NICHOLAS SEAFORT
Our dashing protagonist. Born and raised by a strict single father in a small farmhouse outside of Cardiff, where the lack of affection he got might just contribute to a lifelong belief that he isn't worth loving. This is a shame, because he saves the world at least three times. I've seen him described as a Calvinist, but he doesn't believe in predestination, so this clearly isn't the case..? His relationship with God is pretty similar to the one with his father, but he always tries his best to do the right thing. Multiple Japanese fansites list his birthday as September 4, though I'm not entirely sure what their source for this was.
ALEXI TAMAROV
Nick's first friend onboard the UNS Hibernia. He's younger and less mature, but he really looks up to Seafort. He gets the amnesia plotline in one book and still comes to visit occasionally after he gets married and has two kids of his own. Had a particular grudge against Philip Tyre.
SANDY WILSKY
The youngest midshipman on the UNS Hibernia. It seems he gets along with Alexi the best.
VAX HOLSER
Older than Seafort but below him in seniority, they get off to a rocky start. As he later tells Nick, it was never hate, only envy (Proverbs 24:1). His uncle is a criminal defense lawyer back in Sri Lanka. After Seafort puts him in his place, Vax turns out to be a very responsible senior and ends up well liked by those around him. He is often shipped with Seafort by the Japanese fans.
SEAFORT'S FATHER
He takes religion very seriously. Why did he decide to have a kid? I don't know. In a future where alternative family structures are quite common, he has a host mother bear his child and then never brings the kid to meet her. He never tells Nick that he loves him, but at least he was proud of him?!\
LT. MALSTROM
Seafort's first proto-father figure. They like to play chess together and Malstrom's final words to Nick are that he considered him a son. Some of the Japanese fans seem to have a surprisingly negative reaction to Malstrom for reasons beyond me... perhaps a difference in translations?
CHIEF ENGINEER MCANDREWS
Another father figure to Nick. He appears to have been good friends with the original captain of the UNS Hibernia and is a good support to Seafort when he becomes captain.
DEREK CARR
When we first meet Derek, he is the spoiled son (monogenetic clone) of a wealthy landowner, but neither he nor his father have ever seen the farm they own on Hope Nation. He has to prove to Seafort that he can follow orders well enough to be enlisted into the Navy, and though it's a hard transition, he does well for himself and continues to be good friends with Nick. Later, he goes on to become the third Stadholder of Hope Nation. The Japanese fans make him blond, but I always saw him as a dark haired... On the forum, Grisel says "I did have the impression that the real 'love story' was between Nick and Derek, instead of Amanda... but not in a homosexual way."
AMANDA FROWEL
A passenger on the UNS Hibernia travelling to Hope Nation to be a teacher. Ends up in a relationship with Seafort instead and stays on the ship as his wife. Feintuch himself said he didn't think it was a "good marriage" and that they didn't understand each other very well. It's true that Amanda doesn't seem to understand Nick's dedication to his duty in the beginning, which leads to a large disagreement, but I had assumed they would have worked those differences out eventually. Feintuch knows best I suppose.
DARLA
The UNS Hibernia's computer. Seems to get along especially well with Lt. Dagalow, but it's Seafort's incessant attention to detail that prevents further tragedy when he discovers that something is wrong with her programming.
PAULA & RAFE TREADWELL
Creche-raised on Earth, the twins' biological parents take them and their younger sibling, Tara, with them when they move to Hope Nation. Slightly resentful of this, they both end up enlisting in the Navy. After the first book, Paula goes on to study navigation on Luna and Rafe stays on with Seafort until the Challenger transfer.
JASON
Seafort's childhood best friend. Father did not approve. Would have gone on to study Engineering in Third if it hadn't been for the Football Riot of '90. Seafort spends his entire time with Jason trying to avoid physical contact and the one time Nick initiates it himself he can't hold onto him hard enough.
RICKY FUENTES
The ship's boy of the UNS Hibernia. Seafort promotes him to cadet in the later half of Midshipman's Hope and he ends up on Vax's ship later. We lose track of him after that.
PHILIP TYRE
Near the end of the first book, Philip joins the ranks of the UNS Hibernia. Although he is very attractive ( Seafort feels the need to bring this up every time he sees him) and a good subordinate, he antagonizes those who are below him in the ranks. His bullying seems completely unconscious and even in the end, when he is given redemption, he doesn't quite seem to understand what he's done wrong. Assumedly named after the Biblical city of Tyre?
