Junior medical officer aboard the Champion. He hated Martians and disobeyed orders against going armed. He shot at a Martian in a moment of panic, and promptly disappeared.
[mentioned in passing] Product of Manna Bakeries, promoted by the Fosterite Church; the bakery was possibly owned by the Church.
Angela (no last name)
Name that Jubal Harshaw chose for the heroine of his True Confessions story, "I Married a Martian". He claimed that names ending in "a" implied a C-cup figure.
Patty Paiwonski claimed Valentine Michael Smith must be an angel after she witnessed a few of his "miracles". (He did appear in that guise at the end of the book.)
Owner of the carnival, Baxter's Combined Shows and Riot of Fun, with which Valentine Michael Smith worked. (He was also known by the stage name Professor Timoshenko.)
Gilbert Berquist
Joseph Douglas' executive assistant. He obstructed Ben Caxton from seeing the doctor in charge of Valentine Michael Smith. After Mike and Jill Boardman escaped from the hospital, he traced them to Ben's apartment and came for them with a security officer; Mike caused the two to disappear after they threatened Jill.
Valentine Michael Smith was taken there for medical care and observation after arriving on Earth, and no doubt also to keep him under government control.
Biddle, Firsby, Frisby, Biddle & Reed
[mentioned in passing] Law firm of which Mark Frisby was a member. ["Firsby" may be a typographical error for "Frisby" in the Berkley paperback edition; Mark is referred to as "the younger Frisby".]
1. Nurse who rescued Valentine Michael Smith from "protective custody" in Bethesda Medical Center at Ben Caxton's instigation. She took him to Jubal Harshaw after Ben disappeared and an attempt was made to arrest her. She became Mike's water brother, accompanying him on his travels and becoming a high priestess in the Church of All Worlds. She was called "Dimples" by her co-workers, "Little Brother" by Mike.
Mrs. Barkmann (no first name).
Jubal Harshaw's deliberate mispronunciation of Jill Boardman's surname, to confuse Heinrich in his attempt to arrest her.
Married Dr. Winifred Coburn in order to be eligible for the Mars expedition, and was chosen commander: his other tasks included pilot, astrogator, relief cook, relief photographer, rocketry engineer. He died at age 30 shortly after the expedition landed on Mars. He was the father of Valentine Michael Smith.
Dr. Winifred Coburn Brant
Member of the Mars expedition: semantician, practical nurse, stores officer, historian. She died at age 41 shortly after the expedition landed on Mars.
New name that Sam suggested to revive the Church of All Worlds after the headquarters was burned down.
Brush (no first name)
Physician on duty outside Valentine Michael Smith's suite after the television broadcast by Smith's double. He claimed the patient in the room was Rose Bankerson.
Cahuenga Cave
Saint Petersburg nightclub that advertised real Los Angeles smog and six exotic dancers. It sponsored the local NWNW broadcast.
Mr. and Mrs. Harrison Campbell VI
[mentioned in passing] Wealthy couple whose son was born to a host-mother while they vacationed in Peru.
Journalist and friend of Jill Boardman. After interviewing "Valentine Michael Smith" and raising doubts about the identity of the person he actually saw, he was drugged and kidnapped; he was only released through Jubal Harshaw's intervention. After some initial reluctance, he joined the Church of All Worlds.
(Also a cameo in The Number of the Beast)
Champion
Federation ship launched to Mars 25 years after the Envoy (with World War III intervening), with an all-male crew. The crew brought Valentine Michael Smith back with them to Earth.
Charlie (no last name)
[mentioned in passing] Federation High Minister for Health, opposed in an election by a Fosterite candidate.
Religion founded by Valentine Michael Smith. It involved acquiring new philosophical and psychological concepts, as well as certain psychic powers, through learning the Martian language and customs.
[mentioned in passing] Unauthorized biography of the founder of the Church of the New Revelation. Within one day after it appeared in the United States, all copies were confiscated and burned, and the printing plates were destroyed (presumably by Fosterites).
Rev. Dr. Daniel Digby
Supreme Bishop of the Church of the New Revelation (a.k.a. Fosterite Church). He tried to convert Valentine Michael Smith, but Mike caused him to disappear after "sensing the wrongness" in him. Officially, he had been translated bodily to heaven and promoted to Archangel. He is later portrayed in this role, though not happy about it.
The wife of Joseph Douglas. A firm believer in astrology, she also fancied herself to be the "power behind the throne" for her husband.
Alice Douglas
An error for Agnes Douglas. She was described as a heavenly field operative assigned to be a goad to Joseph Douglas. She died upon completing her "mission".
Joseph Edgerton Douglas
Secretary General of the Federation High Council. Jubal Harshaw maneuvered him into accepting power-of-attorney for all of Valentine Michael Smith's wealth, thus preventing any desperate moves against Mike by parties who wanted to get control for themselves. Jubal called him "Courthouse Joe."
Cynthia Duchess
[mentioned in passing] The "Richest Girl in the World," whose exploits were frequently reported in most news media.
Prize rose growing in Jubal Harshaw's garden. He complained loudly that the invading S.S. officers had landed on it.
Ely on Inheritance and Bequest
[mentioned in passing] Book that Valentine Michael Smith quoted at length in response to a press conference question about his knowledge of inheritance laws.
[mentioned in passing] Jubal Harshaw stated that he was convicted of receiving a bribe that his codefendant was acquitted of paying.
family
In Stranger in a Strange Land and later novels, Heinlein envisions alternatives to the traditional nuclear family. Although characters in Stranger have heterosexual pair-marriages, members of the Church of All Worlds live in "nests" where they share domestic chores and presumably child-rearing. Unmarried women bear children apparently without being concerned about societal disapproval.
Founder of the Church of the New Revelation, usually called the Fosterite Church. The "Archangel" title was bestowed posthumously. No details are given of his life.
Fosterites
Members of the Church of the New Revelation. Their services had the atmosphere of a sales convention or football rally, their theology was a mix of conventional wisdom and pop psychology, and their membership was large enough and active enough to be extremely influential in politics.
[mentioned in passing] Boy-meets-girl story dictated by Jubal Harshaw.
God's Joy
Fosterite term for their religious service, or possibly for the service's effects on participants.
"Gossip Gone Wild"
Title chosen by Jubal Harshaw for a prospective article on the dangers of following the news. His original suggestion was "Gossip Unlimited."
Augustus Greaves
[mentioned in passing] Well-known news commentator.
grok
The human transliteration of a Martian concept that has no exact translation. It roughly means "to be identically equal", i.e. to completely understand and "cherish" a thing or experience. One literal but misleading translation is "to drink".
Hagworth's Law of Contracts
[mentioned in passing] Valentine Michael Smith cited the fifth edition for proper usage of the masculine pronoun including the feminine.
Millionaire lawyer, physician, and writer to whose Poconos retreat Jill Boardman brought Valentine Michael Smith. He was a self-described bon vivant, sybarite, neo-pessimist philosopher, professional clown, amateur subversive, and parasite by choice. The missing Ben Caxton was returned at his instigation, and he orchestrated Mike's acceptance as a representative of the entire planet Mars as well as protection for him from those who coveted his wealth. After some reluctance, he joined the Church of All Worlds, and witnessed Mike's martyrdom.
Member of the Federation High Council who supported Willem van Tromp's decision to quarantine Valentine Michael Smith to protect him from physical stress and culture shock. (He was called "David", but his full name was not given.)
High Minister for Science
Member of the Federation High Council who demanded that scientists be allowed to interrogate Valentine Michael Smith immediately upon his arrival on Earth. (He was called "Pete" or "Pierre", but his full name was not given.)
Judge Holland (no first name)
[mentioned in passing] Name invoked by Jubal Harshaw during his dispute with Heinrich over Heinrich's right to invade Jubal's property.
[mentioned in passing] Winner of the Kentucky Derby.
Institute for Social Studies
[mentioned in passing] Organization that subcontracted with the University of Edinburgh to choose the crew-four married couples- for the first human expedition to Mars.
[mentioned in passing] Food technician first class with the Mars Expedition settlement. He died of "homesickness" and was "cherished" by the MartianOld Ones.
Member of the Federation, ruled by blacks and frequently censured for mistreating the white minority.
Kung (no other name)
Leader of the Eastern coalition within the Federation government, Joseph Douglas' chief political enemy.
Lacus Soli
Mars locale just north of the planned landing site of the first human expedition. The second expedition, the Champion, also landed there. [Latin, "lake of the sun"]
Federation Court ruling that a corporation could not own a planet; only real people maintaining occupation could. The decision was the basis for rules governing colonization of planets.
It was inhabited by intelligent natives possessed of supernatural powers. The first Earth expedition died except for one infant, Valentine Michael Smith, who was raised by the natives and was brought to Earth by the second expedition. In spite of the native inhabitants, a legal wrangle arose on Earth over whether Smith "owned" Mars by right of habitation and inheritance.
Adults were huge, reminding humans of "boats under sail", while juveniles (nymphs) were fat, furry spheres, all bounce and mindless energy. Adults led contemplative lives, and maintained contact with the physical world after "discorporation". Their language contained many concepts inaccessible to humans, and they possessed a wide range of apparently "supernatural" powers.
Martian community. On Earth, the term was applied to Valentine Michael Smith's household of people who strove for enlightenment through studying the Martian language.
Patty Paiwonski's late husband, a tattoo artist. (See next entry.)
(Stranger in a Strange Land)
Patricia (Patty) Paiwonski
Tattooed Lady in the carnival that Valentine Michael Smith and Jill Boardman joined. She performed with a boa constrictor. A member of the Fosterite church (converted by Foster himself), she had his life story tattooed on her. She joined the Church of All Worlds. Jill and Mike called her Aunt Patty.
(Stranger in a Strange Land)
(Mentioned in passing in To Sail Beyond the Sunset.)
Fosterites who, it was announced by the church, would soon be going to Heaven.
Eleanora Alvarez Rimsky
Member of the first Mars expedition. A geologist, selenologist, and ship's hydroponicist, she was 32 years old when the expedition began. She died during the expedition.
Sergei Rimsky
Member of the first Mars expedition. An electronics engineer, chemical engineer, practical machinist, instrumentation man, and cryologist, he was 35 years old when the expedition began. He died during the expedition.
[mentioned in passing] An old friend of Jubal Harshaw; it was mentioned that he was fully tattooed.
Sam (no last name)
a. A roustabout with the carnival for which Valentine Michael Smith briefly performed. b. A member of the Church of All Worlds inner circle (no indication whether this is the roustabout). He managed to speak Martian with a Bronx accent.
Establishment owned by Valentine Michael Smith through dummy ownerships. He took refuge there after his last arrest. [French, "without concern", i.e. carefree]
Organization that controlled the rights to and interim income from the Lyle Drive, from a trust started by its designer, Mary Jane Lyle Smith.
Francis X. Seeney
Executive officer of the first Mars expedition, 28 years old when the expedition began. He was also a practical nurse, copilot, astrogator, astrophysicist, and photographer. He died during the expedition.
Olga Kovalic Seeney
Member of the first Mars expedition, 29 years old when the expedition began. She was a cook, biochemist, and hydroponicist. She died during the expedition.
Valentine Michael Smith's mother and designer of the Lyle spacedrive. A member of the first Mars expedition, 26 years old when the expedition began, she was an atomics engineer and the ship's electronics and power technician. She died during the expedition.
Valentine Michael Smith
Human found on Mars, the sole survivor of the first Mars expedition and the son of two crew members, Mary Jane Lyle Smith and Michael Brant (their adultery caused a crisis that led to the deaths of the entire crew). He possessed supernatural powers taught to him by the Martians who raised him, but was completely naive about other humans. Mike was brought to Earth by the second expedition. By the Larkin Decision, he was sole [human] owner of Mars. Kept in "protective custody" by the Federation, he was rescued by Jill Boardman and with Jubal Harshaw's aid was protected from political opportunism and recognized as the representative of the Martian race. After spending several years learning to be human, he founded the Church of All Worlds, based on Martian language and philosophy. He was stoned to death as a heretic by a mob probably made up mostly of Fosterites. During his travels, he used several aliases, including Dr. Apollo as a stage magician, and Private Jones while in the Army. The suggestion is made that he was also the Archangel Michael.
Dr. Ward Smith
Member of the first Mars expedition, 45 years old when the expedition began. He was a surgeon and the expedition's biologist. Married to Mary Jane Lyle Smith, he was Valentine Michael Smith's legal but not biological father. He died during the expedition.
Sponsor of the drone probe Zombie, sent to Mars orbit and back to Earth six years after the Envoy's disappearance. [French, "International Astronautical Society"]
Mrs. Percy B. S. Souchek
[mentioned in passing] Woman who sued the Los Angeles City-County Commissioners over the death of her poodle during a stationary inversion.
Institution that expelled Valentine Michael Smith shortly after he enrolled. Some of the theologians were angry with him because they believed in God, other because they did not.
Those who have "shared water", that is, affirmed mutual complete trust, understanding, and acceptance. A Martian ritual, adopted by Earth friends of Valentine Michael Smith.
Fosterite Sunday School class taught by Dawn Ardent, only for the truly "saved".
Zombie
Drone probe launched six years after the Envoy disappeared; recorded the harshness (to humans) of Martian climate but also the existence of engineered ruins.
