In honor of father's day

[lyssie]

io9 have a list of the best and worst fathers in SF.

Best:
Kyle Reese (Terminator) He might've been an absentee dad — almost as absentee as you can get, given that he was a dead time-traveler for much of John Connor's adolescence — but he put Sarah Connor on the path towards the future and armed her with knowledge (and knocked her up). (do I even need to explain how fucked up that is?)

William Adama (Battlestar Galactica)
Ray Ferrier (revamped War of the Worlds movie)
Jonathan Kent (Superman)
Leto Atreides (Dune)
Bob Parr (The Incredibles)
Benjamin Sisko (DS9) - (Sisko is the first one I know AND agree with on him being a good father)
John Winchester (Supernatural)
Rick Grimes (The Walking Dead)
Jim Gordon (Batman) (er, I think he is? aj?)
Jack Carter (Eureka) - Yeah, he's an ok dad now. But at the beginning and first two seasons? Not so much.

Worst:
James T Kirk (ST-classic)
Magneto (X-Men) - *snickers* Although, I'd point out that Mags didn't know he had kids, so io9 loses that one.
Anakin Skywalker (Star Wars) - how does he even count? He didn't know he had kids... I think he's crap, but not because of his daddy-issues
Noah Bennet (Heroes)
Arthur Petrelli (Heroes)
Michael Dawson (Lost)
Walter Bishop (Fringe) - I disagree. Walter isn't the best father ever, but he's a complicated man who is trying. Also, being clinically insane and MISSING PARTS OF YOUR BRAIN can cause issues.
Rusty Venture (Venture Brothers) - *snicker*
Ra's Al Ghul (Batman)

Please note that there was no similar list or discussion of mothers for Mother's Day.

It's so nice to have ovaries.

ETA: Prozac is collecting a list of mothers

Comments

[aj.livejournal.com]

HE'S A TERRIBLE FATHER. And would probably be the first person raising his hand to agree with his TERRIBLENESS.

[greycoupon.livejournal.com]

You mean the spoilers they crib from other sources and often taken waaaay out of context?

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

Adama???? OK, I liked him as a character well enough, even with the shoutiness, but he wins 'worst father of the year, any year' award hands-down. Not just to his biological kid but to all his unfortunate quasi-daughters.

[samstareagle.livejournal.com]

Adama...heh...hehehee...heeheeeheeheeehehehehee...HA...HAHAHAHAHA...HAHAHAHAHAH...BHWHAAAAAAAHAAAAHAAAAAHAAAAHAAAAHAAAAaaaaa!!!!!!!!!!!

What, really?

*confuzed*

[frolicndetour.livejournal.com]

best reaction ever.

[wishfulaces.livejournal.com]

John Winchester? Okay, when they say "best," they must mean best as in "most interesting/entertaining/something else to watch or read" or something along those lines.

(Mothers in SF? DON'T BE RIDICULOUS.)

[aj.livejournal.com]

Kyle Reese: Fucktard deadbeat who knocked a lady up and dumped a billionty gajillionty amounts of responsibility and damage to both mother and child. *thumbs down* Now Derek... Derek was pretty decent.

William Adama: AHAHAHAHAH. LYSSIE. I JUST.
Jonathan Kent: Pretty damn awesome in everything save Smallville.
Leto Atreides: Whut. Well, he wasn't complete shit.
Bob Parr: Eventually.
Benjamin Sisko: It's THE SISKO.
John Winchester: ....the fuck?
Jim Gordon: Did his damned best. Not the best dad, but definitely not the worst. Babs loves him the best, and she has good taste, so. (Also, I think he's her adoptive dad/uncle? Maybe? I can't keep my fucking reboots straight.)
Jack Carter: I love him because he got BETTER. He was a terrible dad until he stepped up, but when he did? YEP.

Worst:
James T Kirk: Does he count? He totally didn't know about David until he (David) was in his 30's right?
Magneto: Also, DIDN'T KNOW.
Anakin Skywalker: Third verse, same as the first.
Noah Bennet: I thought he was the good father?
Arthur Petrelli: Okay, that's a given.
Michael Dawson: Eh.
Walter Bishop: I agree with Lyssie.
Rusty Venture: BWAHAHAHAH!
Ra's Al Ghul: True. He is an evil asshat.

[prozacpark.livejournal.com]

I totally skimmed the list and thought Magneto was on the best fathers' list? Which actually amused me rather than ENRAGED me like the rest of the list. Sigh.

Also if the fictional mothers actually made an effort to make contributions as important to society and children's lives as men did, maybe there would've been a list for them, too! /bitter.

[foenix.livejournal.com]

Kyle Reese is the best father out there...that was somehow NEVER THERE FOR HIS KID?

Logic failing!

I'd take Walter or Bennett over him aaaaany day. They may fail, but at least they try. Effort counts for a lot, IMO.

[blue-crow.livejournal.com]

x.x Of course there wasn't. (Should totally write one for next year though.)

Jessica Atredis was a way better mom than Leto was a dad (though this is partly because Leto gets killed off pretty fast, but mostly because Jessica is totally win- I would love it if I had a mother figure who was training armies. Dune may have a few odd gender constructs built into the world- but Jessica is great.)

I don't think BSG had any great dads or moms though. I kind of feel like Bill was only ever an okay dad at best- at least to Lee. (To Kara maybe he was a better dad, but that's a different story.) The Agathons were probably better parents. Nicky was kind of too young to really see how the Tyrols were going to shape up as parents (and then Tyrol totally failed that job.)

I guess Anakin kinda counts because he finds out eventually that he has kids and then he kind of cuts Luke's hand off while Luke ragecries. I mean, he had his opportunity to bond and really screwed it up.

[emmiere.livejournal.com]

Please note that there was no similar list or discussion of mothers for Mother's Day.

I put an edit on my post from tonight asking that and UGH! :( Go prozacpark though!

*has already capslocked*

*tries not to be more bitter*

I really like your breakdown of these, and I love and agree with your description about Walter. And since I apparently can't say it enough KYLE REESE<---WTF!

Ooh, I did come across on guy at Geek Dad (http://www.wired.com/geekdad/2010/05/top-10-mothers-in-science-fiction-and-fantasy/), who made the effort to celebrate mothers on Mother's Day, but apparently io9 just couldn't be bothered.

[the-jackalope.livejournal.com]

Wow, so that list is wrong. Just dead wrong on most counts. I mean Bill Adama? And blaming Lee for the screwiness of the relationship? I mean Lee is stubborn and stuff but COME ON, he ABSOLUTELY had his reasons to be angry at Bill.

And KYLE REESE? NO, no no.

I just.... No.

[greycoupon.livejournal.com]

Angel!Kara is on Supernatural? I may have read that wrong. I miss Kara on my tv.

[greycoupon.livejournal.com]

throwing water balloons with Sammy?

[miera-c.livejournal.com]

John Winchester? ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME?

The entire show basically revolves around how much of an abusive asshole John was to the boys and how interminably fucked up Dean is because of it.

WHAT THE EVERLOVING FUCK.

I admit I stopped watching "Heroes" around early S2, but I remember Noah Bennet turning out to be a totally badass father at least for a while.

[ellestra.livejournal.com]

When I read that list my first thought was that I always though John was more of a father figure to Kyle then vice versa. And he never even knew he was to be a dad so I think the same thing that applies to Magneto and Anakin applies to him. In a way he was just sacrificed so John Connor could be born. But io9's wording of that one was really infuriating.

I think many of those are very subjective (as it's always with such lists) so I stopped caring long ago but I think that io9 presents them in a way that just begs to disagree.

[beverly-mcintyr.livejournal.com]

I love Rusty Venture. And he does belong on the bad fathers list. That's kind of the point. :}

Most of the rest of the list? Blah. Sisko was a good dad, though. Can't fault him.

[miera-c.livejournal.com]

Also Jack fucking Bristow is not on the best fathers list, and Arvin Sloane is not on the worst fathers list. Granted, Alias may not be pure enough scifi for someone, but COME ON!

[star-lace.livejournal.com]

My favorite part is where it says, "To be fair, much of the reason why Lee and Bill Adama had such a strained relationship is because Lee was a self-important dick."

I wonder where he learned that?!

[mfirefly10.livejournal.com]

Ah, this list and it's massive amount of FAIL...It makes me giggly every time someone mentions it.

Papa!Winchester & Adama & Kyle...*more giggles*...And ITA with you that Walter doesn't deserve to be on the 'worst' list. One of the things I love the most about Walter is how much he tries to be a better father and a better man. And I think he's made a lot of progress since we first met him.

[meresy.livejournal.com]

John Winchester

What the what?

*boggles at list some more*

[lls-mutant.livejournal.com]

Bored and surfing, couldn't resist commenting on this one.

Five BSG fathers who are better than Bill Adama:

1.) Karl "Helo" Agathon. Really, is there any doubt on this one? There is NOTHING Helo isn't willing to risk for his little girl.

2.) Brendan "Hot Dog" Costanza. Graciously dealing with the worst and most pointless plot retcon ever. Hot Dog might come off as dense, but once he was told Nicky was his, he stepped right up to the plate and was the best father he could be. And he had to do it single.

3.) Dreilide Thrace. Hey, at least he taught his daughter to play the piano.

4.) Julius Baltar. Well, we don't know that he WAS a jerk- Gaius's opinion doesn't always count. Whereas with Bill, we do know he was a jerk.

5.) Charlie Connor. Encouraged his son. Knew who his son's idols were. Supported him, and obviously and painfully devastated by his son's death.


And to be fair, 5 other bad fathers on BSG

1.) Galen Tyrol. Some help HE was to Cally. Plus, as soon as he knew Nicky wasn't his, bye bye. And teaching his FIRST children responsibility? HA! The only good thing about the Nicky retcon is that Nicky went with Hot Dog. Much better for Nicky.

2.) Gaius Baltar. "I named him for his father." "Really! My name is Gaius, too!" STILL NOT GETTING IT. Although at least he gave his son food.

3.) Joseph Adama. Definitely where Bill gets it from.

4.) Whoever gave the Cylons the idea that love=babies. UGH. OUT THE AIRLOCK WITH THEM!

5.) God. Hey, he's a canon character, and he killed off 20 - 50 billion of his children, right? That sucks.