✨Star Raptor☄️💫

Electra is a minority like Rusty and Poppa/Momma (electric trains are EXTREMELY rare in the US and seem to be disliked(?) here), but they are the thematic polar opposite to the steam engines (past vs. future, traditional values and religion vs. the physical form of conservative fears (probably especially at the time of StEx's first premiere) and are reacting to the system (other engine types, mainly diesels) in the opposite way (Using their wealth and power to start/perform an elaborate and likely violent revolution instead of just proving their kind worthy or whatever the steam engines are doing) Electra is still arrogant af and the scheme is probably all for themself (though there might be some universal benefits to electrifying all the railways in the US) , but the same anger Rusty feels toward the other fuel types is probably still in there somewhere, maybe even more strongly than Rusty since they're a lot more aggressive I should also point out that electric locomotives came before diesel ones, which would mean the conflict between steamers and electrics is way more long-lasting and thus probably way more impactful.

Fuel isn’t even a relevant term for electric trains, they’ve always had a strong hydropower presence and could easily be powered by solar or wind vs burning things! They’re defined by power being directly supplied via electricity, from any source! This is a huge gripe I have with Wembley, we can basically eliminate the use of ALL fuels with trains specifically since they’re so easy to electrify. I also get pissed at the batterywashing of Electra but eh… at least they still have pantographs and that’s a genuinely huge deal with media, who gleefully erase those at every turn for nonsensical wireless all-battery situations.

I wanna make my AU at least somewhat historically accurate but I'm not worrying too much about how detailed that accuracy gets since it's a Starlight Express AU

Starlight fans - if you need a distraction - ridiculous looking game is coming! I adore Town to City, you can pet the kitties and build rolling fields of lavender, it's the most cozy chill game when you want to faff with details like putting exactly the right hanging baskets on the farm houses... IDK if this new game will hit that same vibe, I doubt there's as many styles of lanterns, but I'm looking forward to finding out!

A glittery colorful mystery being with apparently a lot of fame interrupting the main event in almost total darkness to demand attention and warn about how dangerous it is, make everyone circle around it, and then join in on the main plot of the dream but still not do much aside from continuing to interrupt it is such random silly nightmare being activities. Not to mention AC/DC is in 7/8 after a ton of 4/4 songs and the chorus of the older versions get high pitched and/or out of tune.

Electra floats in the tours. I know there's likely a stage tech reason for that addition, but it just feels right for talking about a character coming across as something outside of reality. Actually, the fact they're the only one in the entire musical in which what they are gives them superpowers is enough for this interpretation. Overall, it is very possible that Electra is a variety of things that Control can't quite make sense of (computers, complex sexuality and gender, electric locomotives, etc.) but may not be afraid of or against, all put into one thing, which could be in the form of a nightmare. There is a hole in this theory that I wish I had some way to put into this but I can't quite, so if anyone else has any ideas that would be great. It's the fact that Control isn't afraid of GB and Electra, and in fact seems to favor them. However, this irrational nightmare theory seems to work perfectly in the perspective of Rusty.