Characters from Changeling Space Program & The Maretian. Expect unprotected spoilers.
Cherry Berry
Earth Pony with dreams of flying. Negotiated a position as Chief Pilot and Head of the CSP.- Ace Pilot: Even before entering the space race, she has more assisted flight hoursnote than anypony who isn't a veteran airship pilot. She is also the first Earth Pony licensed for solo flight in and around the environs of Cloudsdale.
- Berserk Button: Anything that interferes with her ability to fly safely.
- Green Thumb: Although she is first to admit that her talents pale in comparison with a truly agriculture-focused earth pony — her cutie mark is for eating cherries, not growing them — the cave farm, and especially the cherry trees would not have been anywhere near as productive without her efforts.
- I Call It "Vera": She brings a cherry tree sapling back from Mars, names it Groot, and plants it as part of an orchard once she returns to Equestria. It even gets a sign marked "I AM GROOT — do not touch."
- Iconic Outfit: Her Aviator's helmet and goggles have attained this status; both child- and adult-sized replicas are available for purchase in the Horseton Space Center gift shop.
- The Leader: As commander of Amicitas Flight Three, and before as the real organizer of CSP. Mostly of the Headstrong variety, gradually growing Levelheaded as she gains experience.
- Nerves of Steel: Played With. As a Ponyville native, she is perfectly capable of unthinking panic. However, she also demonstrates on numerous occasions coolness under pressure that would rival any pilot from the dawn of terrestrial spaceflight.
- Sir Swearsalot: She has an impressive grasp of invective in several languages (Equestrian, Griffon, Germane, Japonese, Minotaur, and eventually English).
- Trademark Favorite Food: Her extreme fondness for cherries. The last time she tried to help her family with a harvest, she ate enough of them to put herself in the hospital with a stomachache for three days. By the end of The Maretian, she's ordered so many cherry-based dishes at the Cape Friendship cafeteria that a special combo meal named after her has been added to the menu.
Queen Chrysalis
Evil, megalomaniac ruler of the changelings, who sees the space race as a possible route to world domination.- Angrish: Unlike Cherry Berry, Chrysalis lapses into this when confronted with particularly blatant displays of idiocy.
- Deadpan Snarker: Although most of the cast of both Changeling Space Program and The Maretian have their moments, when it comes to sarcastic, cutting one-liners, let there be no doubt as to who is queen.
- Not So Above It All: Chrysalis acts like she's the Only Sane Changeling, but she occasionally demonstrates that although she is queen, she is also a changeling. (For example, she nods her head in perfect agreement when Lucky Cricket insists that their rockets be painted red.)
- Shoulders of Doom: Downplayed, but she does add a set of pauldrons and a cape to her regalia when she pronounces judgement in the aftermath of the "Stayputnik" incident.
Occupant (née Pedipalp)
The door guard at the Changeling Hive, eventually promoted to Flight Director for the CSP.- Everyone Calls Him "Barkeep": Before the space race, the door guard named Pedipalp was the one who accepted the infrequent correspondence sent to the Changeling hive addressed to "Occupant, Box 1, the Badlands".
- His Name Really Is "Barkeep": After sufficient time as the hive's busiest mail recipient (Junk mail cheerfully accepted along with mail-order kitsch resulting from the former), Chrysalis granted his request to officially change his name.
- Morphic Resonance: Whatever form he shifts to retains his buck-fanged dentition.
- #1 Dime: His E-Z-Scry-Me Ball; the first object he purchased via mail-order.
- Vetinari Job Security: Because he is the only changeling willing and able to deal with the paperwork associated with running the CSP, he retains his post as Flight Director and administrative head of the organization despite his prominent role in the "Stayputnik" fiasco.
Dragonfly
The most talented flier in the hive. Tertiary CSP pilot and Flight Engineer.- The Social Expert: Her infiltration experience combined with her innate changeling empathic sense allows her to read and sometimes manipulate the emotions of her crewmates. Since negative emotions are not useful to her as a source of sustenance, keeping everyone as happy as possible is essential for her survival.
- Technopath: Borderline case where she employs her empathic sense on the inoperative Sojourner and gets enough of an insight to diagnose broken connections on the main circuit board.
- Thrill Seeker: It takes her a while to learn how to appreciate uneventful space travel. By the time of the Bucephalus mission, she's mostly grown out of it.
Fireball
A young dragon "volunteered" to fly for the dragonlands space effort.- The Big Guy: Dragon. Obviously.
- Book Dumb: Averted in his case, but not by much. Dragons don't have any formal education system, but he knows how to read because his grandmother insisted that he learn. Other than that, the only bits of math and science that he knows are whatever he needed to learn for the space program. Fully averted once he gets back to Equestria and enrolls in college.
- Elective Broken Language: At first Fireball's broken English was because he was just bad at languages... but as the sojourn on Mars goes on, he drops hints that he knows more English than he lets on. He just prefers brief, broken English to proper grammar. He eventually gets a job translating literature from Earth and Equestria into each other's languages.
- Expert in Underwater Basket Weaving: Fireball is a spacewalking expert. You'd think that would be an incredibly useful skill for an astronaut? Not so much when you're marooned on the surface of an alien planet.
- Extreme Omnivore: In addition to requiring at least a little gemstone content in his food to be healthy (and, indeed, being on an all-quartz diet for most of The Maretian), in one of his earliest meals with Mark Watney he eats a meal pack without opening the packaging first, just to show off. Later, on Sol 38, when Dragonfly suggests he could dispose of 150-ish tons of perchlorate salts by eating the pile, he takes a taste. His verdict: spicy. However, his favorite food is spaghetti.
- Got Volunteered: He's an astronaut because Dragonlord Ember said so. Repeatedly.
Goddard the Griffon
Grumpy old griffon who happens to be the leading expert in liquid-fueled rockets.Spitfire
Commander of Equestria's most elite forces; rookie astronaut.- Career-Ending Injury: She regards her time on Mars as this, since her endurance and flying skills haven't fully recovered even after a year back home. Rainbow Dash snaps her out of it with news that not only is she good enough to rejoin the Wonderbolts, but they're ready to put her back in command as soon as she applies for her old job.
- Eloquent in My Native Tongue: Spitfire finds learning English extremely difficult, and whenever she needs to express something complex she reverts to her native Ponish and asks the others to translate.
- The Lancer: Butts heads with practically everyone among the castaways on Mars, but in particular with Cherry Berry (a civilian in command) and Starlight Glimmer (who continually overstrains herself). Throughout it all her first concern is the safety and well-being of the castaways.
- Rank Up: Holds the rank of Major within the Equestrian military until the end of The Maretian, when she gets promoted to Lieutenant Colonel.
Starlight Glimmer
Ex-megalomaniac, magic expert, and Twilight Sparkle's first pupil. Also a rocket wizard.- The Smart Guy: Mission scientist of the Amicitas castaways, and also co-designer of the Sparkle Drive and the magic batteries that power it.
Dr. Warner von Brawn
Leader of the minotaur space program before getting bought out by the changelings.Hobble Jimenez
A very reluctant space "tourist" sent by Ahuizotl.- Got Volunteered: He had no say in being selected for this "honor".
- Lovable Coward: Makes it abundantly clear that he doesn't want to go into space.
