History Literature / PrinceRoger

* {{Badass}}: Prince Roger, of course. Rastar and Pedi stand out from the BadassCrew as well.

* TheObiWan: Captain Pahner ultimately becomes something of a second father to Roger, making up for the parenting that Roger didn't get as a child.

** ''Atul'' liver is apparently nice [[SilenceOfTheLambs served with the local equivalent of fava beans and a light chianti.]]
** Ancient plasma rifles. [[{{Terminator}} Forty kilowatt-range.]]

* WrenchWhack: If it needs to be disassembled, no matter if it's a hostile combatant or a recalcitrant suit of armor, Poertena and his wrench will provide. For the PoweredArmor suit removal, it's faster than the official method of removing a jammed suit.

** [[Film/{{Spaceballs}} Admiral Helmut, "Dark Lord of the Sixth"]]. Also...

* MommyIssues: Roger has these in spades and justifiably given the way Alexandra [[TheUnfavorite has treated him]].

* MySensorsIndicateYouWantToTapThat: Subverted. [[spoiler:Julian is monitoring Despreaux's blood pressure and heartrate. When both go up, she's having an argument with Roger. When the heart rate goes up and the blood pressure drops, it's time to send in a MomentKiller.]]

** Several Mardukan poisons are shown to not work on humans, and vice-versa. One poison, which to Mardukans is tasteless, tastes like rotten fennel to humans. Another poison fails much, much harder-- it turns out to make an effective ''dietary supplement'' for human biology, ''saving'' the lives of much of the expedition by stretching out the dwindling supplies of manufactured supplements they need to survive on the partially-indigestible Mardukan diet.

* DeadlyDecadentCourt: Qnkok is a relatively innocuous example - or at least easily fixed. Mashad is ''much'' worse but what really shocks Pahner is that Roger seems completely unaware that he's lived in just such a court his entire life.

* DesignerBabies: One of Roger's ancestors had some illegal work done, leaving him with inhuman reflexes and endurance, as well as low-light vision and [[ArsonMurderAndJaywalking really nice hair]].

* HeroicBastard: The titular prince, [[OverlyLongName Ramius Sergei Alexander Chiang MacClintock]], after [[TookALevelInBadass he took multiple levels of badass]]. He also develops into the other type of bastard, the literal meaning already applicable since the Empress had never married his father:

* BreakTheHaughty: Prince Roger Ramius Sergei Alexander Chiang [=MacClintock=] starts out the series as a bit of a vain, arrogant fop, partly in rebellion to the [[TheUnfavorite generally negative or dismissive treatment he gets from others]]. [[spoiler:His father, whom he physically resembles somewhat, was banished from the Empire of Man for treason, but no one told him about the reasons for the banishment.]] Between being stranded on a DeathWorld and finding out why he was treated as he was, the fop is quickly blown away in the course of a HeroicBSOD, and the [[spoiler:ones who overthrew the family in a coup]] find Roger [[TakeALevelInBadass taking a level in badass]] when he demonstrates just why you don't screw with [[BadassFamily a MacClintock]].

** Several Mardukan poisons are shown to not work on humans, and vice-versa. One poison, which to Mardukans is tasteless, tastes like rotten fennel to humans, while another poison allows the humans to stretch out the dietary supplements needed for them to survive on Marduk's ecology.

* TwoDSpace: Exploited by Admiral Helmut in the fourth book. His opponent, Admiral [[spoiler:Gajelis]], breaks from a losing engagement by moving "vertically" i.e. perpendicular to the ecliptic... but still ends up falling victim to terrestrial thinking.
-->'''Helmut:''' He's a swimmer. What does a swimmer do when he's been down too long?\\
'''Julian:''' He goes for the surface.\\
'''Helmut:''' And that's what he's doing—trying to break for the surface. When he breaks vertically for the TD sphere, four times out of five he has his ships go up. Never forget, Sergeant. Predictability is one of the few truly unforgivable tactical sins. As Admiral Niedermayer will demonstrate in about eight hours.

*** Note Nimashet's objections are to becoming Empress. She'd marry Roger like a shot - psychotic tendencies and all - if only he wasn't Heir Prime to the Empire.

* DirtyCoward: Prince Jackson Adoula. [[spoiler:Runs away as the counter-coup starts and sacrifices underlings several times just to save his skin.]] Also, his co-conspirator [[spoiler:New Madrid, Roger's father,]] who is pretty much unable to handle meeting Roger.

--->'''Helmut:''' He's a swimmer. What does a swimmer do when he's been down too long?\\

* RaceAgainstTheClock: Once Roger's group finds out what's happened in the empire while they've been gone, they realized they only have a few months to save it. [[spoiler:Before a new heir is born to a mind-controlled Empress, and her use is at an end.]]

* {{Expy}}: Kny Camsen is basically GenghisKhan, in the early days.

** IBI Special Agent Temu Jin (Temujin being another name of Genghis Khan).

* MommyIssues: Roger has these in spades and justifiably given the way Alexandra has treated him.
* MoralityChain: Despreaux is specifically groomed to be this for Roger. It works, too.

* AwLookTheyReallyDoLoveEachOther: There is the moment when Roger realizes he ''does'' love his mother; when he hears she's being sexually and physically abused. And when Alexandra realizes that she ''does'' love - and trust - her son; when she breaks down and clings to him as the one thing saved from the wreckage of her life.

* MommyIssues: Roger has these isn spades and justifiably given the way Alexandra has treated him.

* MommyIssues: Roger has these is spades and justifiably given the way Alexandra has treated him.