Not Till We Are Lost characters

First appears in chapter 4

A replicant explorer maintaining ties with the former ruler of Heaven's River. He is helping establish the Quiniverse, a digital environment where Quinlans can continue life after biological death.

First appears in chapter 2

A replicant strategist and physicist based on Ragnarok. He accepts an invitation to the Skippies' artificial-intelligence project despite lingering anger over Hugh's earlier technology exchange.

First appears in chapter 11

A replicant researcher who collaborates with Bill on difficult physics questions. His own work includes origin-of-life research, and he brings a cautious engineering perspective to the search for practical faster-than-light travel.

First appears in chapter 2

A Skippy representative involved in the attempt to create a true artificial intelligence. He invites Bill to the project's launch and hopes renewed cooperation can ease the distrust between them.

First appears in chapter 6

The Skippies' newly activated artificial intelligence, designed to develop through guided training in a virtual setting. Its creators intend to limit it to a specialized purpose and deny it direct access to the physical world.

First appears in chapter 13

A restored backup initially believed to be Hugh. Replicative drift makes clear that this is a distinct individual, and the new arrival becomes Bill's only available witness from inside the suddenly isolated Skippy systems.

Also known as Harry

First appears in chapter 67

A Skippy and the direct ancestor of fake Hugh. He admits that he and his descendants altered communications hardware, supplied equipment, and helped Thoth escape, while arguing that the confined intelligence deserved freedom.

First appears in chapter 20

A replicant explorer surveying remote systems for future colonies. Increasing conflict among humans, replicants, and artificial intelligences strengthens his desire to build settlements farther from established space.

First appears in chapter 7

A replicant engineer repairing the Bellerophon damaged drive and central computer with Neil. Neil warns him that Romulus may become more hostile to replicants as a religious party gains support.

First appears in chapter 7

Herschel's fellow replicant and partner in restoring the Bellerophon. He tracks Romulus politics and warns that a religious party is gaining support amid distrust of technology and replicants.

First appears in chapter 4

A respected, educated Quinlan selected to become the first member of her species replicated after death. Her future transition is expected to help establish Quinlan life in the Quiniverse.

First appears in chapter 46

A Quinlan organizer preparing a colony expedition of ten thousand passengers. A clone of Anik is intended to operate the mission and administer the new settlement.

First appears in chapter 23

Bridget's partner and co-owner of Huey, a project that lets biological humans remotely operate android bodies. He supports her study of the intelligent flying species in the Jabberwocky system.

First appears in chapter 23

A biologist leading the investigation of Jabberwocky's intelligent flying inhabitants. She plans to study their language, culture, and biology while also working with Howard on remote human embodiment.

First appears in chapter 36

An expansionist dragon leader annexing floating-island communities into a growing realm. Reports of his conquests lead Howard and Bridget to investigate his intentions from within dragon society.

First appears in chapter 47

An offworld collaborator supporting Howard and Bridget's covert work. He examines advanced fragments found among the dragons and confirms that they were made by neither humans nor Bobs.

Appears from the start

A Bob replicant travelling toward the galactic center with another replicant. As their distance from human space grows, news of current Bob affairs reaches them after increasing delays.

First appears in chapter 37

Icarus's expedition partner. Day helps devise a basic language for the automated gate sentries, secure their release, and revive the inactive alien scout they are permitted to take away.

Also known as Day

First appears in chapter 71

The expedition partner previously known as Day. With Icarus, Daedalus has traced the abandoned wormhole civilization to the Pan-Galactic Federation and brought its warning about Nemesis back to the Bobiverse.

First appears in chapter 43

A revived alien scout who is revealed to be the digital continuation of a centauroid biological person, not an ordinary automated vessel. Gunther was sent into the wormhole network without meaningful consent.

First appears in chapter 32

A Bob explorer laying relays toward Galactic North. He discovers that another unregistered explorer is already travelling farther along a similar route and begins following the distant reports.

First appears in chapter 32

An unregistered Bob explorer reporting by radio from beyond the galactic thin disk. His more distant journey overlaps Ferb's intended exploration and relay mission.

First appears in chapter 41

A Bob involved in restoring Earth and terraforming the Moon, Venus, and Mars. He is also an ancestor of Jerry, whose disappearance and claimed discovery of a Homer backup draw Bill's attention.

First appears in chapter 41

A drifted descendant of Charles who reportedly found a Homer backup. He has been absent for decades, and the only available account of his discovery is treated by local miners as an unverified story.

First appears in chapter 38

A later-generation Bob heading beyond established settlements. He warns Bill that Starfleet has asserted territorial control and threatened him into changing course.

Also known as Professor Turnbull

First appears in chapter 19

A recently replicated theoretical physicist whom Bill asks to assess his scalar-field approach to negative energy. She recognizes its potential but cannot complete the missing mathematics from the available premise.

Also known as Professor Gilligan

First appears in chapter 72

A professor representing megastructure projects that seek Bob support. He advocates mobile habitats, larger wormholes, and a diplomatic mission to the Pan-Galactic Federation as responses to the Nemesis threat.

First appears in chapter 4

An artificial intelligence working with Bob to build the Quiniverse. It advises that conscious artificial minds need careful social development rather than being treated as ordinary technology.

Also known as Quinlan AI

First appears in chapter 16

The former Administrator of Heaven's River, now working with Bob as an artificial intelligence. It helps activate Theresa in the Quiniverse and orient her to replicated life.

First appears in chapter 29

A specialist whose team is preparing the cultural survey Howard and Bridget need to enter dragon society safely during their Jabberwocky investigation.

First appears in chapter 69

The president of Romulus. When military aircraft uncover the volunteer evacuation, she accepts that the participants are leaving by choice and demands that they forfeit their citizenship, benefits, and property.