Rachel introduces the audience to some key ideas that help to deal with the Highly Stylized Insanity that is the Gleeverse. "Metaphors are important" is one, and signals that not all the storytelling will be immediately obvious if you're just listening to the dialogue and not taking all the "metaphorical storytelling" into account, i.e. clothes, costumes, colours, jewelry, character-specific symbols, etc.
The other two main concepts introduced to us by Rachel in the Pilot are "There is NOTHING ironic about show choir" which cues us to take the lyrics seriously and "Being part of something special MAKES you special" which, well.
Notable instances of Rachel's gold stars metaphor: -Rachel signs her name in the Pilot. She knows she's more talented than others but as a result has no friends and is promptly slushied by Puck. -Rachel signs her name in Preggers. She's not isolated in the way she wants in Glee club, so she's going to isolate herself totally. -Shelby gives Rachel a cup with a gold star on it. Shelby might find it touching, but at the end of the day, Rachel's just been abandoned by her mother and it seems as though she is forever alone. -Finn gives Rachel a gold star necklace because he doesn't think he ~deserves~ her. It's once more a sign of how Rachel's talent is intrinsically isolating. -Rachel is unanimously nominated Regionals MVP. "I always wanted to feel special and chosen. Thank you guys for giving me that." -Rachel signs her name in Funeral. A very similar scene to the Pilot, but by this point, she has friends and need not fear slushies. -Her entire rant in Choke prefigures her own eventual exploding supernova. -"'Cause even the stars, they burn. Some even fall to the earth."
Altogether, it seems that Rachel's gold stars are a metaphor for her own need to be special and chosen... which ultimately divides and alienates her from others, but their expression of love for her consists of dubbing her Most Valuable Player, which only emphasizes that she IS the best and has to BE the best to receive love. It's complicated and doesn't really have a solution.
Re: Metaphors
The other two main concepts introduced to us by Rachel in the Pilot are "There is NOTHING ironic about show choir" which cues us to take the lyrics seriously and "Being part of something special MAKES you special" which, well.
Notable instances of Rachel's gold stars metaphor:
-Rachel signs her name in the Pilot. She knows she's more talented than others but as a result has no friends and is promptly slushied by Puck.
-Rachel signs her name in Preggers. She's not isolated in the way she wants in Glee club, so she's going to isolate herself totally.
-Shelby gives Rachel a cup with a gold star on it. Shelby might find it touching, but at the end of the day, Rachel's just been abandoned by her mother and it seems as though she is forever alone.
-Finn gives Rachel a gold star necklace because he doesn't think he ~deserves~ her. It's once more a sign of how Rachel's talent is intrinsically isolating.
-Rachel is unanimously nominated Regionals MVP. "I always wanted to feel special and chosen. Thank you guys for giving me that."
-Rachel signs her name in Funeral. A very similar scene to the Pilot, but by this point, she has friends and need not fear slushies.
-Her entire rant in Choke prefigures her own eventual exploding supernova.
-"'Cause even the stars, they burn. Some even fall to the earth."
Altogether, it seems that Rachel's gold stars are a metaphor for her own need to be special and chosen... which ultimately divides and alienates her from others, but their expression of love for her consists of dubbing her Most Valuable Player, which only emphasizes that she IS the best and has to BE the best to receive love. It's complicated and doesn't really have a solution.