# Pick 12 fictional characters to repopulate the earth? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [May 16, 2006, 1:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pick-12-fictional-characters-to-repopulate-the-earth/356910 "2006-05-16T01:26:45Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2006, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pick-12-fictional-characters-to-repopulate-the-earth/356910/61 "2006-05-16T18:54:29Z")
[QUOTE=silenus] I forget…does Ludmilla’s symbiote pass on to her kids? I’ll have to dig out the book again…it was a fun read. [/QUOTE] Yes. A Thuselah woman ( got the name wrong; it’s _from_ “methuselah” ) will pass on the symbiont, but a Thuselah man can’t pass it on with a normal woman; the symbiont in the child kills her in 99+% of the cases. [QUOTE=Apocalypse Troll] Some Normals see our women as brood mares,” she said grimly. “We’re not all that fertile—which is probably just as well, since our ova regenerate, too, and we stay fertile—but we tend towards multiple births, and all our children are born with the symbiote and pass it to all their children. For some reason we haven’t quite figured out, we’re just as fertile with ‘normal’ humans as with each other, so some male Normals see us as a way to beget ‘immortal’ children of their own.” [/QUOTE] [QUOTE=Apocalypse Troll] “Because the only way the symbiote can be transmitted—other than during conception—is by direct blood transfer,” she said, her face serious, “and it’s still deadly. That’s why Normal women don’t dare conceive by our men; a Thuselah embryo’s blood carries the symbiote and kills a Normal mother. There were several cases in the early days, before we understood. With the best hospital facilities available—and I’m talking about modern hospitals, not the primitive facilities you have here and now—the survival rate is under five percent. Without them, it’s less than one.” [/QUOTE] ---
**Author:** ![JThunder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e95f7d/32.png) [@JThunder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JThunder)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2006, 7:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pick-12-fictional-characters-to-repopulate-the-earth/356910/62 "2006-05-16T19:26:05Z")
[QUOTE=ddgryphon] However, they will have to fight for whatever territory they claim and fight to get food on the table, so, yeah, there will be a need for ass-kicking. [/QUOTE] Yeah. After all, someone has to protect Bruce Wayne’s rich boy posterior. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2006, 7:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pick-12-fictional-characters-to-repopulate-the-earth/356910/63 "2006-05-16T19:53:02Z")
Now that he’s been mentioned, I think that Prof. Hinkley is an excellent choice. He’s apparently an expert in every scientific discipline (we’ll need to pass on that knowledge to future generations), and he’s adept at putting that knowledge to use in a “roughing it” environment. Another man we might want to consider is Natty Bumppo (AKA Leatherstockings AKA Deerslayer AKA Hawkeye AKA…). He’s a fine physical specimen, no slouch mentally, and you won’t find a better hunter anywhere. On the other hand, he’s somewhat dependant on a supply of gunpowder and lead, since he’s never shown himself all that useful without Killdeer (his rifle). If we’re going to include Heinlein women, then by the OP’s clarification, Minerva and Athena would both count, but it’s a bit redundant to have both. Of the two, much though I love Minerva, Athena (with her more active libido) would probably be the better choice. But I suspect that Dora would be better than either: She has only a normal lifespan, but Minerva and Athena are both city-girls, and would probably be lost without modern conveniences. Dora, on the other hand, is a frontier girl, and did indeed manage a very successful farm with no other humans present than her (very large, also an advantage) family. I think our biggest need, based on the folks already nominated, is farmers and artists. Anyone have any nominations for those? Unfortunately, there tends not to be as much fiction written about farmers and artists as about, say, hunter-types. ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2006, 8:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pick-12-fictional-characters-to-repopulate-the-earth/356910/64 "2006-05-16T20:42:15Z")
[QUOTE=Chronos] I think our biggest need, based on the folks already nominated, is farmers and artists. Anyone have any nominations for those? Unfortunately, there tends not to be as much fiction written about farmers and artists as about, say, hunter-types. [/QUOTE] _Not_ artists, unless they have other skills and an extended lifespan; they won’t have the time. Art is a luxury these people won’t have much time to devote to for many, many years. I’ve read fiction with farmers in it; but I can’t recall a single name at the moment. ---
**Author:** ![JThunder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e95f7d/32.png) [@JThunder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JThunder)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2006, 8:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pick-12-fictional-characters-to-repopulate-the-earth/356910/65 "2006-05-16T20:44:26Z")
Need a farmer? Here’s an idea. How about Robinson Crusoe? Y’know… the original version, not the one played by Dick van Dyke. ---
**Author:** ![Steve\_Wright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/848f3c/32.png) [@Steve\_Wright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Steve_Wright)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2006, 9:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pick-12-fictional-characters-to-repopulate-the-earth/356910/66 "2006-05-16T21:04:18Z")
Modesty Blaise. Fit (_well_ fit), omni-competent, born survivor with all sorts of practical survival skills. (And she has various artistic talents, too.) You could take Willie Garvin, too, for many of the same reasons. Just don’t expect the two of them to breed. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2006, 10:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pick-12-fictional-characters-to-repopulate-the-earth/356910/67 "2006-05-16T22:30:30Z")
[QUOTE=Chronos] I think our biggest need, based on the folks already nominated, is farmers and artists. Anyone have any nominations for those? Unfortunately, there tends not to be as much fiction written about farmers and artists as about, say, hunter-types. [/QUOTE] Lazarus has homesteaded. A lot. Bill Lermer farmed Ganymede. I’m willing to ditch Minerva for Teena. Remember, Teena also has a ton of practical knowledge tucked away in her brain. It’s just experience she lacks. Roy Hinkley is an excellent choice. Anybody who can make a shortwave radio out of a coconut, three bobbypins and Ginger’s earring has what it takes to reconstruct Civilization. I’m sure he knows how to brew, too, because without beer society isn’t worth rebuilding. ---
**Author:** ![JThunder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e95f7d/32.png) [@JThunder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JThunder)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2006, 10:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pick-12-fictional-characters-to-repopulate-the-earth/356910/68 "2006-05-16T22:42:41Z")
Ooh! Ooh! Dr. Sam Beckett! Talk about a physically fit polymath! ---
**Author:** ![QuizCustodet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/7ba0ec/32.png) [@QuizCustodet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/QuizCustodet)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2006, 10:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pick-12-fictional-characters-to-repopulate-the-earth/356910/69 "2006-05-16T22:55:19Z")
Previous suggestions I liked: **Tiffany Aching** (although I’m dubious as to whether she qualifies, being Disc-bred rather than Earth) **MacGyver** **Indiana Jones** My own suggestions: **Sofia Mendes** (from Mary Doria Russell’s _The Sparrow_ - brilliantly intelligent, with a deep knowledge of the processes involved in vast chunks of civilized society due to her career in AI design _and_ experience living in primitive conditions. Young, attractive and fertile. Shows high-level leadership ability (details of which would be a spoiler). **Ishak the Physician** from Guy Gavriel Kay’s _The Lions of Al-Rassan_, albeit much earlier in his career than he appears in the book (so as to maximize his fertility). Said to be the greatest physician of his medieval age in Kay’s thinly-fictionalized Spain. Also known to be fertile. **Martin Longbow** (from Raymond E. Feist’s _Riftwar_ series. Descended from Earth stock who fled to Midkemia to avoid the Valheru.) Raised by elves, he’s an expert hunter, tracker and bowman. Known to be fertile. No difficulty in following orders, but will confront evil. **Cletus Grahame** (from Gordon R. Dickson’s _Tactics of Mistake_). A brilliant soldier because of his understanding of psychology, he will be an excellent leader, anticipating and dealing with conflicts in the small population. **Mara of the Acoma** (Ray Feist and Janny Wurts, _Daughter of the Empire_). Her performance in the book shows her to be adept at organization, able to improvise with very limited resources and fertile. I’m struggling to come up with any characters both significantly adept at farming and useful in any other way. I’m also thinking there may be a problem - most of the characters we remember show strong leadership potential, which is only too rarely combined with the ability to submit to a disagreeable decision. Might our society have a problem with too many chefs? ---
**Author:** ![JThunder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e95f7d/32.png) [@JThunder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JThunder)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2006, 11:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pick-12-fictional-characters-to-repopulate-the-earth/356910/70 "2006-05-16T23:43:34Z")
Okay, I’ve got my list. **The dudes** : **Bruce Wayne:** The ultimate physical specimen, with a brain to match **Terry Sloane:** Ditto **Prof. Roy Hinckley:** Proven scientific genius and survivalist **Angus MacGyver:** Good physical condition and combat skills, plus a master at creating improvised solutions \*\*Dr. Sam Beckett: \*\* Genius and polymath in top physical condition. Has proven that he can adapt to any situation. **Buckaroo Banzai** : If we can’t have Doc Savage (due to the inclusion of his genetically similar cousin below), then we should at least pick a close match. **The dudettes** : \*\*Emma Peel: \*\* Intelligence, scientific skills, combat skills, perfect genetics. Need I say more? **Pat Savage:** Has much of Doc Savage’s genetics, and much of his skill **Courtney Krieger** , a.ka. GI Joe’s Cover Girl: Combat skills, intelligence, physical condition… and she’s good with machines. They need a greasemonkey, so why not pick one who was also a highly-paid fashion model? **Modesty Blaise** : Multi-talented combatant with proven survival skills **Shanna O’Hara** a.k.a. Shanna the She-Devil: Zoologist turned jungle warrior. Good to have around in case you’re ever attacked by a T-Rex. **Barbara Gordon** : Olympic-level athlete with a photographic memory and a genius-level intellect ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2006, 11:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pick-12-fictional-characters-to-repopulate-the-earth/356910/71 "2006-05-16T23:57:31Z")
[QUOTE=JThunder] Okay, I’ve got my list. **The dudes** : **Bruce Wayne:** The ultimate physical specimen, with a brain to match **Terry Sloane:** Ditto **Prof. Roy Hinckley:** Proven scientific genius and survivalist **Angus MacGyver:** Good physical condition and combat skills, plus a master at creating improvised solutions \*\*Dr. Sam Beckett: \*\* Genius and polymath in top physical condition. Has proven that he can adapt to any situation. **Buckaroo Banzai** : If we can’t have Doc Savage (due to the inclusion of his genetically similar cousin below), then we should at least pick a close match. **The dudettes** : \*\*Emma Peel: \*\* Intelligence, scientific skills, combat skills, perfect genetics. Need I say more? **Pat Savage:** Has much of Doc Savage’s genetics, and much of his skill **Courtney Krieger** , a.ka. GI Joe’s Cover Girl: Combat skills, intelligence, physical condition… and she’s good with machines. They need a greasemonkey, so why not pick one who was also a highly-paid fashion model? **Modesty Blaise** : Multi-talented combatant with proven survival skills **Shanna O’Hara** a.k.a. Shanna the She-Devil: Zoologist turned jungle warrior. Good to have around in case you’re ever attacked by a T-Rex. **Barbara Gordon** : Olympic-level athlete with a photographic memory and a genius-level intellect [/QUOTE] I largely agree. With 2 changes. Dump Beckett & Pat Savage. Substitute Doc Savage, and Kim Possible. ---
**Author:** ![JThunder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e95f7d/32.png) [@JThunder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JThunder)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2006, 2:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pick-12-fictional-characters-to-repopulate-the-earth/356910/72 "2006-05-17T02:33:17Z")
Kim Possible. Good call! She’d be a better choice than Courtney Krieger, I suppose. In that case, I’d rather keep Pat Savage, bring in Kim Possible and dump Cover Girl. Doc Savage would be a great choice, and I was terribly tempted to add him to the mix. We’ve got Buckaroo though, and he’s pretty much a modernized Doc Savage, anyway. ---
**Author:** ![Lumpy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lumpy/32/446_2.png) [@Lumpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lumpy)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2006, 2:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pick-12-fictional-characters-to-repopulate-the-earth/356910/73 "2006-05-17T02:40:21Z")
Conan would slowly go insane in a world in which there were no enemies to fight and no heroic quests to go on. So he’s out. Pity, he would be perfect a millenia or two later after the descendants of the refounders had reached the “tribal warfare” stage. Much as I hate to admit it, the balanced-gender ratio idea is correct. Having 9-10 breeding females instead of 6 for one generation just isn’t worth the loss of genetic diversity. I’m pretty sure that working together, MacGuyver and Prof. Hinkley could rebuild civilization _in their lifetimes_😃 Add John Clayton aka Lord Greystoke aka Tarzan. A supreme survivor. Not sure who else though. Of prime importance for the females would be fecundity, mothering skills, hardiness, and adaptability. If magic weren’t disallowable, a young Molly Weasley would probably be a better choice than many more attractive females. ---
**Author:** ![roger\_thornhill](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/d9b06d/32.png) [@roger\_thornhill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/roger_thornhill)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2006, 4:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pick-12-fictional-characters-to-repopulate-the-earth/356910/74 "2006-05-17T04:30:56Z")
**Cecil Adams** - naturally, you need the world’s smartest composite human being, even if **Sentie** is smarter re global warming (got to remember the Americans are hyper-sensitive about Kyoto, and over-sensitivity brings poor judgment) **The Brothers Karamazov** - one of my favourite books, and of particular value in terms of this exercise in providing 4 men in one fell swoop; all very different to boot (if you felt that way inclined) **Roger Thornhill** - suave, sophisticated, gets to say some great lines **George Kaplan** - Roger would like to meet him **Satan** - John Milton’s version from _Paradise Lost_; no hero to me, but perhaps the best depiction of evil ever to be written. As for re-populating the earth, he’d be tormented by not being able to touch or tempt the following: **She** Rider Haggard’s heroine - as a kid, always had the hots for her **Lara Croft** - she can put me into one of her tight situations any time That’s it for me. Others might like to suggest two more suitable people to make up the dozen. ---
**Author:** ![Malacandra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Malacandra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malacandra)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2006, 8:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pick-12-fictional-characters-to-repopulate-the-earth/356910/75 "2006-05-17T08:55:54Z")
The major problem even with “human” Teela Brown is that what’s lucky for her isn’t necessarily lucky for her associates - and can perfectly well be hideously unlucky. Teela’s luck is like her own personal Pak protector; good for her, good for her bloodline, hell on wheels for anything that might have the least chance of compromising the welfare of either. Really, guys, learn the lesson that Nessus learnt. Tiffany Aching? _Granny_ Aching, while alive and of childbearing age, would kick her behind. ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2006, 12:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pick-12-fictional-characters-to-repopulate-the-earth/356910/76 "2006-05-17T12:38:33Z")
**JThunder** –What about Oliver Queen? In the Golden Age, Queen was stranded on a desert island, & taught himself to make & use bows & arrows from scratch, using crude native materials. He got good enough to be Green Arrow. ---
**Author:** ![JThunder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e95f7d/32.png) [@JThunder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JThunder)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2006, 1:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pick-12-fictional-characters-to-repopulate-the-earth/356910/77 "2006-05-17T13:10:25Z")
I’d like to disqualify Oliver Queen on the grounds that (a) he’s not as smart as the other guys, and (b) he regularly got to make time with a hot, shapely blonde, and I’m envious. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2006, 5:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pick-12-fictional-characters-to-repopulate-the-earth/356910/78 "2006-05-17T17:54:55Z")
I’m not sure some of the recent suggestions are within the rules… So far as I know, it’s never made explicit that Midkemians are of Earthly descent: They’re from _somewhere_ else, but I don’t think that somewhere else is ever made explicit. So Martin Longbow would be out. Kim Possible has superpowers, doesn’t she? And Satan certainly does. So they’re both out. Molly Weasly, on the other hand, I’m not certain is disqualified. The OP explicitly says that Arwen would be OK, so I’m not sure whether magic is allowed. Also, no matter how qualified they are, we should avoid close relatives. We don’t want a bunch of cousins in the second generation. So the Brothers Karamazov are out, though you might choose one of them in particular. ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2006, 6:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pick-12-fictional-characters-to-repopulate-the-earth/356910/79 "2006-05-17T18:05:55Z")
[QUOTE=Chronos] Kim Possible has superpowers, doesn’t she? [/QUOTE] No. Very athletic, rather resourceful, a strawberry blonde, but no, no powers. ---
**Author:** ![BMax](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bmax/32/4267_2.png) [@BMax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BMax)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2006, 7:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pick-12-fictional-characters-to-repopulate-the-earth/356910/80 "2006-05-17T19:01:42Z")
[QUOTE=Sage Rat] Dr. Strangelove - the eleven most beautiful women listed above 😛 [/QUOTE] Are you kidding? he was a psychosomatic cripple! I think you meant **General Buck Turgidson**. Not _too_ bright, but savvy enough to make Lt General, a cunning military srategist, very aggressive and a raging libido. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pick-12-fictional-characters-to-repopulate-the-earth/356910.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pick-12-fictional-characters-to-repopulate-the-earth/356910.md?page=5)