This article lists the various minor fictional human characters who appear in Homeward Bound, the epilogue novel of the Worldwar Franchise. These characters are identified by name, but play at best a peripheral role in the series. Most were simply mentioned or had a very brief, unimportant speaking role that did not impact the plot, and never appeared again.
Benn[]
Captain Benn, a blond woman with an appealing demeanor, was a Commodore Perry crew member who escorted Sam Yeager and his entourage to meet Lieutenant General Chesneau.[1]
Donahue[]
Mrs. Donahue, a short, dumpy, gray-haired woman from Great Falls, Montana, entered the TV game show You'd Better Believe It. Sitting in a chair which spun on multiple axes and gave electric shocks, among other unpleasant phenomena, Mrs. Donahue answered trivia questions. She did not win the grand prize of a Lunar vacation, but netted $500 cash and a new refrigerator.[2]
Donna[]
Donna (b. after 1984) was a woman from Cincinnati who was traveling on the Moon. She had a one-night stand with veteran astronaut Glen Johnson, an encounter which convinced him to settle there.[3]
Garvey[]
Dr. Garvey was one of the primary medical officers aboard the Admiral Peary. Dr. Garvey and Dr. Kaplan attempted to revive The Doctor from cold sleep, without success.[4]
Glen Johnson's grandfather[]
Glen Johnson's grandfather was born in 1869 and was still alive in the early 1930s. Grandpa could often be heard to say that moderns were going to hell in a handbasket and taking the whole world with them. Young Glen thought that was a very primitive attitude, and thought the old geezer belonged in a museum. In 2031, after his life was extended by cold sleep, Johnson and his superior General Walter Stone realized that there were four worlds now capable of going to hell in a very big handbasket made capable by superweapons.[5]
Colonel Goldschmidt[]
Colonel Goldschmidt (b. c. 1997) was given the task of informing Sam Yeager that Yeager could neither contact any of the Race or travel to Race-held territories upon Yeager's return to Earth in the 21st Century. Goldschmidt informed Yeager that the United States government was concerned that Yeager could expose state secrets such as Faster Than Light technology. This was based on Yeager's decision to tell the Race of America's responsibility for the destruction of some of the Colonization Fleet in 1962, which in turn led to the destruction of Indianapolis.
Yeager flat out told Goldschmidt that he would continue to contact Lizard-Americans.[6]
Kaplan (Admiral Peary)[]
Dr. Kaplan was one of the primary medical officers aboard the Admiral Peary. Dr. Garvey and Dr. Kaplan attempted to revive The Doctor from cold sleep, without success.[7]
Literary comment[]
This person is not related to Naomi Kaplan's family.
Jerry Kleinfeldt[]
Dr. Jerry Kleinfeldt (b. c. 1942) examined Sam Yeager in 1977, and pronounced him fit to enter cold sleep.[8]
Lacey Nagel[]
Lacey Nagel (b. 1970s) was Mickey's literary agent. She helped Jonathan, Karen, and Sam Yeager find a publisher for their memoirs following their return to Earth. She called and informed Sam that she made a deal with Random House to publish his memoir, much to Sam's surprise. She said the company was excited about his autobiography.[9]
Parker[]
Major Parker was General Charles Healey's adjutant on the Admiral Peary. Parker exchanged cross words with Glen Johnson when the latter was summoned before the general, expecting a court-martial for betraying information to the Race. Parker was miffed when Johnson was cleared of all charges.[10]
Joyce Peterman[]
Joyce Peterman served as President of the United States in the 21st Century. Communiques she'd dispatched while in office reached the Admiral Peary when it first arrived at Home. Given the 11-year lag of these communiques, the crew of the Admiral Peary assumed that her term had expired by then, barring some drastic political change in the US.[11]
| Political offices (Worldwar) | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Last known is Harold Stassen |
President of the United States 2021-2025 (estimated) |
Succeeded by Unknown |
Literary comment[]
While not clearly stated, it appears that Joyce Peterman was President for part or all of the 2021-2025 timeslot, suggesting she was elected as either President or Vice President in 2020. By coincidence, that year in OTL saw the election of Kamala Harris, who became the first female VPOTUS on January 20, 2021. The advent of a female POTUS remains unaccomplished.
See also[]
- Donald Trump, who was President in the early 2020s in "The Breaking of Nations."
- An unnamed President in the early 2020s in Alpha and Omega.
Rita[]
Rita was the assistant of Donald on You'd Better Believe It. Her beauty, showcased in a bare-breasted gown, attracted male humans who otherwise would have no desire to watch the deranged, violent game show. Lovely Rita's tits became proverbial in pop culture. On screen, Donald put up a pretense of being interested in them, even though they held no sexual appeal for a male of the Race.
Katherine Wiedemann[]
Lieutenant Colonel Katherine Wiedemann was one of the officers of the Tom Edison who gave a presentation that commemorated the crew of the Admiral Peary and addressed anything to help the crew adjust to physical complications, specifically being restricted to long term weightlessness. Wiedemann gave the crew the choice of remaining aboard the Admiral Peary or returning to the Sol System in the Tom Edison, where they would either remain in U.S. space stations for the rest of their lives or settle on the Moon, in Moon Base Alpha or Moon Base Beta.
References[]
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