Star Wars and the Five-Man Band

Sikon · Sep 7, 2007

http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/FiveManBand

TV Tropes Wiki said:

The Five Man Band is a group of characters whose members fall into standard heroic archetypes which all complement one another.

The group traditionally includes:

* The Hero - (lead singer) - the leader of the group; can be clean-cut and upstanding, bold and charismatic, serious and driven, or some combination of the three.

* The Lancer - (lead guitarist) - the second-in-command, usually a contrast to The Hero. If the Hero is clean-cut, the Lancer is a grizzled Anti Hero; if the Hero is the driven and straight-laced type, the Lancer is more relaxed and level-headed. In a comedy situation, the Lancer is often The Straight Man or a Deadpan Snarker.

* The Big Guy - (bassist or drummer) - the strongman of the team, often dumb. Or mute.

* The Smart Guy - (keyboardist) - the weak, but intelligent or clever member, often annoying or for comic relief; often a Trickster and a buddy of the Big Guy.

* The Chick - (tambourine, vocal effects) - the token female who has been incorporated into the core group. If there's a royal in the band, it's usually her: see Princess Allura (Voltron), and Princess Leia Organa (Star Wars). The Chick will sometimes have special powers, presumably, to "even the field" a little. In single-sex groups, The Chick will be the most ditzy, childish, and/or naive member of the group.

The core five are often supplemented by ...

* The Pet - R2D2, Scooby Doo.
* Tagalong Kid - Usually the Hero's or the Chick's younger brother. Gets to save the day about once per season.
* Mentors - The wise advisorly type who comes and goes. The Obi Wan, Splinter, Gandalf.
* Sixth Ranger - A johnny-come-lately addition to the team, often an outrider type who has been lurking on the edges of the action from the beginning.

Click to expand...

It then presents the original trilogy as an example:

* The Hero: Luke
* The Lancer: Han
* The Big Guy: Chewbacca
* The Smart Guy: C-3PO
* The Chick: Leia

plus:
* The Pet: R2-D2 (Smart Guy when something breaks)
* Mentors: Obi-Wan, Yoda

I've been wondering if there are any more examples.

The KOTOR comics had one until the parting at Serroco:

* The Hero: Zayne
* The Lancer: Gryph
* The Big Guy: Elbee
* The Smart Guy: Camper
* The Chick: Jarael

and...
* Sixth Ranger: Rohlan

Any more? I only have limited knowledge of the EU.

Kaje · Sep 7, 2007

The OT also has a "Sixth Ranger" of a sort with Lando.

Lord Vivec · Sep 7, 2007

For Legacy (My take):

The Hero: Cade Skywalker
The Lancer: Antares Draco
The Big Guy: Jariah Syn
The Smart Guy (or in this case, Girl): Deliah Blue
The Chick: Marasiah Fel

The Pet: R2-D2
Mentors: K'krukh, Emperor Fel
The Sixth Ranger: Morrigan Corde

jSarek · Sep 7, 2007

Here's a slightly different take - the factions arrayed against the Yuuzhan Vong during the war.

The Hero - The New Republic/GFFA.

The Lancer - The Imperial Remnant - contrast to the Hero, even though they work together. While the Hero is crippled by its intense factionalism, Pellaeon quickly crushes factional differences by simple fiat on several occasions.

The Big Guy - The Hapans. While the focus on females and royalty would point toward them perhaps being "the chick," their real purpose was to supply muscle in the fight against the Vong . . . well, before their fleet was vaped by Sal-Solo, anyway.

The Smart Guy - the Hutts and the Underworld. Unable to fight the Yuuzhan Vong, they attempt to use their long tried-and-true methods of deceit and trickery to survive, all the while supplying intelligence to the Hero.

The Chick - The splinter factions of Force Heretic. Basically in need of rescue and protection by the Hero, with the Fia in particular demonstrating particularly ditzy and childish behavior, and the Esfandians demonstrating naivete and innocence.

Mentors - The Chiss Ascendancy. Occasionally provide support in the form of Fel and his squadron, but their biggest help was in the form of advice from musty old books about the location of Zonama Sekot.

Sixth Ranger - Zonama Sekot. Lurking on the edges of the galaxy since Rogue Planet, it gets added at the end of the series and proves the decisive factor in the defeat of the Vong.

SuperLariat · Sep 8, 2007

Then there's also Tommy the Green Ranger who was all like that 6th guy until he started smashin' it with the Pink Ranger

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Star Wars and the Five-Man Band

Sikon Jedi Youngling

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