It probably says a lot about me that I remember Star Wars not only as one of the big cultural touchstones of my childhood, but also entirely incorrectly. In my memory, you see, the original Star Wars trilogy is a lot more romantic than it actually is; for some reason, I remember the Han/Leia thing being much more important than it actually is, and it colors my view of what's missing in the summer blockbusters of nowadays.

(We are, I guess, lucky that I didn't have a similar attachment - and misremembering - of Planet Of The Apes, otherwise this post would undoubtedly be titled "Why We Need More Monkeys In Love." Although, let's be honest. We do need more monkeys in love.)

The role of romance in sci-fi movies has been reduced to almost non-existence, a love interest shoehorned in to give the audience a hot girl to gawk at and something to distract the hero from saving the world and pretend that he's got a life outside the impossible and daring special-effect-filled adventures we've really paid our money to see (And that's at best; Iron Man didn't even have that, after all). Or, alternatively, the excuse for tragedy as plot impetus and cheap emotional drama (Hello, Dark Knight). It's not only science fiction movies that have fallen into this rut, of course, but every genre of mainstream movies, it seems, outside of the dreaded, and often-appallingly done Romantic Comedy. Sorry, but we're not that into you.

Thing is, when SF movies do attempt romance, the results can be amazing. Wall-E, for example, works precisely because of the love story at the heart of it - It uses that as the entry point into a world otherwise devoid of things for the audience to empathize with, and it works, because... well, who hasn't ever been in love? I'm probably alone in thinking of Back To The Future as a love story, but to me, that's another good example of the SF elements being able to be more palatable to more people, because its emotional hook is something that everyone can understand and relate to.

And that, ultimately, is what really surprises me. At a time when it seems that visual effects make almost anything if not possible, then at least plausible, why aren't we seeing love stories being used more and more often as ways of bringing an audience into a story otherwise full of fantastic elements? Was The Fountain really so bad as to scare away filmmakers from trying to anchor their imaginations in something we can all share? Or is it just that science fiction audiences would rather watch explosions than wooing?

I don't know, of course. I'd hope that things would change in light of Wall-E's success - or, for that matter, in light of television shows like Lost, Doctor Who or even Pushing Daisies, which are unashamedly using romance for more than just filler - but then I see the trailer for GI Joe and realize that I'm still a few years away from my dream SF Thin Man, at least.

• Luke and Leia: When you first saw Star Wars, weren't you rooting for the young, rebellious teenager from Tatooine to actually score with the girl? You had the feeling that Han had been around the block a few times and didn't need another notch on his blaster-belt, royalty or not. Luke was the entire wish-fulfillment part of the movie: who wouldn't want to get whisked off their world and into an interstellar struggle along with magic and laser swords? You not only wanted him to destroy the Death Star, but to get the girl as well. Well, at least he got to make out with his sister first few minutes of Empire, hinting that there might have been some other episodes of that going on.
• Han Solo and Chewbacca: They say dogs are a man's best friend, and there's probably an even closer relationship when your dog is over seven feet tall, walks uprights, talks you to in his own language that only you understand, and can fly your ship for you. Plus you know exactly where to scratch him when he needs a bit of a reward for doign something good. The flea baths and upkeep on that glossy fur must be fairly expensive, and who knows what you have to feed the guy. Although there's a slight undertone of jealousy when Chewie chuckles at Han when he gets dissed by Leia, he just calls him a fuzzball and everything is right again.
• Darth Vader and Boba Fett: Think about it, they both spend most of their lives encased in armor, had their parent (singular, in both cases) taken away from them at an early age, and they both enjoy killing things for fun. It's just natural that they'd be attracted to each other, and who's the first person Darth calls when he needs to have someone hunted down? Also, Darth has his own little private torture chamber, and Boba's ship is called the Slave I, so they must have some sort of bondage fetish going on.
• R2D2 and C3P0: Nothing says "I can't quit you" like two droids who stick with each other through thick and thin. Plus the sheer amount of concern that Threepio shows for R2 whenever anything happens to him betrays his feelings, and the Emperor would say. If that golden whiner could have burst into tears when Luke says "I've lost R2!" over the radio in Star Wars, he sure would have. Traipsing around the galaxy together might have been hard on their droid bodies, what with R2 not being able to fly anymore, and Threepio getting blasted to bits in Empire, but just think about the stories they'll be able to tell their grandtoasters.
• Jabba the Hutt and Leia: Running an evil organization that operates on the underbelly of the law can be taxing. Just check out Jabba's body: he's fat, smells, eats live reptiles, and he has to chain women to himself just to keep them around. Once he spotted Leia trying to make off with Han's frozen body, he quickly forced her into a tiny metal bikini and turned her into his newest slave girl, much to the delight of horny basement-dwellers around the world. She wouldn't even reciprocate his proffered tongue kisses, but repays him with some erotic asphyxiation. We swear he enjoyed being choked out.
• Mon Mothma and Admiral Ackbar: If you thought a smuggler and a walking carpet were an odd couple, consider a woman and her giant fish. It's probably hard to serve as the leader of the Rebellion and to coordinate efforts to overthrow the Empire when you have to worry that your partner is getting enough water, and do you have a good supply of krill on hand. Still, she manages to pull it off with grace and spotless flowing white robes, while Ackbar looks paunchy and happy, like someone who has just downed a few beers before the big game. We just hope he doesn't slap her around when those Rebels aren't around.
• Lando Calrissian and Nien Nunb: Once Lando accepts his guilt for the freezing of Han, he starts flying the Millennium Falcon around, dresses like Han, and even takes on Chewie as his co-pilot. However, that all changes when the Battle of Endor erupts. Lando ditches Chewie and makes room for Nien Nunb, who likes to gasp and nod. Plus, he speaks his own secret language with Lando, and they spend a lot of time in that cockpit together. Not that there's anything wrong with that.
• Tusken Raiders and their Banthas: Tusken Raiders spend their lives wrapped head to toe in mummy bandages, and the only thing they have to keep them company are other Tusken Raiders, and Banthas. According to Star Wars lore, when a Tusken receives a Bantha, they form a life-long bond; when one of the two dies, the other is exiled to the desert to die. Which would really suck if Banthas are known to have a short lifespan. Still, nothing says love like a bond that requires an exile after the breakup.
• Han Solo and Leia: Darth Vader's daughter sure gets around. During the course of three different films, she makes out with her brother, gets flirted with by scoundrels, wriggles around almost nude for fat gangsters, tickles a furry Ewok silly, and then ends up with Han. However, didn't it feel like she chose him because she found out she was related to Luke? Decisions of the heart are a lot easier when you find out you might have offspring with giant foreheads and genetic problems.

Art via the excellent Joel Watson.

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