Slash in Star Wars

[owl]

I just don't see the point. In both of the trilogies we have a trio of main characters, two men and a woman. In both, one of the men is in a canonical relationship with the woman. And yet we have Obi/Ani and Han/Luke slash. It's not just a question of 'This character is canonically straight' (and the rejoinder to that is 'Ever heard of bisexuals?'), but, 'this character is canonically in a relationship with someone else'. It's irrelevant whether Anakin or Han like men as well as women, because they've each chosen a particular woman. I'd be equally annoyed if someone put them in a relationship with a Mary Sue female.
And Obi-Wan/Anakin annoys me the most, I think. Both of them see their relationship as familial, and, frankly, I can't see Obi-Wan having sex with anyone, let alone his Padawan. Making it merely about sex (ugh) would flatten out the interesting relationship as it actually is: Anakin trying to treat Obi-Wan as his father-figure while Obi sees him as a brother; fernwithy brought this to my attention the other day. Their differing expectations are part of the problem with them. Anakin needs someone to fill the dad-shaped space, and guess who's all ready to step up? Yup, Palpatine.

Comments

[lazypadawan.livejournal.com]

I dislike slash as a genre and it seems to be especially ridiculous in SW where you have firmly established relationships without ambiguities. The idea that Han Solo, who spends a lot of time and energy trying to get Leia, would all of a sudden have eyes for Luke is absurd (Han has to be the most flaming heterosexual ever). And Anakin, who has clearly loved Padmé since a child, risks everything for her, and turns to the Dark Side to save her, would get into an almost incestuous homosexual relationship? It doesn't make any sense.

I've long thought about the whole appeal of slash and I think it comes down to two things. On a superficial level, it appeals to women who find the idea of two otherwise straight-acting attractive men being sexual with one another a big turn on. But on a deeper level, it's really about turning men into women. Sure you have f/f fan fic nowadays but lesbian slash is still dwarfed by m/m fic and the overwhelming majority of it is by...women. How else to explain bizarre subgenres like mpregs or how a manly man in canon is so feminized in these stories (usually the younger, smaller man is the more girly of the two)?

[skywalker-child.livejournal.com]

First, icon love!

Second, I agree whole-heartedly about why people (mostly women) write slash. I gotta say that I watched "Alexander" hoping for a scene that would squick every guy in the theatre out if Jared Leto & Colin Farrell decided they'd like talking to each other much better...you know, naked.

But in SW, there's really no basis for Slash. All of these characters have been established as heterosexual or (in Obi's case) asexual. As I don't read smut on any level, I have no idea why someone would throw two characters together just to get a good roll-in-the-hay out of it.

Personaly, I'd rather write about one of these fine gentlemen with ME, not each other ;)

[lazypadawan.livejournal.com]

Heh heh...you would think you'd like to have a chance with these guys!

[owl]

Yes indeed :)