what would happen to the magic? Let's not forget what happened the last time a magical wound was cured in the Realm of Magic. Hint: It started a slow corruption in the Realm of Magic, that's actually still happening right now. One problem at a time.
River goes to visit Globgor (River seems to quite like him). Globgor's wound is still worsening - it's almost spread to his head - but he's only concerned if his family is "okay". River looks worried, but tries to reassure him.
Eclipsa calls a meeting to figure out what to do. Buff Frog has some insight:
Buff Frog: My ancestors fought the Solarian Warriors. Now is my turn.
Marco: Whoa. They fought those things? How'd they do?
Buff Frog: Eh, bad. Very bad. Everyone die. Total shame.
~War never changes.
Eclipsa pulls Moon aside for a private word:
Eclipsa: As you heard, I used a spell on that first warrior. It was... It was quite destructive.
Moon: I saw the damage. It's a good thing no one was harmed.
Eclipsa: No one except that warrior! [nervous laughter] I may have miscalculated a bit. I think I can give it another go. This time, I'll be more focused. I figure all I really need to do is take out Mina. That show of force may be enough to make an impression on the other warriors.
Moon: Look, if you think using that spell again is a good idea--
Eclipsa is nervously eating a snookers bar.
Moon: --Well, I'm not the queen, but if I were, I'd start by getting the people to safety, then deal with Mina.
Eclipsa: Oh, right! Good idea! [they return to the table] All right, everyone! We have a plan. We need to get the people of Monstertown to safety. Buff Frog, prepare the glow-wounded for travel to the Magic Sanctuary. Sir Dashing, make sure we have enough provisions for all the evacuees.
Marco: How can we help?
Star: [grabs Marco's hand] Marco and I are gonna... take care of the pig-goats!
Marco+Eclipsa+Moon: Pig-goats?
Star whisks Marco away before everyone - Marco included - can figure out what she's up to.
Eclipsa: Thank you for your guidance, Moon.
Moon: Of course. [walks away]
Eclipsa: Maybe once everyone's ready, we can sneak out through the canals. Or... I mean, I know Star wasn't a fan, but maybe I can use my Annihilation Spell again once everybody's safe.
Moon pulls the lever by the temple gate to open it, with a very conflicted look on her face.
Eclipsa: What are you doing?! The warriors are out there!
Moon: You and Globgor should surrender.
Eclipsa: What?! Moon, w-what do you mean?
Moon: Surrender now, and this is all over.
~Uh, what? Moon was literally just giving Eclipsa good advice on how to defuse the situation - first time for everything. What's going on? Moon may have a point (having seen the scared townspeople) that their safety is paramount, but surrender? They haven't even tried anything else yet.
It's the barn scene. I'm gonna let it speak for itself:
Youtube - Disney Channel Animation
\"I want you to love me.. because, I love you.\"
~This warms my heart! Things have been so hectic that neither Star nor Marco have had a chance to really think about themselves (or each other) until now.
~I appreciate that we've seen Marco's thought process these past few days. Of course he was happy that Star chose to follow him home to Earth. Then he finally starts to connect 'Star' with 'love'. Then he finally tells her what he really feels - twice!
~People have wondered if Marco literally fell in love with Star from the first day they met, but even Marco himself said this isn't true. I do believe, however, that he knew that Star was 'special' right away, he just wasn't sure what that meant until he's been her friend all this time. It's been a slow burn, and to me that makes it better because it meant this is something he really wants - to be with Star forever.
~It's the same for Star. She wanted so much to have Marco by her side that she was worried that things would "change" if she loved him and he didn't. They do love each other. Now, and with a little help of magic, they finally get to be together. The journey matters, and theirs is just getting started.
Star and Marco return to the war room, holding hands and laughing about something. They meet Moon and Eclipsa who are in a magical stalemate.
Star: What's going on?
Eclipsa: (to Moon) Do you want to tell your daughter what you did, or should I?
Moon's eyes stop glowing. She stops her attack and her face looks conflicted again.
Star: Mom, what did you do?
Moon: First of all, this did not go down the way I intended.
Star: Uh, I... What do you mean "intended"?! Are you.. are you working for Mina?!
Moon: No; Mina's working for me.
The cockerel crows.
~Hold up. It was Mina who wanted Moon to work for her in the first place! How did Moon turn that around on Mina? Also, Moon has seemed content to live out at her village in the woods - what changed to get her involved.. at all?
~Even the MHC and Mina weren't on the same page. Who's really working for who, with who, etc.? Moon, Mina and the individual members of the MHC all have their reasons for not liking Eclipsa... how did they all get this far to invade and destroy Eclipsa's kingdom?
~Moon's 'betrayal' deserves a bigger analysis. I'll just say this: Moon never trusted Eclipsa. She never trusted the Monsters because of the propaganda she was fed growing up, and what Toffee did to her mom. Moon has seemed conflicted all episode. There's something bigger happening. The pieces are there, we just need to connect them.
~
...Yeah, this is gonna be another 2-parter. Part 2 is done but I'll post it tomorrow just to break this up. Enjoy this one and stay tuned!
Posted Dec 6, 2025, 3:15 AM UTC