The Flux Capacitor 3.14.08: Week 25 - Spock, Servo and Sexy Young Ladies

Posted by Owain J. Brimfield on 03.14.2008

The conclusion of our look at the character archetypes of science fiction takes in sci-fi sidekicks. Plus, all the latest from the world of SF.

Welcome to "The Flux Capacitor", the column that examines the past, present and future of the science fiction genre. I'm your host, Owain J. Brimfield, and each week I'll be taking a look at films, TV shows and a whole lot more that exemplify a particular theme within SF. We'll see how the sci-fi of yesteryear influenced what we see on our screens today, and take a look ahead to see what may be in store in the months and years to come. Later on I'll also discuss some of the latest SF news and see how it impacts on the genre. For now though, let's get the DeLorean on the road - this week's theme is:

SIDEKICKS

Despite being almost defeated by the weather round here, which threatened to derail my home broadband connection once and for all, we're wrapping up our mini-series looking at the character archetypes of SF, with our fourth and final installment looking at one of the most enduring types of character in all of fiction: the good ol' sidekick. Sidekicks have been a sci-fi / fantasy fiction staple since Jesus took a dozen of them under his wing - well, most superheroes usually make do with just the one sidekick, but I guess the guy must have felt a little insecure, what with the pressures of being his own father and all. I'm deliberately going to shy away from superheroes this week though, because the old comic book hero/sidekick dynamic is both obvious and overdone, and besides, I'd probably just end up on a rant about what a ridiculous character Robin is anyway. Don't get me started. A lot of those characters whom we might immediately think of fulfilling the sidekick roles are really no more than lackeys and subservients, and I'm not interested in them. Instead, we're going to look at some more atypical sidekicks throughout science fiction, and discuss their contributions to the genre.

Well, okay, now that I've said that, Mr. Spock is in fact probably one of the most famous sci-fi sidekicks, but I think I was trying to get at the fact that Spock plays less of a clichéd role and is more of an all-round "number two", so to speak. Taking on the twin roles of the hero's confidante and the semi-external alien observer (for other extremes of this sub-archetype, see Chewbacca and the Great Gazoo), along with his own pure logical sense of style, Spock packs in a heck of a lot more character development than the majority of sidekicks, because simply put he's a fascinating character, arguably more so than his primary foil Captain Kirk. It's possible to read a heck of a lot into their relationship, going as far as the perhaps-too intellectual ideas of Kirk, Spock and McCoy representing some kind of quasi-Freudian triumvirate, which on some level seems a bit irrelevant but goes to show the depth of the character's interpersonal associations. He's a top example of the nominal sidekick that ends up being far more compelling than the hero, which characterizes a dynamic approach little used before Trek but oft-imitated afterwards (see also: Solo, Han). Spock also has the distinction of representing probably the most prevalent element of pop culture from Star Trek (with the possible exception of the infamously apocryphal "beam me up, Scotty"), which is a far cry from the secondary position that the sidekick traditionally takes, paving the way for sidekicks to break free from their shackles and emerge as unique characters in their own right.

Moving into the realm of the offbeat, the robots from cult classic show Mystery Science Theater 3000 present a more laid back take on the archetype. Tom Servo, Crow T. Robot and Gypsy (and I guess Cambot) are Joel and Mike's only companions aboard their lonely orbiting spaceship, condemned to a fate worse than… well, okay, a fate almost-but-not-quite-as-bad-as death. In one sense, the robots are little more than disposable gag machines, comic relief taken to its absolute furthest extreme. As far as the central conceit of the show goes, they represent a poorly built (and I mean that only in the very literal sense, not figuratively) vehicle through which the MST3K crew can sound out the jokes on the variety of C-movies they're forced to sit through every week - and with a supposed average of around seven hundred jokes per episode, that's quite an important, if simplistic, role to fill. Humor is an important part of the sidekick's role - although the robots are intentionally comic whereas the amusing scenes with Spock were invariably down to him attempting to understand human logic (or lack thereof) - and the MST3K bots fill this brief to a tee.

However, while a casual viewing can lend to the idea that the characters do little more than spout funnies and crack-wise for ninety minutes, there is a lot more depth that can be read into them, if you're that much of a geek, and I certainly am. The robots are essentially created by Joel specifically as an outlet to maintain his sanity in the face of ongoing psychological torment. Despite the apparently torturous confines in which Dr. Forrester imprisons Joel (and later Mike), through his relationship with his special robot friends he is able to maintain a large semblance of rationality and remarkable good humor. There's nothing more appropriate for a sidekick than to be able to ground a protagonist when the Hero's Quest (or equivalent) threatens to overwhelm - think of Sam Gamgee, who'd definitely be part of this column if I was talking about fantasy on the screen. Now, sure the "quest" in this show, for what it's worth, doesn't really figure in to the larger scheme of things, but it bears illustration of the principles that a good sidekick remains loyal to the hero regardless of any ulterior motives (although I'm not sure what, if any, other motives these guys would have, judging by the way the series eventually ended), and plays a strong part in enabling him to overcome the odds and challenges he faces. After all, where would a Robinson lost in space be without his robotic chums? Probably slumped in a comatose state in front of "Manos" The Hands of Fate, no doubt. Either that or in a burned-out husk of the Jupiter 2.

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Of course, in the 21st century no good sci-fi show or movie would be complete without the empowered female character. Thankfully, most good sci-fi knows where to draw the line when it comes to depicting overly patronizing characters (unlike some movies we could mention), and can instead concentrate on allowing women to be presented in equal terms - I should mention that I hate political correctness, but as a rule it does tend to be that female supporting characters in genre fiction are relegated to the role of the love interest or the red herring than they are the sidekick. And that's why we love the new iteration of Doctor Who, isn't it kids! Yes, a show that always prided itself on the relationship between the Doctor and his various time-traveling companions has taken upon itself in recent years to reinvigorate both the roles of women and the role of the sidekick in contemporary serialized SF, with the introduction of not one but two unique and feisty [much as I hate that word] female sidekicks in as many years. Plus, of course, we shouldn't neglect the re-introduction of Sarah Jane. Although we will for now, simply because I don't want to devote much space to three female sidekicks simultaneously in case the feminism bandwagon comes a-rolling by.

Anyways, much has been written about Billie Piper as Rose (and judging by the jubilant reaction of some British publications, you'd think she'd reinvented the wheel), and there's no doubt that the character brought a breath of fresh air to both the show and the traditional notion of how a female companion operated, helping Chris Eccleston and later David Tennant to revive the Doctor for a modern generation and in the process casting out all preconceived notions of the place for women in such environments. Martha Jones, for her part took the ideals introduced by Rose even further, combining a refreshingly modern take on the whole idea of time travel and various bizarrely-conceived alien lifeforms with a previously-unheard of open declaration of affection for the Doctor. Plus, you know, she's black and I hear that presses some PC hot buttons - odd that alien characters were widely accepted in science fiction before minority races, no? Unfortunately, we do now have the gob-faced Catherine Tate to look forward to in the soon-to-be-released season four - her character Donna was immensely annoying in the '06 Christmas special, but if there's one thing you can learn from Doctor Who it's never to count the sidekick out, whether they be robotic dogs or bisexual space captains. You never know when they might steal the show.


Reactions and interactions

Posted by: Cheryl

"Those Watchmen pics look great, I'm looking forward to this film...Justice League...meh, not so much... Favourite heroine...Scully, I know she takes a back seat to Mulder but she'd kick his ass anyday. You've got to love how contrary to traditional gender roles Scully is the smart, scientific, rational one whereas Mulder is the emotionally charged faithful one. Got to love Kara "Starbuck" Thrace from the new Battlestar Galactica as well even though shes not really a leading lady as there isn't really one. As far as film heroines go my vote goes to Ellen Ripley from Alien...Kinda glad I never got round to watching Aeon Flux now...starting to enjoy the Sarah Connor Chronicles, we're only on episode 3 here in the UK,I think Lena Headey is doing a good job despite some of the critism levelled at her for not being Linda Hamilton."

I deliberately left Ripley out as I thought she was by far the obvious choice as sci-fi heroines go. The problem with female characters in sci-fi TV is that they are invariably (with a few notable exceptions) part of an ensemble and can rarely find the opportunity to stand out. I guess Scully is the most obvious exception to that rule. I also find it odd that people criticize Headey for taking on Hamilton's role when the character of John Connor has been played by four (soon to be five) different actors in the franchise so far. There's no accounting for taste I guess.


The Infosphere

Thor director Matthew Vaughn recently that the film is currently "in a holding pattern." He also stated that "It's up to Marvel, they have to decide if they want to make the movie and then we take it from there." Vaughn did state that "an unknown" would be cast to play Thor.

Unknown = right way to go. Personally I'd like to see Marvel hold fire on this for the time being, at least until this summer's releases are out of the way, for fear of over-saturating the market.

Ant Man director Edgar Wright is currently working on a second draft of the screenplay. On the film, Wright stated that, "It's going to be less overtly comedic than anything else I've ever done. It's more of a full-on action adventure sci-fi film but with a comedic element – in the same spirit of a lot of escapist fare like that."

I'm still very intrigued to see how Wright will transpose a character who seemingly by nature doesn't fit anything like the cinematic superhero mould. He did namecheck Honey I Shrunk the Kids in the same interview though, so I'm not sure whether we should be worried yet or not.

While it is not confirmed, Shocktillyoudrop.com is reporting that Alien vs. Predator III is "a certainty." If the film does happen the plan for it is to take place in space, unlike the first two installments and the Strause brothers would be involved. With the commercial success of the first two films, a third installment would be attractive to 20th Century Fox.

This is about on a par with the announcement of a sequel to Battlefield Earth. Get rid of it.

Despite rumors saying he would not be back, Brian Singer has announced that he will be back to direct the sequel to Superman Returns. In a statement to EmpireOnline.com Singer stated, "I'm just getting back with writers after the strike. We're just in the development phase. I'm starting to develop a sequel... with the intention of directing it."

We've covered this before here in the column, but I still think Singer is the right choice to carry Supes forward as a series. With a bit of luck he can introduce a villain that poses a bit more of a threat than Lex Luthor and move past the less successful romantic elements of Returns.

Wolfgang Petersen has signed on to direct the SF thriller Uprising for Columbia Pictures, Variety reported. The story revolves around the resistance efforts of some citizens after Earth has been occupied by a powerful alien race. Charles Leavitt (Blood Diamond) is writing the screenplay. (courtesy of Sci Fi Wire)

A nice cozy sci-fi premise, and it'll be interesting to see a director as comfortable with large-scale scenarios as Petersen tackle a science fiction work. I'd actually prefer this not to go the post-apocalyptic route, though.

Paramount Pictures has acquired rights to turn the Valiant Comics SF series Harbinger into a live-action feature film that will be developed as a potential directing vehicle for Brett Ratner, Variety reported. Alexandra Milchan will produce with Ratner and Jay Stern. The project may be branded under the MTV Films banner. Created by Jim Shooter, the comic-book series became a hit when published in the 1990s. Harbingers are humans with powers that can be unlocked by "omega" harbingers. Teenage Pete Stanchek finds himself on a collision course with an older omega who used his gifts to become an evil industrialist. (courtesy of Sci Fi Wire)

Although I've never read any of the Valiant comics, I had a quick scout around and the Harbinger series actually seems like an excellent bet for a movie. It's obscure enough that it won't be lumped in with all the more mainstream comic book adaptations going round, and seems similar enough to Heroes and X-Men that it should command a fanbase pretty much immediately. Plus, the character names are fantastic.

The trailer for Ed Norton's new Incredible Hulk movie has debuted.

Check it out here:



Not bad, but not great. Mind you, I'm not a huge fan of the Hulk franchise so I'll have to reserve judgment on this one.


And finally…

As always, reader feedback and suggestions are welcome, I respond to everything so just drop me a line or leave a comment. You can also check out my column "The Wonder Years" over at 411 Games. Next week in "The Flux Capacitor", I'm going to have to find some sort of new topic due to not having planned further ahead. Until then - keep watching the skies.