Black Single Dads in Sci-Fi

What do Worf, Son of Mog, Benjamin Sisco, Tyr Anasazi, and D.L. Hawkins all have in common? Obviously from the title they are all single dads trying to make their way in the world. (I know that Worf is a Klingon, but for my argument he’ll do) Is there a reason that sci-fi writers continue to do this? Is that how they view the black family? Are there some intrinsic qualities in being a single dad in a sci-fi universe?

I’ll be the first to say that each of them are arguably some of the coolest characters in their respective stories. But don’t you find it strange that so many of them are single dads? I know what you may be thinking. Is it such a bad thing? They are taking care of their responsibilities. What about a unified family?

Look at the bigger picture. Science-fiction writers seem to have no place for complete families. They are few and far between. Men are characterized as womanizers or they just can’t seem to find the right woman. Take Geordi La Forge. He fell in love with a hologram. Who can we hold up as good examples? The Petrellis? One’s an emotional wreck and the other had a child out of wedlock. The Skywalkers? Anakin ruined that family. Aren’t writers creative enough to have internal and external conflicts that don’t involve the family?

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This post was written by Bedlam on July 5, 2007

Lobo

You made some good points, does any child in Star Trek come Home to a Mom and Dad. I can think of two the O’Brien kid and the Paris child. When you compare them to kids like Jake, Nog, and Alexander. Your bating below .500. In the Star Trek they no longer have a need for money, so do people pay child support. Is there a Star Trek: Divorce Court.

I think family conflicts make some the greatest stories because everybody can relate to them on some level. I think that nuclear families are pretty boring. Now that I think about it I can you think of two featured “nuclear familes” in sci-fi or comics. The Robinsons from “Lost in Space” and the Richards from “The Fantastic Four”
Anthony

I think that family conflict is easy for writers. Sure, we can relate to family conflict, but I guess I don’t relate because my nuclear family didn’t have issues like absent parents or abusive parents. These story lines I barely paid attention to. I don’t see anything wrong with having nuclear families.

One exception is that I could relate to Jake Sisco since he lost a parent like I did around that time.
Lobo

What I mean by family conflict is how people deal with the absence of a parent, the introduction of a potential new parent or a least a love interest in the remaining parents life. Those type of things give writers lots of options.

If your saying that the writers need to write more stories that focus on families, then im with you. I just dont think you will find it in the shows you listed in the post. Star Trek and Andromeda are military centric space epics, not really the setting for a show based on families.
Jarrell

Conflict is conflict whether it be internal or external. I think that writers should just be better at writing.
Anthony

I don’t necesssarily want to see more family story lines, maybe no family story lines would be better. Either way, leave the kids out so we won’t have this universal dysfunctional family. If star trek and andromeda are military centric space epics, why do they have storylines that focus on non-traditional families?
Lobo

I dont have a problem with th kids on the shows. Kids are a part of life. Having kids on the show gives you the opportunity to make them deal with aspects of life that you wouldnt ordinarily see. I think how you handle fatherhood is an important part of a persons life.
Lobo

I agree with you conflict is conflict. Writers are the key to all of this, if it faclitates character development then go for it. That another reason kids are valuable. They change the status quo. I hate episodes that seem to be throw aways, where it seems like it thingd never happened in the next episode. With the loss of a spouse or the birth of a child, that doesnt happen.