Characters' essential traits

[Escriba]

You know, writing so many AUs this is something I'm always wondering, what are Enterprise's crew's essential traits? Because writing an AU is, basically, writing the same characters or characters that anybody could recognize as the ones in the RU, but in a different universe. Even if you change some of their history, everybody has some traits that cannot be changed (because otherwise we will be writing a different character.) So what do you think are the characters' essential traits? I'll try first

Trip: loyalty, lots of energy and great mind flexibility.
T'Pol: curiosity, honesty (except in the emotional ground) and an uncanny capacity for self-sacrifice (I was going to say passive-agressiveness, but that could be consequence of her upbringing, more than a personal trait.) Shyness too.
Archer: stubborness and he can't back off from a fight, like, ever.
Hoshi: She has mostly hidden traits. She's quite sarcastic, curious and brave, but she hides it under the facade of a good, shy and modest girl.
Malcolm: He's a softie. No, really. He cares a lot for people, sometimes I think he has more empathy than Trip. But then he's a complete paranoic about security and quite wary of everything.
Travis: Kindness, open-mindeness and optimism.
Phlox: Optimism, friendliness (even with people he doesn't like very much) and some kind of resilient spirit that makes him recover fast from tragedies. But also a light coldness that sometimes is more than the normal coldness we can see in a Human doctor (the one who lets her/him be professional with a patient.)

Now, what do you think are their traits? Let's discuss.

[Ludmila]

I'll post gradually editing this message for every character.
My first thoughts:
Trip: irrepressible curiosity, ability to challenge his preconceptions and the absence of the fear to give the open-hearted confession when he was not right but in the same time the inclination to hold back his dissatisfaction with any relationships and the absence of the willpower to clear up the possible problems in his interactions (maybe it is the fear to be tactless or to display his weakness). He is also a workaholic with the passion to his work.

T'Pol: strong loyalty, subtle brand of humour and satire, the wish to try something new, the wish constantly to learn not only in the scientific area but in the questions of the different ways of the life perception and communicating (but with many failings in the process), the persistent wish to find her place in the world, the ability of revealing her compassion and other feelings with the invariable assent to wear Vulcan mask of imperturbability (with the absence of that calm inside her), the willpower to run counter the traditions and the powers that be. She is always not indifferent to what was going on.

She and Trip are also having the great minds.

Travis: self-sufficiency, optimism with big cheerfulness, the ability to deliver on his goals
Phlox: great curiosity (he has many degrees on some reason, plus his scenes with aliens and meals), external lightness (he deals with the serious questions with the sufficient profundity), caring but the ability to distance himself from another

Hoshi: strong will, big abilities with many latent resources, healthy self-confidence, the ability to get over any difficulty

Archer: resource-intensive, diehard (he changes his opinions very rarely and long), strong will with the big obstinacy, loyal and is not indifferent to what was going on (even to that items that may endanger his goal and sometimes the crew). He frequently sneezes the opinions differed from his.

If we look at the few things: I; my nearest and dearest; my acquaintances; the society; the great idea; I'd graduate them for few characters thus:
Trip: my nearest and dearest; my acquaintances; the great idea; the society; I
T'Pol: my nearest and dearest; the society; the great idea; my acquaintances; I
Archer: the great idea; my acquaintances; the society; my nearest and dearest; I
I am not sure about Archer though. Maybe his "I" should be more important for him and ranks the second place

Malcolm: reliable, reserved with the hidden inside the joy of life (he does participate in all pranks of Travis and Trip) but with the fear to open and make tighter links with others.


By the way, I do not differentiate the traits arisen from some challenges crossed character's path and the ones inculcated by the society. We all receive that treatment and our judgment reexamines all of them and makes us who we are.

The end of this post. Thanks, Escriba, for the very interesting topic!

[Escriba]

Interesting thoughts as always, Ludmila.

Trip: irrepressible curiosity, ability to challenge his preconceptions and the absence of the fear to give the open-hearted confession when he was not right but in the same time the inclination to hold back his dissatisfaction with any relationships and the absence of the willpower to clear up the possible problems in his interactions (maybe it is the fear to be tactless or to display his weakness). He is also a workaholic with the passion to his work.

Ohhhh... yeah, I like this.

If we look at the few things: I; my nearest and dearest; my acquaintances; the society; the great idea; I'd graduate them for few characters thus:
Trip: my nearest and dearest; my acquaintances; the great idea; the society; I
T'Pol: my nearest and dearest; the society; the great idea; my acquaintances; I
Archer: the great idea; my acquaintances; the society; my nearest and dearest; I
I am not sure about Archer though. Maybe his "I" should be more important for him and ranks the second place

This is an original way to look at the characters, I never tohught of it. Thank you I find Archer troublesome to grasp, on one hand he protects his crew, but on the other hand, he is detached enough to sacrifice his crew for "the society" (if we think of it as Earth in the Xindi mission.)

[Ludmila]

This is an original way to look at the characters, I never thought of it. Thank you I find Archer troublesome to grasp, on one hand he protects his crew, but on the other hand, he is detached enough to sacrifice his crew for "the society" (if we think of it as Earth in the Xindi mission.)

As a matter of fact, I do make thus my judgment about my acquaintances and of the changes taking place in myself with the lapse of time.
I think we may add new Archer's unique property: he does not have the constant criteria for his actions. He is too volatile.

[Silverbullet]

Escribas, my take on the characters:

Trip. Open, generous, a people person. Hides great intelligence behind a facade of Good Old boy. Is a one woman man. when he gives his heart it is for ever. the one he has given his heart to doesn't know if she wants to take it but won't let go of it either so he is caught. He is brave but not foolhardy. Loyal even when the loyalty may not be earned. He is the kind one wants beside in a fight, a tough spot or just to listen.

T-Pol. Intelligent. But fearful. She doesn't want to lose being a Vulcan. she fears her love for Trip and his for her. she wants Trip to be her mate but also doubts if a Vulcan and Human can ever be a couple. She hides behind her Vulcan facade. she is brave, loyal but with reservations. She is a contradiction. Until she rsolves her relationship with Trip she will always be in turmoil.

Archer. Doesn't trust his subordinates. This is why he constantly does what he should be assigning them to do. He cannot accerpt he is Captain and not expenmdable. He takes risks that he shouldn't. he never is sure if hs crew uderstands him whichis why he constantly says "that is an Order." He makes dangerous mistakes but has been lucky he has not had to pay the penalty for those mistakes.

Malcom. an ignigma. HIs background is mostly unknown to the rest of the crew. He is loyal, brave, competent,and rigid. He is a stickler for the rules. A good man to have in a fight. posssibly unapporachable exept on a professional level.

Travis. Open competent, steady, willing, underused.

Hoshi. Brilliant, shy, deepth to her. Brave not really as timid as she lets on. valuable member of the crew whose value is underated.

Phlox. Cheerful , can drive Trip to distraction because of it. but competent and fearless when he must be in saving a life. willing to take a risk if it is the only way to save a life. Enterprise is very fortunate to have him as CMO

[honeybee]

Well, I have an MU fic in progress. I have a great love of some other MU fics (BnB's Payment is more deliciously twisted that it is in my ability to write) but I've run into this whole essential trait issue.

In my fic, Tucker is scarred as emotionally as he is physically thanks the rough nature of the MU. He's not as open or friendly as his RU counterpart, but he's still an empathetic person, and he's clearly "interested" in alien cultures because he's attracted to T'Pol. He's still a highly-skilled problem solver dedicated to his job - which is something you see in the episode when he gets a chance to work on the Defiant. He's still loyal, too. So his essential traits would be: empathy, intelligence, skill, dedication and loyalty.

T'Pol is still competent and level-headed and hard-working, but she's much tougher person. Instead of looking down on humans, she's had to work hard to see herself as equal to them. But like her RU counterpart, she's idealistic and believes that various species can see each other as equals. Her essential traits are: intelligence, competence, idealism, curiosity and loyalty. (Ironic, since MU Tucker is loyal to Archer and MU T'Pol is loyal to Forrest.)

But I've really had a tricky time with MU Reed. He comes off as practically a sociopath in the MU episode. But that would be have to be an inherent trait and RU Reed is not a sociopath. He is however, highly reserved and has difficulty connecting with people. He is also very dedicated to his job. But I'm still working out his essential traits.

[WarpGirl]

Honeybee this is just me but maybe keeping in mind that Malcolm does have some characteristics of a sociopath that in the RU never developed into problems. He has a VERY HARD TIME forming connections of a personal nature. He was discouraged of doing so by his parents they didn't even know his favorite foods. He laments his inability to form any meaningful relationships with a bevy of women. He admits these problems quite readily, (when drunk) so it wouldn't surprise me at all that in the MU that he's a full on sociopath. Especially since RU Malcolm likes a good fight, big explosions, and is a bit paranoid. Twist these traits in the MU and you've got the makings of a classic sociopath. I tend to think that some great teachers, superiors, and Trip saved RU Malcolm from that.

[Lady Rainbow]

Honeybee this is just me but maybe keeping in mind that Malcolm does have some characteristics of a sociopath that in the RU never developed into problems. He has a VERY HARD TIME forming connections of a personal nature. He was discouraged of doing so by his parents they didn't even know his favorite foods. He laments his inability to form any meaningful relationships with a bevy of women. He admits these problems quite readily, (when drunk) so it wouldn't surprise me at all that in the MU that he's a full on sociopath. Especially since RU Malcolm likes a good fight, big explosions, and is a bit paranoid. Twist these traits in the MU and you've got the makings of a classic sociopath. I tend to think that some great teachers, superiors, and Trip saved RU Malcolm from that.

Good point, WarpGirl. RU Malcolm definitely had some help from the rest of the Enterprise crew that the Major didn't. In fact, I think that if the Major WASN'T somewhat of a psychopath, he'd be dead long before now. One thing I noticed was that Major Reed seemed to get off on pain (others' pain, hence the Agony Booth). I'm not sure I see that in /our/ Malcolm.

Let's see, traits (turned out longer than I planned, but oh well):

Trip: loyal to the end, ebullient (usually), mercurial. Eager to help. A "Big Brother" to younger members of the crew, like Hoshi. But although he SEEMS like an open book, he really isn't. I get he feeling he doesn't let a lot of people get to know the "inner Trip". He shuts himself off to his friends in times of personal tragedy (Malcolm, after Lizzie's death). The "Commander Tucker" the crew sees and "Trip" can be two different people.

T'Pol: curious, wants to understand Humans and other species (jazz club, for example). Yet she doesn't want to lose her "Vulcanness", her traditions that makes her who she is, even if they ostracize her from the society (Pa'nar Syndrome). Has a lot of inner strength, loyal to those she considers friends (Trip, especially)

Archer: He really wants the best for everyone, but he's the one who defines "the best". I think Jon always feels like he has something to prove (being Henry Archer's son). He expects a lot from himself and his crew, and doesn't hesitate to push himself and others to go beyond the call of duty. (like Hoshi). He's a maverick (after all, he and AG Robinson stole the NX-Beta). He has good intentions, but his people skills are...well, they need a little work. He's a prime example of "If you want it done, do it yourself." I don't get the impression he's very trusting, holds grudges either until they die (and sends them to a taxidermist) or he's forced to change [which is why it sometimes amazes me that he's the guy who's behind the Coalition and the Federation... ] Really loves his dog. I think as a character, Archer could have had a lot of potential, but the writers screwed up big time. I don't hate him, but sometimes what he does makes me go

Travis: very intelligent, proud of his Boomer roots, very knowledgable about ship systems. Ship's gossip, open-minded, loves to experience new things and meet new people. athletic...and will someone please answer this one: How does a Boomer get so good at stuff like spelunking?

Phlox: Like T'Pol, curious about other cultures. uncomfortable when he's the only one around. very principled. father-figure, but sometimes condescending. dedicated to his profession.

Malcolm: also dedicated to his job, somewhat of a workaholic, keeps himself closed to others. has some sociopathic tendencies (see above). Can also be charming (kind of...Veylo in "The Cogenitor" comes to mind). Slowly but surely relaxes enough around his crewmates(to help Travis build a Vulcan snowman on a comet, for example). I get the impression he was very idealistic in his youth, which is why he was "convinced" to join S31.

Hoshi: More bada$$ than she lets on. Though in the beginning, reluctant to change (like Archer), but adapts to other cultures. A genius, but often feels alone because of those remarkable skills. Sometimes feels unappreciated, invisible (Vanishing Point). Likes to tease others (Travis and the command chair.)

[WarpGirl]

I agree with every last word you said Lady Rainbow EXCEPT Archer. I am trying to see more of the good in him. But I really still cannot like him. That said I don't believe he is a bad person.

[Kevin Thomas Riley]

...and will someone please answer this one: How does a Boomer get so good at stuff like spelunking?

Maybe the shipping routes took the Mayweathers to and from mining colonies, transporting ore. And when they stayed at the mining colonies, possibly for months at a time, the young Travis would go spelunking just to have something to do.

[WarpGirl]

I always thought it was likely he took it up when he went to earth amd joined the academy.

[Lady Rainbow]

...and will someone please answer this one: How does a Boomer get so good at stuff like spelunking?

Maybe the shipping routes took the Mayweathers to and from mining colonies, transporting ore. And when they stayed at the mining colonies, possibly for months at a time, the young Travis would go spelunking just to have something to do.

Yeah, that sounds pretty plausible KTR. Thanks.

A bunch of us (on the Twitter ENT RP) were trying to figure out how that might be possible.

[WarpGirl]

Am I a bad person if I said I would have gotten rid of Travis and put Shran and Talas on? Oh well... I think T'Po'ls most fundemental trait is the fact that she believes doing the right thing is of paramount importance regardless of anything and everything else. I think Trip has that too so in and of itself is a good thing to start building any type of relationship. I'm not saying they always DO the right thing... Who does? but I think that their carachters are based on that being the most important priority for themselves as individuals.

[Lady Rainbow]

Am I a bad person if I said I would have gotten rid of Travis and put Shran and Talas on? Oh well....

I think Travis would have been more interesting if the writers handled his character better.

The way he HAD been written on the show...Shran and Talas were more interesting, I agree. If they were on the ship...(hm...PLOT BUNNY!!!)

[WarpGirl]

PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE. Oh and it's so good to see you back. I for one have missed you.