Steve and Anne Farrow are an average married couple whose function in the narrative is to represent the innocence and mundanity of civilian life that is violently interrupted by the political chaos of the time war. They are the unwilling, unsuspecting victims of their own genetic history.
The Farrows are characterized by their wholesome normalcy and domestic priorities.
The Excited Planner (Steve): Steve Farrow is primarily defined by his enthusiasm for the family trip. He is excited about their upcoming time travel vacation to the year 2272. This establishes him as the energetic, responsible parent focused on providing a positive experience for his family.
The Caring Mother (Anne): Anne Farrow is the emotionally grounded parent.
The Unwitting Ancestors: They have no political involvement. They are the embodiment of collateral damage, their fate is determined by a conflict they didn’t choose, making them symbolic victims of their own lineage.
The Farrows’ challenges are imposed upon them, revolving around surviving the revolutionary incident and dealing with its aftershocks.
Their primary conflict is the sudden, terrifying intrusion of the revolution. They face:
Political Targeting: Their family is breached, and their son is kidnapped to serve the rebels’ agenda.
Dealing with the State: They are subsequently interrogated by Captain Beel of the Planetary Police about the rebel’s identity. Their challenge is navigating this coercive state questioning while likely in a state of terror and shock, trying to cooperate without understanding the high stakes political context.
After the timeline is manipulated, they must cope with the psychological consequences of the event.
The Pursuit of Normalcy: Anne’s focus on the mundane shows her immediate challenge is trying to force life back to normal after a traumatic event.
The Farrows, as a couple, display themselves as the model citizens of the dystopian world, focused on family and personal life rather than politics.
The Average Tourists: To the world, they are just another family excited about their tourist trip to the past/future, symbolizing the average person’s desire for escapism and stability.
The Compliant Victims: To the police, they appear as confused, cooperative witnesses and victims, stripped of their control and thrust under the authority of Captain Beel.
The Historical Key: To the rebels and the dictatorship, they represent the critical link that must be manipulated or protected, displaying their family as a valuable, strategic asset in the war for time.
The Farrows’ simple hopes and anxieties make them a crucial emotional counterweight to the protagonist’s violence, highlighting the moral sacrifices required to fight the totalitarianism of Dictator Thayne.
