The Knight Shift

The Knight Shift
Season 4
Episode 18
Production information
Production code	411a
Story by	Dominic Bisignano Todd Casey Aaron Hammersley Amy Higgins John Infantino Daron Nefcy
Written and storyboarded by	Kristen Gish Amelia Lorenz
Directed by	Dominic Bisignano
Broadcast information
Original air date	April 14, 2019
Episodes
Previous	"Meteora's Lesson"
Next	"Queen-Napped"

"The Knight Shift" is the eighteenth episode of the fourth season of Star vs. the Forces of Evil.

It premiered on April 14, 2019 alongside "Queen-Napped".

Synopsis

Star and Marco have to make some decisions about the future.

Plot

At the Monster Temple, Queen Eclipsa holds a knighting ceremony where several squires of the kingdom, including Marco, are promoted to knighthood. Star congratulates Marco and gives him a new knight's cape, with each sewn-in patch representing one of their past adventures and the last patch to be sewn in after he receives his lifelong post by Sir Crandle (a doppelganger of Mr. Candle). Crandle tells Marco that the knight duty he chooses will be for the rest of his life. Later, in Star's bedroom, Marco tells Star that he can't be a knight and live on Mewni for the rest of his life, having plans for college and a baby brother on the way. Though obviously hurt by this announcement, Star understands Marco's decision, but offhandedly calls him a quitter, and quickly leaves the room.

Marco vents about his problems to Manfred (still frozen in stone since "Yada Yada Berries") while eating a candy bar, when suddenly he is abducted in a burlap sack. He and his fellow new knights, including Higgs, are taken to the Den of Knights for their inaugural "Knight Out Party" to officially welcome them to knighthood and celebrate the lifelong posts they've chosen. Marco confesses, however, that he did not choose a post and is quitting being a knight. The other knights are shocked by this and view Marco's abandonment of knighthood as an insult to generations of knight history, and Sir Stabby threatens him with torture (which Sir Crandle allows) unless he chooses a lifelong post.

Meanwhile, Star vents about her problems to Manfred as well and finds Marco's unfinished candy bar on the floor. Reasoning that Marco is the only one who eats this brand of candy bar and would never leave one half-eaten, she fears something bad happened to him. When Star shares her discovery with Eclipsa, Eclipsa thinks she is worrying too much. Afraid that Marco is in danger, Star suits up in armor and prepares to go looking for him, but at the last second she realizes she's overreacting and decides to give Marco some space.

Back at the Den of Knights, Marco is tied to a chair and tickle-tortured until he chooses a lifelong post. Marco tells the other knights that there is more to life than being just one thing and mentions his various accomplishments from before he was knighted, such as helping defeat Meteora and surviving for years in the treacherous Neverzone. Enraged by Marco's decision, Sir Stabby threatens to destroy the knight's cape that Star made for him. This pushes Marco over the edge; not only does he free himself from the chair he was tied to and recover his cape, but he also beats up Sir Stabby and every other knight in the room with his arms tied.

Sir Crandle questions Marco's refusal of what should be his proudest achievement, and Higgs accuses him of thinking he's too good for knighthood. Fed up with the others' inability to see his point of view, Marco opens a portal to the Neverzone and welcomes them to try it for themselves. After going into the Neverzone and spending several years training there, Higgs returns, but upon discovering she doesn't retain her muscles because of the time difference, she goes back to live there permanently.

A little while later, Marco finds Star watching the sunrise on the roof of her tower. She apologizes for being awkward the day before about his decision to go back to Earth. Marco says they still have some time before he leaves, and he promises to visit Star all the time after he goes back home. He even gives Star a cape similar to the one she made for him, and says even though he's going back to Earth, it doesn't mean they can't go on more adventures together.

Characters

Major characters

• Star Butterfly
• Marco Diaz

Minor characters

• Eclipsa Butterfly
• Meteora Butterfly
• Higgs
• Baby-Man
• Old Guy
• Sir Cuddles
• Sir Crandle
• Manfred
• Sir Stabby
• Sir Dashing of Muscleton
• Lady Whosits
• Mewmans
• Monsters
• Noodles

Transcript

View the episode transcript here.

Gallery

Click here to view the gallery.

Production notes

Songs

• Lifelong Post

Trivia

• The episode title is a play on "night shift".

Revelations and continuity

• Marco is officially knighted as a knight of Mewni, achieving his goal from "Lint Catcher".
  • However, he reveals he plans to go back to Earth someday and go to college.
• Marco is revealed to have already been knighted nine times in the Neverzone.
• Higgs spends several years in the Neverzone and stays there when she realizes that she has nothing left outside the Neverzone especially her muscular form.

• Mr. Candle is revealed to have a twin brother/doppelganger named Sir Crandle.
  • However, due to his beforehand knowledge of Echo Creek, it is possible Sir Crandle is Mr. Candle under an assumed identity.

• The cape Star makes for Marco features images of Nachos, a plate of nachos, Marco as Princess Turdina, Marco's dimensional scissors, a goblin dog, and a laser puppy.
• While talking to the petrified Manfred, Star eats from a box of Captain Blanche's Sugar Seeds.
• The cape Marco makes for Star includes images of the two of them in their halloween costumes (from "Hungry Larry"), Star making Marco her squire ("Lint Catcher"), the two of them with the Stump, the "Beach Day" photo, and the two of them with Buff Frog's tadpoles (from "Starsitting").