Kerbal background ideas

[albJML]

What are good background stories for the Kerbals we all know?

Here is my personal suggestion for Jeb:

Jeb- Having lived a life flying planes and helicopters in ways even the craziest daredevil would not recommend, Jebediah has always been fearless. He is often found grinning and was actually banned from his grandmother's funeral due to the fact he kept laughing and smiling through the whole thing. One day he found a flyer from Wernher von Kerman, who at that time was the CEO of KSC, saying "Looking for Kerbonaut applicants- At KSC, Aerospace Dr." Attempting to boost his reputation, he signed up. He passed all the tests flawlessly and only had trouble in Test #247- Which was to see how much he could resist the urge on hitting the big, shiny, red abort button. He is currently the main pilot for KSC, and does an outstanding job of it.

Note: Suggestions do not have to be on kerbonauts. For example, you could write about Gene Kerman or Wernher von Kerman.

Edited April 15, 2020 by albJML

[RoninFrog]

I assume Jeb also owns Jebediah Kerman's Junkyard and Spacecraft Parts Co.

[RoninFrog]

I got one for the kerbal on the far right:

Interviewer: "So, Bartholomew.  Tell us how you became driller number 57 on graveyard shift."

Bart: "Hullo, m'name's Bartholmew Schaefer-Weber Kerman III.  Everbody calls me Bart.  Win I was a youngun, everbody was always askin', 'Hey Bart! You gonna be a asternot when you growup?'  An I says, 'Nope.  I never liked dem asternot job none.  I like ta punch holes in stuff!'  And so when I do growup, I go an get a job at yonder Vee-Aye-Bee puttin holes in dem big-ol' Ayes-Arr-Bee's.  An here I is!"

[albJML]

14 hours ago, RoninFrog said:

I got one for the kerbal on the far right:

Interviewer: "So, Bartholomew.  Tell us how you became driller number 57 on graveyard shift."

Bart: "Hullo, m'name's Bartholmew Schaefer-Weber Kerman III.  Everbody calls me Bart.  Win I was a youngun, everbody was always askin', 'Hey Bart! You gonna be a asternot when you growup?'  An I says, 'Nope.  I never liked dem asternot job none.  I like ta punch holes in stuff!'  And so when I do growup, I go an get a job at yonder Vee-Aye-Bee puttin holes in dem big-ol' Ayes-Arr-Bee's.  An here I is!"

Lol thats a good one

[albJML]

I just realized that if all the main characters had backstories, somebody could actually write a book about KSP. If this thread actually gets a good background on everyone, I myself might make another thread including a KSP story.

[jimmymcgoochie]

2 minutes ago, albJML said:

I just realized that if all the main characters had backstories, somebody could actually write a book about KSP. If this thread actually gets a good background on everyone, I myself might make another thread including a KSP story.

Lots of people have written stories about KSP, they're under the KSP fan works section.

I like the idea of having little background stories about the game characters being a part of the game, possibly an idea for KSP2; although it would take some effort to write a lot of different stories so there weren't a hundred copies of how [insert_name_here] Kerman always used to make rockets out of cereal boxes as a little Kerbling, set their garage on fire trying to make rocket fuel etc. etc. I've seen other games try to implement that sort of thing, but due to a small number of stories they all end up repeating themselves and it ruins the effect.

Maybe that's something the devs could ask the KSP fanbase to do- submit back stories for Kerbals and the best ones get included in KSP2.

[razark]

Right now, they're like the game.  A blank page for every player to write their own stories on.

Add something official, and it's constraining a player into a certain "reality" about the Kerbal world, and removing all the options their imaginations can provide.

[albJML]

Got another background for Bill:

Bill- Well known in his town for being able to fix just about any car or truck, Bill was always a good mechanic. He was later interested in becoming an engineer. Having graduated and earned a degree in engineering, he started looking for a good job. His buddy Jeb said that Wernher von Kerman was looking for some kerbonauts. At first Bill didn't like the idea of sitting on a rocket, but after Jeb made the first successful suborbital flight, Bill was convinced it was safe enough. Still having a mild fear of rockets, he is now the engineer of the original kerbonaut team.

11 minutes ago, razark said:

Right now, they're like the game.  A blank page for every player to write their own stories on.

Add something official, and it's constraining a player into a certain "reality" about the Kerbal world, and removing all the options their imaginations can provide.

Yep. That's right. I'm pretty sure Squad and/or TakeTwo (I don't know who is in charge) want us to think they are one big family, but I don't follow that idea. Maybe KSP 2 could have actual Kerbals with actual last names. Maybe Kerman is just a Middle- or Sur-name.

[kerbiloid]

A "Kerbal CV Composer" form. To generate cirriculum vitae of Kerbals so you could hire them.

[albJML]

20 minutes ago, kerbiloid said:

A "Kerbal CV Composer" form. To generate cirriculum vitae of Kerbals so you could hire them.

Could you put it in Layman's terms?

[kerbiloid]

A form which you fill when searching for job, with your brief bio.

Edited April 15, 2020 by kerbiloid

[albJML]

1 hour ago, kerbiloid said:

A form which you fill when searching for job, with your brief bio.

Makes sense... And maybe different Kerbals level up faster than others, with the veteran kerbals leveling up the fastest in KSP 2.

[albJML]

Got a story for Bob:

Bob- Bob was a unique kerbal as a child. He was often finishing the teacher's sentences and raised his hand all the time. He won three Science Fairs in a row. As an adult, he tried to become a biologist but all the colleges rejected him due to his immense cowardice. So he switched to learning orbital physics and taught himself rocket science. He discovered General Relativity, but Albert Kerman is officially credited. He worked a bit at Kelus (now known as Rokea inc.) and became interested in becoming a kerbonaut. Afterwards he was hired by KSC and became a veteran kerbonaut. He secretly has a crush for Val, though sadly she likes Jeb instead.

Edited April 15, 2020 by albJML
Grammar errors

[HansonKerman]

hey! I can tell a story about me!

So Hanson is whats known as a Bluesuit. Why? He wears a blue suit! hahahahahahhaahahahHAHAHAHSHAHHSAGAHRRK

The ranks are like this:

Bluesuit: Lowest tier. Basically in training. Bluesuits typically do go on space flights because that’s how the KSP and KSA (Kerbal Space Administration) roll. They are also “apprentices” assigned to “mentors” (shut up i read warriors ok, don’t judge me  ). Hanson was fortunate to have Bill as his mentor. He died when God went Alt-F4 on my computer. And when I moved off the computer Seeker was on. Suit: MH suit.

Normal: normal blue and white suit. Notable members: LITERALLY EVERYONE

Veteran: Jeb (very risky. Despite being risky and prone to exploding, when he is serious, he can fly a plane or rocket better than anyone except his sister Val. He also is a competent engineer, and usually reorganizes and welds together, shown as he runs a junkyard) Bill: EnGinEer tEaM fOrTrEEs tOO. Has many degrees in science and engineering, and he can solve any failure, and repack any parachute no matter the situation. He can also fly a plane and analyze a surface sample in a pinch. After all, he created the scanning arms everyone uses.

Bob: The scaredy-cat of them all. He cannot handle the slightest risk, and thus isn’t great at engineering, or piloting. What he does is made up for in mental prowess. He’s very smart, and knows exactly what to do. He’s also very good at dealing with science, and is always ready for a study or just reenabling a Science Jr.

Val: the competent pilot. She thinks things through, unlike the reckless Jeb. Her flying skills are around the same as Jeb’s, though she has been known to exceed him. Thus they have a friendly rivalry on occasion. She can preform precision maneuvers and prioritizes stability over speed, unlike Jeb.

1 hour ago, albJML said:

raised his hand all the time

me irl

6 hours ago, albJML said:

Maybe KSP 2 could have actual Kerbals with actual last names

cannot play like this. I prefer all of them being Kerman, and if they don’t incorporate that i will be sad

22 hours ago, RoninFrog said:

I assume Jeb also owns Jebediah Kerman's Junkyard and Spacecraft Parts Co.

well... yeah. I love that the Basic Fin is basically an actual piece of junk shaped into a fin, and the engines and ore tanks are well made (the ore tanks look a bit weird tho idk science irl), perfect for the KSP to use parts.

[albJML]

Val- Having always wanted to be ahead of everyone else in skill, Val had always been competitive. She fell in love with Jeb in high school, and maintains whenever she is asked about it that it is a thing of the past. Though she always volunteers to go on the same missions as him. Known for her tendency to improvise in difficult situations, when you need someone who doesn't say everytime something blows up "We didn't need that," she is the kerbonaut for you.

[HansonKerman]

On 4/14/2020 at 10:11 PM, RoninFrog said:

I got one for the kerbal on the far right:

Interviewer: "So, Bartholomew.  Tell us how you became driller number 57 on graveyard shift."

Bart: "Hullo, m'name's Bartholmew Schaefer-Weber Kerman III.  Everbody calls me Bart.  Win I was a youngun, everbody was always askin', 'Hey Bart! You gonna be a asternot when you growup?'  An I says, 'Nope.  I never liked dem asternot job none.  I like ta punch holes in stuff!'  And so when I do growup, I go an get a job at yonder Vee-Aye-Bee puttin holes in dem big-ol' Ayes-Arr-Bee's.  An here I is!"

to each their own. Jeb disagrees. Also that’s the SPH (0.18 texture)

this isn’t a Kerbal but still.

the Kraken in my opinion is a former almighty god of death, doom, and destruction. (imagine this in montage form like in Starbound) Around ♾ years ago, it attempted to destroy Karcu, the god of EVERYTHING, basically the Cultivator from Starbound mixed with normal universe creators. However, when Karcu created the Kerbolar System, Eve was a second Kerbin. Laythe was an ocean paradise, Gilly was a large moon of Dres, not unlike Mun. Dres was a large planet with a light atmosphere and beautiful peaks. However, the Kraken wanted to destroy Karcu and all life, and this included the newly created Kerbals. Karcu, caught off guard, could only protect Kerbin. The Kraken destroyed Eve and his godly outburst turned it into a thick atmosphered hell while Gilly was ripped through Dres, breaking much of both planets off, including ahnniliation of the atmosphere. The only sign that Gilly ever was a moon of Dres was a large canyon. With a clap of tentacles, salt was dumped onto Laythe, its ocean falling victim to the brunt of it. When the Kraken attempted to do his evil on Kerbin, Karcu blocked it with a psychic shield. Caught off guard, the Kraken attempted to regain his wits...

and Karcu almost murdered it.

However, as it was being sealed away with the after effects of the blast, another similarly fatal hit was dealt on Karcu, murdering it instantly.

And it was over. To this day, the Kraken lurks in deep space, but with the power to tear and destroy things, like spacecraft, Kerbals, and sometimes affecting planets. Some say that the large octopus on Bop is the key to unlocking the secrets...

[albJML]

Hmm... Could use some fine tuning but I like the idea.

I just thought of a good introduction for a KSP movie...

In a galaxy, far, far, away...

As Jebediah Kerman struggles to conserve Delta-V on his round trip to Eve, KSC ground teams prepare the Colossus XII to redirect an asteroid passing dangerously close to the Mün...

With end credits-

Jebediah Kerman as himself

Deep-Space Kraken as himself

Time-Warp Kraken as himself

Asteroid Kraken as himself

Docking Kraken as himself

Valentina Kerman as herself

Kraken of large toilets found in unnamed KSC ruins as himself

Dead Kraken as himself

Totally-Not-Gilly Asteroid as himself

And Arnold Schwarzkerman as Fredrod Kerman

[albJML]