How can you make science fiction characters relatable?

Science fiction characters are made to grapple with human emotions, moral dilemmas, identity issues, and personal growth, making them a reflection of universal human experiences despite their futuristic or fantastical settings. Their struggles and relationships resonate with audiences, fostering empathy and understanding. Characters in sci-fi confront the unknown exploring the cosmos and face various forms of conflict. They demonstrate resilience and exhibit the ability to overcome adversity—qualities that resonate with real-life challenges. Fiction characters with their resilience and problem-solving skills, provide viewers the courage to face life's challenges with greater confidence and determination, by serving as role models.

I am a big fan of Sci Fi and I used to write fan fiction about such characters. Even amidst alien landscapes and advanced civilizations, human emotions remain constant. Fear, love, grief, and hope – these are the cornerstones of connection. Let's take Captain Janeway from Star Trek: Voyager as an example. She's a brilliant leader, but she also grapples with loneliness and the burden of responsibility on her long journey home. This emotional depth makes her a captivating character, even in a universe filled with alien species.

One of my favorite characters in science fiction is Seven of Nine in Star Trek Voyager. TL;DR - former Borg drone is rescued by a ship of explorers in the Delta quadrant, disconnected from the collective, and re-integrated into a society of individuals. Her arc focuses on her regaining her humanity, learning how to allow herself to be less than perfect, feeling her feelings, making mistakes — and deal with people around her who are less than perfect, feeling feelings, and making mistakes. To me, her story resonated with my experiences with being on the autism spectrum. Most human behavior was utterly baffling to me — I couldn't understand the need for small talk, and neither could Seven. Despite her "alien" tendencies, I found kinship.

Regardless of genre, your reader wants to feel a human connection to your characters. What are their deepest desires and fears? Even if their circumstances are alien, emotional drives can be familiar. Like a robot longing for love, a superhuman grappling with the weight of responsibility, or an alien struggling to understand human behavior. How do your characters express and cope with emotions? Do they suppress their feelings, or wear them on their sleeves? Do they have unique physical or behavioral tells when experiencing certain emotions? How do their emotions influence their choices? Relatable characters are heart driven as much as they are logical. Compelling characters undergo emotional transformations. Make sure yours do.

Ground your characters in reality. Even if your character is an alien or a robot, give them human-like experiences and emotions. Let them face challenges, joys, and dilemmas that readers can relate to. Interactions with others can reveal a lot about a character. Develop deep, meaningful relationships between your characters, whether they are friendships, rivalries, or romances.

To craft relatable sci-fi characters, embed universal human experiences and emotions into their narratives, regardless of futuristic or alien settings. Storytellers can bridge the gap between the audience and unfamiliar story world by grounding characters in familiar struggles, such as love, loss, ambition, or fear. Flawed characters and growth arcs are also effective, as they humanize characters and make their journeys more compelling. Futuristic stories that integrate contemporary social and ethical dilemmas resonate with readers, making the characters’ experiences more accessible and provocative. This approach enhances relatability and deepens the story’s impact, connecting the fantastical with the prosaic. Don’t forget to have fun! 🖤

Nobody's perfect, not even in sci fi universe! I like to give my characters strengths that propel them forward and flaws that make them stumble. A brilliant scientist might be socially awkward, a courageous warrior might struggle with self-doubt. Think of Han Solo from Star Wars. He's a skilled pilot and smuggler, but he's also self-serving and cynical at times. These contrasting traits make him a compelling and unpredictable character we can't help but root for.

Perfect characters are not only unrealistic but also unrelatable. Characters with flaws feel more human and approachable. These imperfections can range from physical or psychological weaknesses to moral shortcomings. Conversely, giving your characters strengths allows readers to admire them and root for their successes. This balance makes characters feel more rounded and real.

What's interesting about a perfect character who does everything right, never encounters conflict, and solves every problem at the first attempt? And what's interesting about a total wretch of a character who fails everything, continually gets beaten down, and never displays any kind of prowess? Characters — human, alien, robot, sentient sponge, tentacled cyborg — need levels to be relatable and interesting. We, the audience, need something to root for — a flaw to overcome, a strength to uncover. Whatever the genre, that push-pull of strength/weakness is what makes for interesting characters and interesting stories.

Weaknesses and imperfections are necessary because they make your characters human. Flaws can be tied to a character's unique abilities or circumstances. Perhaps superhuman strength comes at the cost of uncontrollable rage, or telepathic powers make it difficult for them to trust others. Strengths are the qualities that make a character admirable, capable, and compelling. From human qualities like courage, compassion, or ingenuity, to extraordinary abilities like super-speed, telekinesis, or advanced technological prowess. All flaws will make your character frustrating and unsympathetic, while all strengths will be unbelievable and uninteresting. Relatable characters struggle with imperfections while using strengths to win the day.

In sci fi, there are many alien races that creates a unique diversity. Science fiction allows us to explore all sorts of fascinating beings. Think about the rich tapestry of cultures and backgrounds we have on Earth, and translate that into your future worlds. Let's use the example of the crew from The Firefly TV series. This ragtag bunch hails from different planets, with diverse races, experiences, and motivations. Their clashes and connections create a dynamic and relatable crew that feels real, even though they're traversing a lawless frontier.

Physical diversity: How can you make your characters visually distinct and interesting? An alien species might have a wide range of skin tones or patterns. A robot might have a unique configuration of limbs or sensors. Cultural diversity: Characters from different planets, factions, or eras might have distinct customs, beliefs, values, and ways of life. Neurological diversity: How can you represent the spectrum of mental and cognitive experiences in your characters? Ability diversity: Some characters might have extraordinary powers, while others might have physical, sensory, or mental impairments. Personal diversity: Even within the same species or group, individuals can vary widely in their traits, quirks, experiences, and more.

Diverse and unique, yes, but not stand-ins for racial stereotypes. Don't make your characters coded as racist tropes — it's not a good look. You can avoid that tricky territory by fully developing the back stories of each character — understand where they've come from, what factors influenced their development, who and what were influential forces in their life. Round them out fully, and don't rely on real-life stereotypical shortcutting.

Even in Sci Fri, characters become more relatable when we see how they interact with others. I like to give them meaningful relationships – friendships, rivalries, families. Take the dynamic duo of Rey and Finn from the new Star Wars trilogy. They come from vastly different backgrounds, but their shared experiences and growing bond make their journey compelling. We see them learn, grow, and challenge each other, making them both more relatable characters. By weaving human emotions, strengths, flaws, diversity, and strong relationships into characters, you'll create a crew that readers can truly connect with, even if they're exploring galaxies far, far away.

As is true in any genre, relationships and interactions drive the emotional core of the story. Sci-fi is no exception — take Andy Weir's Project Hail Mary. Without spoilers, the relationship between the protagonist and his companion is central to the emotional pull of the storytelling — in a way that was absent from Weir's The Martian, in which the protagonist was isolated and unable to showcase much in the way of relationship-building. Both stories are interesting in their own way, but when I reflect on which I'd rather read again, Project Hail Mary stands out for the bond between the main characters.

This is certainly true of any storytelling in any genre — and in sci-fi, you can make the challenges and choices all the more grandiose, unbound by the rules of our particular grounded reality. Take Ender's Game, wherein the protagonist is faced with choices on a literal cosmic scale. Science fiction is a fantastic avenue for exploring the answers to questions that we may never face in our ordinary human lives, and thrusting characters into scenarios we could never possibly experience.

The trick to writing relatable science fiction characters is to ignore the science fiction entirely. Do a first draft where the characters exist in the world as it exists today. Then do a follow up draft where you insert the sci-fi elements. Chances are good you'll have to rewrite the scenes to accommodate the sci-fi, but at least you'll be building/modifying a character-driven scene.

Be careful if you are looking into other cultures for inspiration that your characters are not tokenized or exoticized especially if they have any recognizeable cultural traits.