If your characters can do no wrong they can become trite. Case in point, Trent. What an awesome character - kudos to Mr. Pardoe here. But I'd argue his late winning streak in Forever Faithful was so over the top that it broke the character and turned him into just another Stackpolian superhero:
Not only did he make Paul Moon eat humble pie but even turned him into the high priest of the Cult of Trent; he taught the Smoke Jaguars of all people the arts of planning and logistics; he singlehandedly saved the Jags, turned them into the Fidelis and stole their Remembrance from under Paul Masters' nose; and he even "got the girl" by getting married - as a Clanner!
I'd say Trent was a great and wonderful loser, but the last book upended it all.
At least he got a proper sendoff book though.
Interesting perspective. Let me offer this. Trent lost everything. His actions spelled the end of the clan that he knew. He never got to see the rise of the Fidelis. Married? Neg. He was very close to his little Nova Cat friend, but he lost Judith from the original series as well. Trent never got to enjoy the fruits of his last great victory because he died. He gave up his own identity. Trent led his people not into the limelight, but into a forced secrecy. They would not be able to even say who they are until 3151-ish.
Yes, he won over Paul Moon, but Moon had his own very distinct character arc over multiple books, as did Trent. Trent won over Moon by fighting him, the Clan way. Paul Moon went from being the villain to being the true light of the Jaguars. He did not really win - he assumed a massive burden he bore throughout his very long life.
To me, as a writer, BattleTech is about big damn heroic characters. People want to identify with characters that are above and beyond. I had this discussion last night with the editor. Yes, they suffer heartache and loss, but if they don't prevail, why bother reading about them?
When people whine "Mary Sue" or whimper "Plot armor" it usually is because the loss the characters suffer is not equal to how great the characters are. Let's face it, would you enjoy reading a book where all of the Wolf's Dragoons were wiped out? Yet when they prevail, people bemoan their survival as bad writing. (Shaking my head here)
Then again, that's my take on things. That doesn't make them right, it just makes them my opinion.
Blaine "Buck" Pardoe
