filial rivalry [fil-uh-eel-rahy-vuhl-ree]
noun
1. The competition between a parent and child or between inventor and invention, in fiction or non-fiction, to live up to, surpass, to redeem, or to defeat one's creator or creation.
EX.
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| RELATED TO STAR WARS & X-MEN |
The best example of filial rivalry in science fiction, of course, is the relationships of the Skywalkers; specifically, Darth Vader AKA Anakin Skywalker and his son Luke, to a lesser extent his daughter Leia and to an even lesser, but still significant, his grandchildren as is set up in the Star Wars mythology. Luke, initially, wanted to destroy Darth Vader (Obi-Wan Kenobi's murderer and the man whom he believed had killed his father) but after discovering that, in fact, Vader was what his father had become and meditation that brought him closer to the truth-- the truth being that forgiving his father and seeking to help redeem his father was the best course. In the end, Darth Vader fulfills the (rather obnoxious) prophecy of restoring "balance to the force" or "saving the galaxy" by throwing the Emperor to his death, in order to save Luke. This final act of sacrifice and ensuing death scene, where we see his human side for the first and last time (discounting the prequels) is a beautiful and artful way for Luke to begin his quest to undo the "sins of his father". The relationship between Luke and his father is perhaps one of the best stories in film fiction and has become a part of modern mythology.
Also worthy of note is that, in some versions of the X-Men mythos, Mystique is Nightcrawler's mother and Rogue's step mother. The quest for these two people to discover their origins lead them to find things in their past that they'd rather not know but, for their own sake and those of the readers, was a path that needed to be explored.
Such relationships and such parallels between stories across the history of fiction have created some of the most engaging stories; after all, most of us have families or, at the very least, loved ones that we simultaneously love and yet still have conflict with; conflict and resolution are the two opposing and working parts of any story.
