Discussion on:

The best and the worst sci-fi dads

Tom Mason from Falling Sky's in the Best category ?

Kirk or Worf because they didn't know the ladies were pregnant when they split up and the ladies NEVER told them about being fathers, so it isn't their fault they didn't know. Thus you can't attach any blame to them at all. They did try to get involved once they knew, but as you say, it was too late by then - a problem intentionally created by their mothers.

Worf had the wisdom to know that he wasn't father material.
I mean if you got beat up by random aliens just to demonstrate that they were dangerous as part of your regular duties how would your confidence be.

No, not the silly hippie-dippie movie; the old TV series.
A busy father who couldn't always be in the same space-time continuum, but he tried.

The main character alien, the detective (played by Mandy Patinkin in the movie and Eric Pierpoint in the TV series), was named Sam Francisco. His partner, (played by James Caan in the movie and Gary Graham in the TV series), the human detective, refused to call him that and dubbed him "George" instead. Just sayin' . . .

If Jonathan Kent made the list, I would propose that Ben Parker also makes the cut.

Just a small nit pick... You started the article as Sci-Fi Dads ... I wouldn't class H potter and crew as sci-fi. There's nothing science based about magic.
Or is there?

I took a college course in Science Fiction, and this was one of questions on the final. What it really boils down to is simple: do things behave as science ought to, or not? It's quite possible to have "magic" in a Science Fiction story, but it has to be presented as a system with laws and basically, it has to suspend your disbelief by making what we would call magic seem scientifically credible. Similarly, you might have something like a robot in a fantasy story (Wizard of Oz, Full Metal Alchemist) if their existence isn't suggested as being based on extrapolated science.

Of course, suspension of disbelief depends on the era and audience. We're automatically going to accept a robot with human intelligence as Science Fiction, since it's pretty much a matter of "when", not "if", that true machine intelligence will be created. Magic, on the other hand, is fantasy unless really presented in a Science Fiction framework.

Harry Potter, of course, pure fantasy -- the magic in the books has few obvious rules, laws, and lacks any explanation of how it works or even how it's powered.

Incidently... got 100% on that final. But I had been preparing most of my life.

FMA's alchemy is supposed to be base on science. It is just used in a magical way.

now if I can remember which one without having to paw through 500 boxes of stored books.

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He was a provider, protecter, and wise man. He was an awesome Dad.

...OK - Here are my thoughts...

...1 of the BEST SCI-FI dad's of ALL time, ta-daaaa...Mr. Tom Swift Sr....married to his long-time sweetheart & runs one of the huge conglomerates of his time while STILL supporting his genius inventor son and assisting him in his many exploits & backing his numerous inventions, which always worked when he needed them...and which, by the way, became actual items in the real world as time wears on & all through sixty some novella episodes (books).

And the WORST dad in SCI-FI history has to be the father of SPIDERMAN's super-foe The Silver Surfer...

Thank you, Thank you very much...Jay in Cleveland

I have heard of all of them except him...

Kirk stayed away from Carol Markus because that's what she wanted and he was unaware that there was a child, so rather than being a bad father he was in fact the one being wronged as she denied him knowledge of / contact with his son. For Vader, he did not destroy Leia's planet, it was Governor Tarkin who ordered that.

Do you read? Maybe 10% of movies and television is acceptable as quality science fiction. It's such a small bit of science fiction.

How about Lazarous Long? He could be possibly among the best and the worst. Tom Swift Sr. was a quality dad. Both of Honor Harrington's parents seem pretty cool. Etc., Etc. There are twens of thousands of examples in the literature.

I was very surprised that Leto Atreides (from what is arguably one of the best sci-fi opuses in history, Dune), father of Paul Atreides was not cited as one of the best sci-fi dads.

Had the same thought myself, the kind of dad any kid would want.

Think you are more likely to find David Eddings on his bookshelf than Steven Erikson.

Probably has a Buffy and Twilight shelf as well .

For something a little more contemporary, how about Walter in Fringe? He risked the desturction of two universes to save his son Peter! Ok, there is also Walternate, but that means he could be best AND worst!

Andrew Wiggin

and

Angus Thermopyle

Never mind that Ray was played by a consummately terrible actor, Ton Cruise, in one of his most "phoned-in" of a career of phoned-in roles, Ray manages to convey in the first 30 minutes of the movie exactly how terrible a father he apparently has been. The fact that a devastating alien invasion must happen before he "steps up" to the plate as a father is NOT a good sign in my estimation. But I guess he pads out your article - you just have him in the wrong list...

The father, Richard Martin (played by Sam Niel) was a pretty good dad in that film. He sticks out in my mind as a very patient, wise and loving father figure. Aren't those the top best qualities we all look for in a father?

No love for Slippery Jim DiGriz?

Lot of love for the twins

Robert Heinlein's "Have Spacesuit, Will Travel"

"Anakin" only has one "n"! Even the Wikipedia piece to which you link has the right spelling. I mean, granted, anyone here knows I'm a stickler for spelling and grammar, but this name should be fundamental to all sci-fi geeks out there.

Went to work every day at Spacely Sprockets, bailed his kids out of trouble, provided fatherly advice. What more could you ask for?

My Dad taught us that reading is important. He taught us a love of comic books (how geeky is THAT!!) so I was there for the first issue of Spiderman and many of the other Marvel comic heros. He told me as a teenager that Tarzan was really a love story, thereby getting me to read Edgar Rice Burroughs. He loved Isaac Asimov and Ray Bradbury. While my mom taught me to read, which I will also forever thank her for, my Dad guided much of my early reading with "you would like this" or "you should try that". Or he would just talk about what the book was about in his amazing storytelling voice, instigating the desire to experience it for myself. He also did a bit of writing, and when some of that was for Boys Life magazine, he would have me read the story before he submitted it - even though I was a girl. Seeing as how computers and other geeky pursuits did not come about until after my own children were born, I consider my Dad's example a good basis for the love of future geekdom.

Yes, a love of reading but also a deep respect for the printed word.
But also, I learned about artistic expression and elegance within technology. The conservation of energy and effort, accomplishing the most with the least. Reading was more like 'comfort food' when life was crappy.

Of course one can take the whole conservation thing too far. Putting music and computer programs on the same cassette tape might not have been the best idea.

One of or maybe the Best Dad from Smallville, John Schneider (Johnathan Clark) Clark Kents Dad.
Unless You haven't seen Smallville.
Worst Dad Maybe Lex Luthers Dad.

What about John Robinson? (Lost In Space)(Guy Williams) I think he was a very good dad.

Bad Sci Fi Dads - Lex Luthers Dad and
Supermans Real Father (Smallville)

I love Si-Fi, Si-fantasy, and some Fantasy. Sorry I still don't think of Harry Potter as Si-Fi. (yeah I still love to read Potter anyway.) It just isn't Si-Fi, But, I did start reading the old school stuff back in the late '50s.

I say "Q" on Star Trek TNG is about the worst.. And in later days I think Worf turned out alright..

Some science fiction is good why some is mediocre, but that's the same with any area of literature