Sunday, June 15, 2014

A Geeky Father's Day

A happy Father's Day to all dads out there!

When talking about father figures in pop culture everyone always thinks of the worst example: Darth Vader.

But, there are some great dads in pop culture.

Jor-El, the father of Superman, sent his son to Earth to save him from the destruction of their planet never knowing what his eventual fate would be.

Not to forget, Jonathan Kent, who raised the most powerful being on Earth to be kind, caring and gentle.

In the Star Wars Legends series, Luke Skywalker teaches his son, Ben, not just how to be a good Jedi, but also a good man.

In the world of Star Trek, there's the father of Captain Jim Kirk, George Samuel Kirk, who in the new timeline sacrificed himself for his wife and son.

Even in the old timeline, he was a great federation officer who raised a strong son.

There's also Mr. Incredible from Pixar's The Incredibles.

The scene where he admits he's not strong enough to lose his family again is so incredibly moving.

Of course we should never forget the men who chose to be father figures to the children who might not be biologically their own like Charles Xavier.

There's also Uncle Ben who raised Peter Parker, Bilbo Baggins who raised his nephew Frodo and Alfred Pennyworth who raised Bruce Wayne after Bruce's parents were murdered.

And finally there's my own father who raised me to be the man I am today.

I have vivid memories of seeing Star Wars, Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi with him.

He also took me to Flash Gordon and Highlander although I don't think he cared for those movies as much as I did.

My father also read The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings to me when I was a boy.

He helped me realize that I could be passionate about the things I care about regardless of what others think.

A value I hope I am passing on to my own children.

So who are your favorite Pop Culture dads? Let me know in the comments.

2 comments:

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Anonymous said...

Darth Vader's love for his son saved Luke. There is always hope.