KadeBendu posted:Reviewing and editing a story of mine, I discovered this about some OCs: - two engineers were "top flight graduates of a prestigious Coruscant technical school" - a young Jedi knight was "identified at an early age as an extraordinary user of the Force" - a Star Destroyer captain "graduated with the top of his class from the Imperial Navy" Oops. Seems like every character is automatically at the top of his/her game. Time to revise.
KadeBendu posted:I think names are the most difficult of all for me to come up with. As my "Mary Sue" question suggests, I'm into more common-sounding names, which I think lines up generally with (major) canon characters. Another potential Star Wars Mary Sue question. Or maybe it's just a generic "cliche" question: - How many times does your character say "I have a bad feeling about this"?
Rigil_Kent posted:Just because the characters in question are highly skilled doesn't necessarily mean they're Mary Sue/Gary Stus, though. The same could be said for those characters who are absolute failures in all walks of life and then, when the situation is dramatically appropriate, turn into walking/flying engines of destruction. To me, there is a delicate balance between an OC who is skilled and competent in his or her field of expertise and a MS/GS. I use the following mental thought process in regards to said characters: Is the background of the character internally consistent and logical? For example, if the star destroyer captain mentioned in your example is being assigned a special mission by the Emperor, he better have extraordinary marks and skills. Is the character's personality consistent and logical for the role (s)he is to play in the story? Having the above-mentioned destroyer captain randomly throw temper tantrums because (s)he doesn't get her/his way probably only serves to make other characters dislike her/him. One can also have fun with this: did the character graduate top of the class because of family connections and not talent? Do other characters loath this character because of the personality issues? Etc. If this character is going to be functioning alongside Canon characters, does (s)he outshine them? If so, is there a believable explanation for why apart from 'this character is the most awesomest character evah!'? For example, using that star destroyer captain again, it's entirely conceivable that his tactical skills are greater than those of someone like Luke Skywalker based entirely upon the sorts of training the two have had. If, however, the captain is suddenly Force sensitive and wields a lightsaber better than Luke does, one needs to readdress the character to trim it of the MS/GS. In the other fandom I've written for (ST: Enterprise), I've introduced a number of OCs who were experts in their fields ... and their fields only. If the character is going to be a foil for Canon characters, does (s)he force said Canon characters to stretch themselves beyond their usual capabilities in order to defeat them? That's the best sort of character, IMO. Steer away (IMO) from OC romances with a Canon character as they almost always look like MS/GS...
Alexis_Wingstar posted: I don't think asking that question, or the frequency of asking it, would necessarily make a character a MS/GS. In fact, it could actually stem from that character being uncommonly anxious or phobic which would be a characteristic that would make them less than perfect.