Building a Sci-Fi Character: My Process

Photo by Aaron Burden on Unsplash

Sci-fi stories are only as compelling as the characters who inhabit them. Whether it’s a cyborg bounty hunter on a distant exoplanet or an AI programmer wrestling with the ethics of sentience, strong characters give our futuristic scenarios emotional stakes. Here’s the process I use to bring my sci-fi characters to life:

1. The Spark: Setting and Concept

Often, a character idea doesn’t start as a person, but a situation. My setting drives a lot of my early thoughts:

• Scenario: Is it a gritty space colony rebellion? A pristine research station where something’s gone wrong? The setting suggests the kinds of pressures the character might face.
• Core Question: What’s a compelling question arising from this world? “Can humanity survive on a hostile planet?” “What are the limits of artificial intelligence?” My protagonist usually embodies some aspect of this question.

2. The Archetype…With a Twist

I don’t shy away from archetypes, but they’re a starting point, not a final destination.

• The Determined Captain: But maybe they grapple with survivor’s guilt.
• The Rebellious Hacker: But they have a surprising soft spot for old-fashioned tech.