A Father to His Men: Difference between revisions

** Despite what Karen Traviss wants you to believe, the Jedi were as fathers to their men, the Clone Troopers, despite their origin. They treated them well, giving advice, etc. Many willingly [[Heroic Sacrifice|sacrificed]] themselves to save their Clone Troopers.

** While it doesn't come off so much in the movies, in his own way Darth Vader is like this to Imperial troops. Unlike many other commanders, Vader would fight on the frontlines with them, not expect anything from them he wouldn't do himself and was generally a very strong guarantee of success in most of the battles he led.

** And, of course, Polly's own [[Team Mom|motherly]] [[Mama Bear|nature]] shows throughout the book, often landing her in charge even when she's not technically in charge.

** Don't forget Commander Sam Vimes.

** Honor herself is clearly a ''mother'' to her men, albeit a properly distant one in the military sense (but definitely capable of being a [[Mama Bear]] if anyone harms them).

** Klaus Hauptman, shipping magnate and for a while a political rival of Harrington's had some of these qualities. He was an arrogant jerk but he felt an obligation to his employees and went out of his way to protect them. He also made a point to apologize to his servants if he ever took out his frustrations on them.

* [[Dan Abnett]]'s ''[[Warhammer 40,000|Tanith]]'' [[Gaunt's Ghosts|First-And-Only]] had Colonel-Commissar Gaunt in this role, but Colm Corbec, Gol Kolea, and to a lesser extent Viktor Hark all exhibit signs of this.

** In ''The Guns Of Tanith'', several people try to persuade Gaunt this it is beneath his dignity to involve himself in the question of whether a Ghost trooper accused of rape and murder is guilty. He counters with the fact that the troopers actually win his battles, and a general is impressed by such views, [[Good Is Old-Fashioned|which he hasn't heard in some time]].

* The eponymous character of Dispatch's "The General".

 

* [[The Bible|Abraham]], a father to his people '''and''' at least four ethnicities (at least two of which are extant).

 

* ''[[Iron Kingdoms]]'': Captain Phinneus Shae, pirate captain of the Talion. As his crew are all outcasts and wanted by the Cygnaran army for mutiny, he is willing to kill himself against an undead captain, to keep his crew safe.

* Imperial Guard commanders in ''[[Warhammer 40,000]]'' tend to be either this or [[General Ripper]]s.

 

== [[Theatre]] ==

* ''[[God of War (series)|God of War]]'': Kratos to his fellow Spartans. Even when he becomes the god of war in the second game he does not forget them and they become his most devoted and favored followers. In ''God of War 3'' the Spartans stay loyal to Kratos even in death itself—it is ''their'' strength he calls upon in this game, as opposed to the Olympians in the first game and the Titans in the second.

* Coronado De Cava lampshades this in ''[[Tales of Monkey Island]] Chapter 3: Lair of the Leviathan'' when he tells Guybrush and Morgan about his crew members (Bugeye, Moose, Santino and Noogie), "I may have been a stern leader, but I loved them like sons."

* Vilena Donton, the Guildmaster of the Fighter's Guild in ''[[The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion]]''. Bonus points since her son Viranus is part of the Guild. Unfortunately, [[Deconstructed Trope|her doting and overprotective nature causes her to make mistakes]] {{spoiler|and she reacts very badly when Viranus is killed, blaming and kicking out the most competent members of her guild (including you).}}

* ''[[World in Conflict]]'': Both Nikolai Malashenko and Vladimir Orlovsky have this trait. Malashenko often specifically refers to the men, both when praising and berating you. Orlovsky's wife writes to him saying all the women there who husbands are under his command are truly lucky because they know he cares for them, and he rebukes Malashenko sharply when he insinuates that Orlovsky isn't taking adequate steps to care for the men.

* ''[[Resident Evil]]'': Surprisingly enough, Albert Wesker, of all people, might be this to S.T.A.R.S., if his line upon [[The Reveal]] that {{spoiler|he's Umbrella's [[Mole in Charge|mole within STARS]]}} is anything to go by (also doubles as an [[Even Evil Has Standards]]):

{{quote|'''Wesker:''' "The Tyrant virus leaked, polluting this whole place... and unfortunately, I had to give up my lovely members of S.T.A.R.S...."}}

 

== [[Web Original]] ==

** Ditto other generals in the same theatre, like "Black" Robert Craufurd, commander of the British Light Division (which was one of the best formations in Europe, and the Frenchman Marshal Victor, who was called "le beau soleil" by his adoring troops.

* Sir John Moore, who commanded the British Expedition to Spain in 1806. After a combination of Napoleon, poor supplies from home, Spanish incompetence and a brutal winter forced him to retreat, he held his army together through a gruelling retreat, and men still loved him. He died to make sure they could successfully be extracted at La Corunna. There was not time for a proper burial, so:

** Marshal Soult considered him such a [[Worthy Opponent]] and so respected him that he built a monument to mark his spot.

* This could be more or less literal in Highland regiments, some of whom were lead by commanders who were chiefs back home and had many in their regiment who were either blood relations or at least fellow [[The Clan|clansmen]]

** The Highlands were an unusual example of this because the organization of their tribal society made a regiment a prearranged package; they just had to gather at their chiefs bidding as they had always done and formal military arrangements were just an add-on. However it was the case in many places that the Colonel would be a local noble who would recruit from his particular district.

* 'Uncle Bill' Slim, commander of the 14th or 'forgotten' British army in Burma. when he was defeated originally in 1941 and had led his men out on one of the longest retreats of all time, they cheered him as they passed.

* Hans Langsdorff, the final commander of [[Cool Boat|Graf Spee]], sacrificed his honour in the eyes of the German Navy by refusing to take his crippled ship into the waiting guns of the [[Brits With Battleships|Royal Navy]]. He chose instead to scuttle her and keep her from the hands of the enemy whilst saving the lives of his 1100 crew. His great [[Honour Before Reason|'sin']] in the eyes of the [[Those Wacky Nazis|establishment]] was to not go down with his ship, he was in fact prevented from doing so by his own officers. When he got back to shore he ensured his men were safe and looked after and then followed her into history with a shot to his own head. His crew mattered more to him than his life or his honour.

* Alfred the Great was not just this but practically considered the father of the nation of 'England' having united the various Anglo-Saxon kingdoms under one banner. He was noted for his honour and bravery in battle as well as his keen intellect- well known for being the only English monarch to receive the title 'the Great'.

 

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