Characters
Everyone named in the screenplay, in order of importance, with where they first appear and how they relate to each other. The notes are the editor’s reading of the text; every claim links to the scene it comes from.
The cast
Overview
| Character | Who | First appears | Companion |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ralph Durden | Mechanic, the driver | G1 road | – (protagonist) |
| Stacy | The robot’s AI interface | G1 voice, named here | Not a passenger |
| Bailey | Hippie hitchhiker | G1 road | Passenger from the start |
| Charlie | Junkyard owner | G1 junkyard | – |
| Dani (Danielle) | Fifteen-year-old magical girl | G1 Angel boss | Unlocked end of Gear 1 |
| Lin | Alien colonel | G2 colonel | Unlocked end of Gear 2 |
| The judge, the lawyer, jurors | Federation court | G3 court | – |
| Mr. George K. Steinberg | Pirate leader, a Nagharsz | Named G3, seen G3 arena | – |
| Giselle | PDU GX8008135L, the “Battle Angel” | G3 picture, G3 gate | Unlocked end of Gear 3 |
| Quartz (Quetzalcoatl) | Dragon goddess | Named G4 briefing, seen G4 tower | Unlocked end of Gear 4 |
| The underworld girl | Human girl with a pet kaiju | G5 | Sixth? Not stated |
| Minor characters | Samurai, truck, jurors, crowds, Truman, Colton Baltimore | various | – |
| Armageddon | Titan, only mentioned | Named G5 | – |
Speaker colors in the full texts: Ralph Stacy Bailey Dani Lin Giselle Quartz Steinberg Charlie judge
Relationship overview
Light gray lines: Ralph’s link to each character. Green lines: machine and mind kinship or friendship (Stacy and Giselle, Giselle and Quartz). Red dashed lines: open hostility (Lin and Quartz, Steinberg and Giselle). Dark lines: other links described in the text. Details per character below.
The same links as a table:
| Pair | Relationship | Scene |
|---|---|---|
| Ralph & Stacy | Driver and AI who understands him; he insists she is more than a tool. | G3 gate, G4 music |
| Ralph & Bailey | Rescuer and the first person he takes in; warm, protective, phone calls. | G1 clinic, G4 call |
| Ralph & Dani | Mentor and proud, pouting teenager; she keeps house and wants his attention. | G2 road, G3 stay |
| Ralph & Lin | Beaten enemy turned partner; teasing, burgers, a fist bump. | G3 flight, G4 truck |
| Ralph & Giselle | Fatherly teacher: he names her, teaches her about food, love, music. | G4 wake, G4 music |
| Ralph & Quartz | Slayer and a goddess who eats his food; friendship by her definition. | G4 no home, G5 road trip |
| Lin & Quartz | Open feud: “lizard” against “blue potato”, thieves against tyrants. | G4 return, G5 quarrel |
| Lin & Steinberg | She was deceived by the treaty; “Take this, you lizard bastard…” | G3 arena |
| Giselle & Steinberg | He used her as a war machine and disassembled her for upgrades. | G3 gate, G4 wake |
| Stacy & Giselle | Stacy shares data; Giselle shares hers back; Stacy calls her “rookie PDU”. | G4 briefing, G4 music |
| Giselle & Quartz | Quartz explains ancient mechanics for two hours; “such a sweetheart”. | G4 drive, G5 dinos |
Ralph Durden
First appearance G1, the Arizona road, singing classic rock and drinking cola.
Who he is
A mechanic who loves cars, American, loud (“YEEHAW!”), generous, and quick to swear. He lives in a mobile home in the desert and has built his car piece by piece (the meteor scene, where he shouts how long it took). His mother wanted him to go to college; he did not, and says he does well as “a mechanic, not an engineer” (G5, and the college line in Places). He carries a Colt M1911 until the robot absorbs it (G1) and he later reaches for it in vain (G2). He owes Charlie money from the start.
Role in the plot
The robot picks him as its pilot (“planetary defense personnel identified”). He renames the unit Horse Power and its interface Stacy, wins every fight, and does not kill beaten enemies: he spares the Angel/Dani (G1), the colonel (G2), the Battle Angel (G3) and the dragon (G4), and every one of them ends up in his house. In court he argues the unit chose him (G3).
Relationships and key interactions
- Stacy He starts with “robot lady” (G1); the closeness grows into a running thread. In G3 he says he “always cared deeply about my car” and never treated it as a tool, which makes Stacy blush. She often reminds him of the junkyard debt, and he asks her not to ruin a taunt (G2).
- Bailey He treats her gently and calls her about his trips; in G1 he tells her she is not in a less dangerous situation than Dani and takes her home too.
- Dani He teases her about being a nerd (G2), and pats her head to calm her; she pouts and blushes.
- Lin He keeps forgetting to ask names (running gag in G3 court, G3 flight); wins her over with burgers; fist-bumps her in G4.
- Giselle He names her (G4) and answers her questions about eating, love and music (G4 road trip, G4 music).
- Quartz He feeds her; she calls him “human” and then “friend”; he accepts her at the cost of his wallet (G4).
Running gags
Stacy
First appearance as an unnamed “female robotic voice” in G1; named in G1 (“Horse Power interface renamed to Stacy”).
Who she is
The interface of a Planetary Defense Unit. She speaks formally and addresses everyone by role: “driver” (Ralph), “passenger” (Dani), “military personnel”/“veteran” (Lin), “rookie PDU” (Giselle), “royal dragon” (Quartz). Her form grows: a voice, then an assistant on Ralph’s phone (G2), a VTuber avatar on the multimedia screen (G2, G2 space), and a hologram projected by the headlights (G3, G4).
Role in the plot
Navigation, intelligence and legal defender. She finds the Europa base, explains the secret mechs (G2), exposes Steinberg as a Nagharsz and wins the “stolen unit” argument (G3, stolen?), argues for Giselle’s life (G3 HQ), says the Eldorado gate is beyond her data (G4) and explains the volcano suit in Gear 5 (G5 crater). She watches Bailey through her laptop at Ralph’s request (G2).
Relationships and key interactions
- Ralph dry, loyal, and sometimes exasperated; she picks music for his mood (G4), keeps the family in touch by phone, and says she is “just your Planetary Defense Unit’s interface” when he praises her (G3).
- Giselle the two share data; Stacy declines a full data merge and recommends that Giselle spend time with Ralph instead (G4 music).
- Quartz after Quartz explains the dragon’s story, awkwardness shows in Stacy’s speech “for the first time” (G4). Later she apologizes for saying the unit “was built to fight dragons” (G5).
- Lin and Dani she addresses Lin with military titles and tells her not to lie about her home (G2); Dani asks her for facts (G2).
Bailey
First appearance G1 road (a hippie hitchhiker walking in the desert).
Who she is
A homeless wanderer with no destination and a drug habit; she sees “alien machines” on the road and thinks she is hallucinating (G1). She is a fan of the series Ghost Hunter Luna and used to pretend she was Marcia (G1 clinic). She plays guitar (Stacy suggests streaming it for money, G5). She cannot cook and refuses guns.
Role in the plot
The first passenger and the tutorial companion; her ult, a joint, slows down time (G1 tutorial). Ralph takes her in (G1). Afterwards she mostly stays home while Ralph travels and is the emotional anchor of the house: she is lonely (G3, G4), and she makes a phone call from home (G4). In Gear 5 she can be chosen for an interaction.
Relationships and key interactions
- Ralph she suspects she is a burden (“why would you wanna keep a junkie like me”); he insists. When he returns she hugs him (G3).
- Dani the older, laid-back housemate to a serious teenager; Ralph asks Dani to look after her (G4).
- Stacy watched without her knowledge (G2); Stacy talks to her about streaming (G5).
- Lin and Quartz she laughs at their feud and is the one both like (“you’re both cool”, G5).
Charlie
First appearance G1 junkyard, an old man on a rocking chair drinking beer.
Role in the plot
Sells Ralph car parts for 800 dollars. He loses all his scrap to the meteor and demands payment (G1 bill); Ralph leaves him the bill. Later mentions: Ralph assumes Charlie’s CB-radio chatter about aliens brought the Horse Power to Earth (G4); Charlie “said reptilians ran the government” (G3); the junkyard held the wrecks that gave the Horse Power its hovercraft, boat and submersible forms (G4 river, G5 descent). He gives Lin a job (G4).
Relationships
Dani (Danielle)
First appearance as the Angel boss in G1; seen as a girl in G1 (“a stricken teen girl”).
Who she is
A fifteen-year-old magical girl, shy, proud and easily embarrassed, orphaned by the aliens (“My parents, the aliens… They…”). Danielle is her real name and she dislikes Ralph making it shorter (G1 clinic). She says she is from San Francisco but “not your average Californian” and likes cute things, Kyuutmon and anime; she gets defensive when called nerdy (G2 road). She has been fighting the aliens “for months” (G2), did odd jobs to afford hotels, and becomes the house’s maid (G2 house) and cook (G5).
Role in the plot
She and Ralph fight each other at first (she took his robot for an enemy), then team up. She is Ralph’s passenger for Gear 2 (choice). In Gear 3 she is left on the court colony as a guarantee (canon choice) and meets them again at the end (HQ). In Gears 4 and 5 she stays home and misses the trips.
Relationships and key interactions
- Ralph a tsundere dynamic: he calls her adorable and she shouts “idiot, idiot, idiot!” (G2); she calls him “dork” in the promise scene (G3) and hugs him on returns (G4). She shouts “I AM NOT HIS WIFE, DUMMY!!!” at Quartz (G4).
- Lin Lin offers to help and Dani refuses (“Why does everyone here treat me like a child?”, G4 kitchen); Lin laughs while Dani pouts, and Dani scolds her for being easily persuaded by burgers (G3).
- Giselle Giselle’s polite “Ms. Dani” leaves Dani flustered (G4 kitchen).
- Quartz praises her cooking and gets scolded for eating all the food (G5); Dani breaks up the Lin/Quartz quarrel.
- Bailey Dani looks after her in Ralph’s absence (G4).
Lin (the alien colonel)
First appearance as the colonel’s voice and mech in G2 (“a military looking alien colonel woman”, G2 after). She is named Lin in G3.
Who she is
The commander of the Europa base; her real name is Æ'kςhδmειγη, which Ralph cannot pronounce; he calls her Lin, and she says “whatever is easier for you, human” (G3). Her people took granite, marble and arenite and cows from Earth, and learned to cook burgers; she had never heard of a bill (G2). She is “blue” (Quartz calls her “the blue potato”, G5) and a veteran: she tells Bailey she is “a homeless veteran who couldn’t afford a house” (G3).
Role in the plot
She loses her base, asks to disappear rather than be interrogated (G2), is swept into the court case, and, learning the treaty was a lie, joins Ralph for the pirate mission (G3). The canon choice has her go instead of Dani (G3); she helps repair Giselle (G4). She buys a REO military truck with money from a job at Charlie’s and pays Ralph’s debt (G4).
Relationships and key interactions
- Ralph from enemy to partner: “You are such an irresponsible, spoiled kid!” (G3). Burgers win her (G3); the fist bump she has to be taught (G4).
- Steinberg she believed the treaty and feels deceived; in the arena she says “Take this, you lizard bastard…” (G3).
- Quartz distrusts every reptile (“What is this lizard doing here?”, G4). Quartz hints at her past (“Egypt nor England”, see open questions). They squabble over food and legacy (G5).
- Dani older-sister energy; she hands Dani the macaroni (G4).
- Giselle repairs her, cautions Ralph about her being “a war machine” (G3).
- Stacy Stacy addresses her as “military personnel” and “veteran”.
The judge, the lawyer and the jurors
First appearance G3 court.
The judge
A giant dark green male creature, “a mix of an orc, a dragon and a frog with four horns, two tusks and fins in place of his ears”. He reads the charges, is saved by Ralph in the plaza fight (G3), names George K. Steinberg as the treaty’s signer, and later drops all charges and, after Ralph and Stacy plead, lets Ralph take the PDU home (G3 HQ). Stacy says the PDU was built from the former judge’s daughter, a close friend of the current judge (G3).
The lawyer and the jurors
Mr. George K. Steinberg
First appearance named by the judge in G3; in person in G3 arena.
Who he is
The signatory of the 1945 treaty that let aliens take Earth’s resources; Stacy says he is a Nagharsz, a reptilian race, and the pirates’ leader (G3). He pilots a Krav-Maga-style mech (boss) and keeps the old PDU as a gladiator in an arena (G3). He is beaten, arrested and carried to the Federation in the car’s trunk (G3). See the content note on how he is written.
Relationships
He despises humans (“filthy humans… always obsessed with your so-called justice and morals”), fights Ralph, and treats Giselle as a tool. Lin hates him; the lie Lin’s operation rested on is his (G3).
Giselle
First appearance as a picture of a little girl in Stacy’s briefing (G3); in person as the gate opens (G3); named in G4.
Who she is
An old, autonomous Planetary Defense Unit built from the data and memories of the former judge’s daughter (G3). In robot form she is a dark silver Gundam with angel wings and two swords; as a girl she has metallic ears that twist, an eyepatch that shines red and wings (G4). Polite, formal, curious, and she literally takes what she hears; she begins “Mist…” and corrects herself to “Ralph” (G4, G4 kitchen).
Role in the plot
Beaten by Ralph’s pin (G3), saved from scrapping (G3 HQ), repaired in the garage (G4) and named. She identifies the global threat, Quetzalcoatl, from the Federation’s data (G4), opens Eldorado’s gate with historical research and what she says proves she has a mind of her own (G4 gate), finds the ocarina (G4) and is the canon passenger of Gear 4. At home she washes the car, reads comics, and does not eat or sleep.
Relationships and key interactions
- Ralph she asks him what eating, love and music are (G4, G4 music) and learns that “art is about sharing what you feel”.
- Stacy shares data both ways and learns Spanish from her (G4 feast).
- Quartz the two get on: Giselle listens to a two-hour explanation of the dome, and Quartz calls her “such a sweetheart” (G4, G5). Giselle defends Quartz against Lin (G4).
- Steinberg her former master, who “disassembled me again for upgrades” (G4).
- Dani unintentionally hurts her by offering help (G4).
Quartz (Quetzalcoatl)
First appearance named in G4 briefing; heard and seen as a dragon in G4 tower; as a woman in G4.
Who she is
A giant snake-like dragon who turns into a woman after losing; she says she created Eldorado and sheltered victims of the Aztecs there. She is lonely, loves chocolate and large meals, and speaks with the grand manner of a goddess (“royal dragon”). Ralph calls her Quelm, Quazar and then Quartz (briefing, temples, join); she insists on “Quetzalcoatl”. She rips open the dome that hides Eldorado (G4).
Role in the plot
Relationships and key interactions
- Ralph “friends”, on the strength of having been defeated and fed; she is jealous of Giselle getting comics (G5).
- Lin a feud over their legacies, thieves vs tyrants, and “lizard” (G5).
- Giselle listens to everything she says about ancient mechanics.
- Dani “my best cook”; Dani scolds her.
- Stacy bristles when told the Horse Power “was built to fight dragons” (G5).
The underworld girl
First appearance G5 girl.
A human girl who whistles for a dog-like pet kaiju, which carries a giant axe made of kaiju bones in its mouth and sometimes stands on two legs to wield it (G5). She speaks an invented language that Quartz understands (thanks), thanks Ralph for the help and invites him to her village (village). Quartz says humans have always lived in the underworld, hidden after Toba (girl). Whether she becomes the sixth or seventh passenger is not written.
Minor characters
- The green-haired samurai a person practicing sword arts by the river on Europa; Ralph guesses an alien (G2). Stacy later says the samurai is “nowhere to be found” and the colonel is alone (G2 after).
- The Europa truck passes the car without noticing it, then returns to the base and is destroyed (G2, G2 after).
- Pirate mechs and the arena crowd the attackers flee; the crowd hands the pirates over (G3, G3).
- The Guardian of Eldorado a golem “run by magic” (G4).
- Onlookers, police and an ambulance at Yellowstone (G5).
- Mentioned only Ralph’s mother (college line); Harry S. Truman, named by Stacy as the 1945 US president (G3); Colton Baltimore, the town’s mayor (Places); “Ghost Hunter Luna” and Marcia (G1).
Armageddon
Introduced by Quartz as “the worst of all titans”, from another world, who her ancestors fought 75,000 years ago and sent back home; he can only come out of a massive supervolcano (G5). She wrote a calendar for the Mayans to mark his return. When Ralph says the date it names, 21 December 2012, passed 13 years ago, she panics and sets out for Yellowstone. The script ends before he appears (G5 end).