In-Universe Wilco fans?

[Troels Pleimert]

I think this is the reason why so many people here seem to dislike Bea - the comedic comments in SQ6 about her possessive/jealous nature have apparantly led people to believe that she's a bitch, without us having any real, proper spotlight on her character to counter or confirm this idea one way or the other. It doesn't help that Incinerations seems to use this exact portrayal

until you near the end of the game, where it becomes clear that Bea's negative portrayal is less about fan hate and more a perfectly viable emotional reaction to a failed relationship that's meant to highlight Roger's unhealthy fixation/codependance on her. Her behavior softens noticably in the game's final stretch, making it clear that the writers aren't just bashing her for kicks and giggles. Thanks for taking the high road, fellas. :D

 

 

This is an interesting point. Because of the events in SQ6, fans have somehow turned this whole Bea/Stellar/Roger thing into a love triangle that may or may not have staggering repercussions. All because The Two Guys painted themselves into the "Bea bears Roger's young" corner at the end of Space Quest IV, and the sudden, unexplained appearance of Stellar in SQ6. That being said, @Datadog's portrayal of Beatrice in Incinerations was perhaps one of the most apt, realistic portrayals of Roger's "damsel-in-not-so-much-distress" as a three-dimensional character I could ever have hoped for.

 

I think it's because we've only got the events in SQ5 to go by, to be perfectly honest -- where Bea and Roger's relationship is just in its gestating period, and Bea is perhaps a bit underwhelmed (to put it mildly) with Roger's personality. We know that, somehow, these two work things out ... but, like many relationships (cough), Bea and Roger are off to a rocky start, and this is what SQ5 shows us. With that as a basis, Bea continues on in fan works as a somewhat overbearing but overly critical woman who points out Roger's flaws and gives him a hard time for his bumbling personality.

 

Well, on the other hand, you have to wonder what Bea sees in him, apart from his ability to rescue her from situations that catch her off-guard. ;)

[Capn_Ascii]

where Bea and Roger's relationship is just in its gestating period, and Bea is perhaps a bit underwhelmed (to put it mildly) with Roger's personality

That, of course, is the joke. ;) Roger finds the woman of his dreams and tries his best to impress her, but due to the nature of his personality and a variety of unfortunate coincidences (meeting her while scrubbing the floor, being caught eavesdropping on the meeting, seeing his alien-print boxer shorts after he completely fails to rescue her), he only succeeds in making himself look like a doofus. It isn't until he gets his hero on that she starts to realize there might actually be something there worth a second look.

 

Well, on the other hand, you have to wonder what Bea sees in him

There's no accounting for taste. :D It's the guidng principle behind Rule 34; no matter how unusual or bizzare an idea or person might seem, statistically speaking, odds are that *someone* out there finds it appealing. Some women go for the strong, handsome, charming types; others happen to prefer the sensitive, caring types; and still others find guys like Roger adorkable. Much like Elaine likes Guybrush, I imagine Bea finds Roger 'infectiously charming' due to his unique combination of innocent likeability, forthrightness (what you see is what you get), and surprising ability to get results despite his obvious laziness, dismotivation, and lack of intelligence and/or skill.

 

On another note, there might well be an element of 'Weakness Turns Her On' at play. Bea is obviously a 'strong' woman, one who fears nothing and is assertive to the point of being downright aggressive at times - very 'male' (testosterone-fueled) behavior by most considerations. A lot of men exhibit similar behavior, and would thus be put off by the conflicting personalities and desires. Roger, however, is almost her polar opposite - which means that their personalities would probably mesh very well.

 

Bea is a natural leader and feels the need to be proactive; Roger is lackadasial and needs exterior motivation to get anything done. She pushes him to achieve things and gives him direction, which plays to her strengths and gives her a sense of accomplishment - he 'needs' her influence, in a sense. At the same time, however, his non-threatening personality also gives her the chance to *tone down* her aggressive behavior - around someone like him, she can afford to relax and allow herself to be emotionally intimate without feeling like she's sublimating herself to a stronger personality (which people like her tend to dislike).

 

Morgan specifically mentions this last one in Tales - she's a fighter by nature, in a pirate-eat-pirate world. She wants to love, but she can't lower her guard and let herself do so because most of the males around are chauvanistic, egotistical pirates who wouldn't be able to be around her without trying to 'conquer' her (psychologically-speaking - get your mind out of the gutter), which isn't what she wants. Part of the reason she likes Guybrush is because he's non-threatening enough that she feels she could let her repressed feminine side out safely and be on equal terms with him - Guybrush obviously isn't the type to dominate a relationship. ;) I imagine the Bea-Roger (Beaoger? Rogea?) pairing has some similarities, although that's just my opinion as a professional armchair analyzer/psychologist.

 

 

Speaking of which, I should start charging by the hour for these posts...

[Capn_Ascii]

I'm sure there's some being, of some species, somewhere in the SQ universe who's heard of Roger and thinks he's absolutely amazing

Hmm...now that I think about it, there *is* one group of folks who might very well have more than a passing loyalty to Roger - the Pinkunz. I mean, he *did* save their species from slavery at the hands of Vohaul's minions - that's gotta be worth something, right? Perhaps even now they're dancing around the bonfire, celebrating the Great Day of Emancipation at the foot of a 20-foot-tall statue of Roger standing proudly atop Vohaul's corpse. ;)

[Chrono]

Roger was certainly famous after the events of SQ1, and he saved the day again in SQ2, but went into hypersleep before he could enjoy any recognition for it. He may have spent a long time in hypersleep between SQ2 and 3, so over time, people just forgot about it, or after he re-emerged, most didn't make the connection, so didn't realize he was a hero. However, he did clearly save the galaxy again in SQ5, but few seemed to care in the next game, and he even got demoted :).

[Troels Pleimert]

Perhaps even now they're dancing around the bonfire, celebrating the Great Day of Emancipation at the foot of a 20-foot-tall statue of Roger standing proudly atop Vohaul's corpse. ;)

 

I'm not spoiling anything, but that's pretty much what happens after the credits in Infamous' SQ2 remake. :)

[Capn_Ascii]

and he saved the day again in SQ2, but went into hypersleep before he could enjoy any recognition for it

Recognition for *what*? Nobody has any idea Vohaul was even *doing* anything - he's been in hiding like any good evil genius, biding his time and working from behind the scenes until he's ready to strike. His first plot involved getting the Sariens to do the dirty work for him - Roger stopped them and got the credit for it, but nobody knows Vohaul was responsible. Roger stops Vohaul's second plan in SQ2 - but since nobody was even aware there *was* a Vohaul or a Plan B, nobody has any idea that Roger saved their butts a second time.

 

The asteroid fortress was obliterated, along with any evidence of Vohaul, his clones, or any of the rest of his evil plans. The only ones who are aware of any of it are the Pinkunz (who are obviously not a part of galactic society) and the surviving apemen as seen in Vohaul Strikes Back - who are presumably stranded on Labion, what with Roger having stolen the shuttle and their boss too busy being dead to send them another one. Even if they do have a means of leaving the planet, they're his ex-minions and former slave-masters to the Pinkunz - the last thing they want to do is mention any of this to the public.

 

Point being, who's going to tell the galactic news net that there even *was* a plot to destroy Xenon, much less mention some guy who stopped it? All the rest of the galaxy knows is that an oversized asteroid burned up in some backwater planet's atmosphere, which is hardly newsworthy.

 

The exact same thing happened in SQ4 - since all of the action happened in the future, nobody in the present has any idea that this Vohaul guy even exists, much less that he's destined to conquer Xenon.

The only reason people are aware of him in Incinerations is because the Vohaul Virus has spread to other, less critical computer systems throughout the galaxy in the wake of Vohaul Strikes Back, forcing Starcon and/or Aries Command to deal with him on a regular, if less climactic, basis.

 

 

I'm not spoiling anything, but that's pretty much what happens after the credits in Infamous' SQ2 remake.

Heh heh. Actually, that's what I was referring to. Minus the statue, at least. ;) I really liked that little addition, especially because it mirrors the Ewok festival from Return of the Jedi and thusly drives home the obvious influences that movie had on SQ2 to begin with.

 

Seriously, though - if you look at the original SQ2 closely, the game's chock full of RotJ stuff (just like SQ1 was full of A New Hope parallels). The jungle planet with a landing pad, the small native folks being harassed by evil minions, the orbital space fortress where the final confrontation takes place - hell, even Vohaul's chair and command center are a direct rip-off of the Emporer's throne and observation room.

 

Side note: It was hilarious to see that damned alien hunter get his come-uppance. :D