I’ve stumbled upon a cutting-to-the-core article about DreamWorks’ deceptive marketing that I quite recommend reading: https://geekdad.com/2020/01/baitworks-how-dreamworks-engaged-in-predatory-marketing-towards-lgbt-fans/ It explains the magnitude of the disaster of Voltron: Legendary Defender’s finale and makes a rather gloomy prophecy about future of She-Ra and the Princesses of Power.
Who am I to argue with truth? DreamWorks does have shitty policy and most likely we won’t see a queer relationship between major characters bloom onscreen in this show. Yet there are numerous reasons why She-Ra can’t be put at the same level of queerbait with Voltron.
The major difference is between the showrunners. While VLD creators were clueless and ignorant, She-Ra’s creator is queer herself and she fully well knew what hardships she and the show’s crew had to endure and what concessions had to be made for her work to see the light.
A little off-topic about VLD: while I’m not defending the showrunners, the catastrophe that was Season 8 was very likely... not completely their own decision. There are lots of useful meta on Tumblr about the Season 8 having major last-minute changes - things that have solid proof in the season itself. A major character was erased from the season, other characters’ arcs were mutilated and sewn together anew, so it became indigestible both plotwise and character-wise. Sadly we will never know the true reasons behind these changes, but most likely they were not entirely the showrunners’ fault. What definitely was their fault, however, was marrying Shiro off to a stranger and having the audacity to boast their being “progressive” for it. Most likely, the story went like this: Shiro had his usual share of development and interactions in the initial Season 8 (we know for sure the moment with Zethrid holding Keith hostage went differently and involved more action from Shiro than just gaping into the void) - changes to the plot happen (for whatever reasons) - away go all the scenes involving Shiro except for him barking orders - the showrunners go oops. Didn’t we boast having a heroic character that is also gay. Welp, nothing heroic about him now, so we definitely need to throw a bone at lgbt+ community - how about we have a gay wedding! It will be so charming, such a win-win, lgbt+ audience is gonna looove it! ...Well, what could possibly go wrong.
Trying to salvage the season’s remnants, they destroyed their only gay character’s arc trying to pass it off as representation, killed off their only woman of color in the main cast trying to pass it off as a dramatic turn of events, then stood in the enormous pile of fuck-up they made preaching about how it’s okay if not all the viewers’ expectations are met. Ew. Real gross.
Noelle Stevenson, however, is nothing like that. She knew the limits of what she could do from the start, so she’s been subtly preparing everything since the show’s beginning. I’m quite sure that She-Ra’s finale is not going to be nearly as disastrous as VLD finale. Moreover, all the show’s seasons were finished (and confirmed) beforehand, so they are not getting last-minute changes.
Most importantly, Noelle made sure that all the relationships between characters are treated equally, be they f/f, m/m of m/f. There are literally three canon couples in the show, all of them are secondary characters, there is one m/f couple (Micah&Angella), one m/m couple (Lance&George) and one f/f couple (Spinnerella&Netossa). There are no relationships in the main cast that are stated as romantic in-canon. No homosexual relationships between major characters are allowed? Well, there will be no heterosexual ones either! All romance becomes subtext, all of it. Painfully obvious crushes (Seahawk’s on Mermista, Hordak’s on Entrapta, Scorpia’s on Catra) are repeatedly named “friendship”. There is literally nothing that could prevent the hetero crushes from becoming text, yet they stay subtext, because the lesbian crush stays subtext.
Text is always better than subtext, yet subtext is better than nothing - if treated with due respect and care. She-Ra is wonderful representation-wise: it has a world full of diversity and devoid of xenophobia, an amazing cast of female characters with well-written personalities and interactions and diverse body types, a major non-binary character, portrayal of healthy happy homosexual relationships (although between secondary characters), thought-out and dramatic queer dynamic between major characters (although kept subtextual).
The article above states that Steven Universe, unlike She-Ra, treats its lgbt+ audience with respect. But, while SU is an amazing show with breathtaking canon lesbian relationships, it still uses an excuse to bypass censorship: the “rocks from space” are officially sexless. Sadly, She-Ra can’t have such an excuse.
In She-Ra’s case DreamWorks are to blame for censorship, not the author. I’m sure that Catradora is going to get the best subtextual confirmation that can be done in these circumstances.
Though the end of She-Ra is going to be a bit sad (Catradora and other queer ships getting no i-love-you and no wedding onscreen), it will definitely not be as devastating as Voltron’s ending.
While we hope for a better future where queer characters and relationships are treated fairly in all media, we can still enjoy She-Ra and what Noelle managed to do for representation - which is quite a lot, especially in comparison with other popular kids’ animated shows.
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