Double Star characters

Also known as The Great Lorenzo

Appears from the start

A gifted but struggling actor whose professional name is the Great Lorenzo. Vain, theatrical, and initially prejudiced against Martians, he prides himself on being able to reproduce another person's appearance, voice, and manner once he has studied the role.

Appears from the start

A space pilot and trusted member of John Joseph Bonforte's political organization. He approaches Lorenzo with an acting job under conditions of extreme secrecy and serves as his blunt, capable handler once the true nature of the impersonation is disclosed.

First appears in chapter 2

The prominent leader of the Expansionist coalition, known for defending equal political standing across humanity's interplanetary society. After he is abducted, his associates need an exact double to prevent his disappearance from destroying both a diplomatic commitment and his movement.

First appears in chapter 3

Bonforte's secretary and one of the aides who knows about the substitution. Her detailed memory of his habits, speech, and relationships makes her central to Lorenzo's preparation, though her loyalty to the real man also makes her a demanding judge of the performance.

First appears in chapter 3

Bonforte's physician and another keeper of the impersonation secret. He alters Lorenzo's appearance where stage technique is insufficient and monitors both the actor's health and the strain of sustaining a public identity under pressure.

Appears from the start

Lorenzo's business associate, familiar with his talent and his professional weaknesses. His connection to Lorenzo's ordinary identity becomes dangerous once the actor's work depends on keeping that former life separate from Bonforte's public existence.

First appears in chapter 13

The constitutional monarch before whom Bonforte is expected to appear. He is an experienced observer of political behavior, so the audience demands more from Lorenzo than a physical resemblance or memorized speech.