"Russian" Kerbal Surname?

[Fulbert]

It has been suggested by a lot of people that the career mode should feature a space centre that would be a rival to the KSC. So that we had to manage our resources and race against computer to achieve the best results in the shortest amount of time, or something. It would be logical if that rivalry reflected the real space race between the US and the USSR. SO what I thought was, what collective surname would those quasi-Soviet kerbonauts have?

One way to name those guys would be to add a -ski to "Kerman" or something, but I feel like a better idea is to use the word Patashnik.

According to Geir Jenssen of Biosphere fame, Patashnik is a "Russian cosmonaut slang for "a traveler" or "a goner", a cosmonaut who didn't return from a space mission because his security cable disengaged and he was lost in space."[1] I don't think such a word actually exists in Russian - it's not registered in any dictionaries worth mentioning - but the description suits the KSP theme quite nicely since being stranded in space is something that happens to kerbals quite often.

I'm not sure if the word is a registered trademark but there are people with such a surname - a lot of them, actually. The concept of patashnik - a spaceman who has left and who will probably never return and is aware of it - is studied by Russian philosophers. Even though the word sounds somewhat ridiculaous to a Russian ear, I believe the idea of patashnik means something to everyone who has ever had a kerbal stranded in high orbit without the possibility of return. Naming Kermens' rivals Patashniks would do a good job honouring all the lost heroes who gave up their lives in the name of exploration, progress and player's ineptutude.

Now I am fully aware that the rival KSP is not confirmed or anything, or that if it were to exist it didn't have to be Russians, but just hypothetically, what would you call those kerbals if you had a choice?

[0x7be]

I don't like word, it sound weird for my Russian ear

The most strightforward "russification" of "Kerman" is "Kermov" which is pretty close to actually existing surname "Kerimov" which is not actually of russian ethnicity.

p.s. All thouse "Russian" names and surnames in Western cinema are sound quite funny for Russians.

There are even groups in LJ and other social media where people collects depictions of Russians in foreign popular media

Edited July 17, 2013 by 0x7be

[Sid]

Nice timing, I have just started a KSP 'Russian' series of launches. I called the save 'Kerbalski' which was about the best word my ignorant brain could come up with...

[AlternNocturn]

At one point, I was calling my Russian-based space program the Keschanka Union, which is actually K-syndrome for "peschanka", meaning (according to Google Translate) "gerbil".

[HeadHunter67]

I'm considering some "Krussian" names too - since the K in KRASH could as easily stand for "Krussian" as it does "Kerbal". Krussia doesn't have to be an exact Russia analog, it could (and likely should) more accurately represent the old Soviet Union (which many players may be to young to actually remember). So it could easily include Kurbyztan and even East Kermany (justifying the play on "Prussia" as well).

I think, if you're looking for Krussian Kerbnonaut names, you would do well to base them off names of actual cosmonauts whose names began with K. But who could forget Yuri Kergarin, the first Kerbal in space?

[Sapphire]

Why not a North Kerean space center? They can do space too, albeit their creations being a tad more insane and explode-y.

[Moon Goddess]

Why do you assume that kerman is a surname? We have cultures here on earth that form there names differently to assume that aliens use names in the European format strikes me as foolish bordering on arrogance. I like to assume that Kerman is a title out form of address for them. Much like we may say Mr. / Ms. Smith or Japanese may add -San, the Kerbal's say Kerman

[DisarmingBaton5]

Why not a North Kerean space center? They can do space too, albeit their creations being a tad more insane and explode-y.

They seem to be better at doing ground than doing space.

[Bunsen]

And here I thought that the current Kerbals, what with their general disregard for safety, affection for the brute force approach, and tendency to answer any question by adding more engines, were the Russian equivalents.

[HeadHunter67]

Why do you assume that kerman is a surname?

Perhaps so - but there are the rare Kerbals who don't have that surname in the lore. I guess it all depends on one's own take on the game, I don't think there's a right or wrong answer.

[TheHengeProphet]

I personally refer to KSC2 as the SSC, or Serbal Space Center. This is partially a joke about the other space center being Serbian (due to geography), or Soviet Kerbal! Anyways, I don't think a surname is neccessary, seeing as each pilot is a "Kerman", which I assume is singular for "Kermen". To my knowledge, pilot names are generated from existing astronaut names, so why not change the filter to that of Russian crews?

[Flixxbeatz]

Vladimir Kermansky.

[NovaSilisko]

It'd be fun if, depending on where you put your space center in the world, Kerbals had different names. Kermanski for the "Russia", Kermenshi or something for "Japan", et cetera. Lots of fun could be had with the name gen.

[spikeyhat09]

its easy. Kerbal starts with a K, which is the 11th letter of the English alphabet. the square root of 11 is around 3.3, which rounds to 3, so the first letter is C. and so on. so, the alternate kerbal(s) are the cbda'ac(s)

[regex]

The most strightforward "russification" of "Kerman" is "Kermov" which is pretty close to actually existing surname "Kerimov" which is not actually of russian ethnicity.

"Kermov" is pretty cool and, now that you've used it, is probably what I'd use in my own games.

Do you have any other suggestions for a "proper" Russification?

[Pixel of Life]

- Kermarov (Komarov)

- Kerchagin (Karchagin)

- Kervalevsky (Kovalevsky)

- Kertnev (Kortnev)

[WizardlyMouse]

I think it would be Kerbovich. When my Russian family talks about giving our dogs a last name they usually just add -vich to the end of their name. We have one dog named Bruno, so he would be Bruno Brunovich.

[Scotius]

Guys, guys...seriously? I'm aware most of us is more familiar with american or european space program - but how could you forget a name of a man that was russian equivalent of Wernher von Braun? Sergiei Korolev. Do we really need another name?

[Yeomans]

Why do you assume that kerman is a surname?

Perhaps so - but there are the rare Kerbals who don't have that surname in the lore. I guess it all depends on one's own take on the game, I don't think there's a right or wrong answer.

I think Kerman is a way of addressing astronauts. Now, if we were to deconstruct the english-translated word Kerman, it would likely be "Kerbin man" (or Kerbin human), which doesn't really match with astronaut, but it could be a term to say "Man from Kerbin" which may also imply that they left Kerbin, in the sense that they are from a place that they were at previously. Their grammar may be different and hold different meanings that our rough English interpretations don't convey, so it's fair game to say that Kerman is a title for astronauts.

Now, in the case of the Tutorial's Gene Kerman, he would be the analogue of Gene Cernan. Apart from working at mission control, Cernan also travelled to space. Werner von Kerman however, is an issue, but one resolve would be to use the It's hardly Rocket Science name for him, Lernher von Grün. Or maybe, in this universe, Werner von Kerman actually fulfilled his dream of going to space, or even the moon. Who knows.

Under this rule for astronauts however, a title for the russian-analogue of astronauts could be devised. Since Astronaut is considered to be a general english-speaking term, and since Kerbin presumably would be the same in both languages (there is no kerbal-russian language as of yet), man would become the russian counterpart, чõûþòõú (chelovek, which is the term for man, that refers to humans in general). So Kerchelovek would be the proper title, but it could be shortened to Kerchel as well, since chel still denotes people.

Hopefully this all makes sense. If somebody speaks Russian, feel free to correct me if I'm wrong, but I think this is a pretty sound argument.

[SkyRender]

So very anthropomorphic of us to assume that Kerbal nations would have Earth analogues, let alone be named similarly... It doesn't really fit with the general mythos of Kerbals, which is that they're pretty much like a bunch of kids who just discovered rocketry. I should think any rival group to the KSC would be rivals mostly because they're jealous, and that their name would be something like the Way-Better-than-Kerbal-Space-Center Space Center.

[regex]

So very anthropomorphic of us to assume that Kerbal nations would have Earth analogues, let alone be named similarly...

Gene Kerman would like a word with you.

[Sid]

You people are REALLY starting to worry me

[Pachi3080]

Astronaut: American

Cosmonaut: Russian

Kerman: Kerbal.

It's Simple!

[msyblade]

Kerbovsky : Kerbovich : Kerbalchev.

[gerryrbd]

My kerbals have been in space so much time they should all be named Polyakov!

I think it would be Kerbovich. When my Russian family talks about giving our dogs a last name they usually just add -vich to the end of their name. We have one dog named Bruno, so he would be Bruno Brunovich.

WOW STILL mind that statement, my friend. Political correctness is a must.