Were midway through the first act, and Clark has just discovered Kryptons outpost spacecraft. Putting the family sigil into the pedestal, he soothes the murderous desires of a floating tentacles-robot and then finds a bearded Russell Crowe appearing before him, ready to drop all sorts of exposition. And he doesnt disappoint Jor-El uses his velvety tones to explain to Clark where he comes from, what happened to the Kryptonian Empire and why he and Lara blasted their young son off into space. It all seems pretty reasonable. Then Clark asks why his parents didnt travel with him. Being honest, it seems a fair question, and its a shame Jor-Els answer is almost laughably inadequate. He argues that Kal-El represents a new dawn for Krypton, whereas he and his wife are relics of old Krypton. Therefore, theyd better perish with everyone else. Im sorry, but what? Was that your answer? Effectively, Jor-El told his son that he and his wife committed suicide for the sake of a metaphor. Its not like they couldnt have travelled with him as Zod and his band of rogues showed later, Kryptonians can travel across space quickly, and in bulk. It wouldnt have been hard to take a bigger craft. But no, Jor-El condemns his son to a life of potential orphanhood he doesnt know that craft will land in Kansas, in the back garden of the greatest adoptive parents ever. What if he landed in some war-torn hell-hole? He wouldnt grow up as some paragon of virtue, hed probably grow up as the worlds strongest drug mule. Its times like this you really need a parent, and Jor-El totally dropped the ball.