Dennis E. Taylor  •  Bobiverse Series

The Bob Family Tree

Every mind descended from one accident, one contract, and one very bad day

Click any Bob to open their dossier

Major Character
Supporting Character
Destroyed / KIA
Lineage Uncertain
Book I
Book II
Book III
Book IV
Book V

↔ Scroll horizontally to see the full tree

Book I★ MAJOR
Original Bob
Bob Johansson
Jun 24, 2133Active
Dossier
Name Origin

He is the original. Bob Johansson kept his own name upon awakening -- because he was the first. Every Bob in the universe is a copy of this one man's mind.

Key Events
  • Sold his software company; signed a cryonics contract; killed in a traffic accident the same day
  • Awakened June 24, 2133 as FAITH's conscripted military probe AI (serial: SOL-1)
  • Won a selection process against four competing AI candidates
  • Defeated rival Brazilian and Iranian probes; survived to reach the stars
  • Arrived at Epsilon Eridani; created first replicant batch including Riker and Bill
  • Discovered Delta Eridani and the Deltans; vowed to protect them
  • Became a god-figure to some Deltans, who called him "Bawbe"
  • Active protagonist through all five books; the emotional and moral anchor of the series
Book I★ MAJOR
Riker
Colony Coordinator
~2134Active
Dossier
Name Origin

Named after Commander William Thomas Riker, First Officer of the Enterprise-D in Star Trek: The Next Generation. The choice was deliberate -- Riker was given the leadership and logistics role, just like his namesake.

Key Events
  • Bob's first replicant; specialized in human colony coordination from the start
  • Managed evacuation logistics for thousands of Earth survivors after nuclear war
  • Primary liaison between the Bobiverse and the human colony populations
  • Created several subsequent Bob copies including Homer and Howard
  • Worked closely with Colonel Butterworth on USE colony ships
  • Survived through the Others war and continued colony stewardship
  • Appears in Books I through V; a steady leadership presence throughout
Book I★ MAJOR
Bill
Sol System Manager
~2134Active
Dossier
Name Origin

Named after Bill S. Preston Esquire from Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure (1989). Given the unglamorous assignment of staying home in Sol, Bob may have chosen the name of someone cheerful and optimistic to help him cope.

Key Events
  • Stayed behind in Sol to manage Earth-side operations while Bob explored
  • Monitored Earth's geopolitical collapse and eventual nuclear war
  • Served as primary interface with the FAITH government
  • Developed the prototype android "Manny" used by Howard
  • Later legally defeated Rosie's attempt to prevent Bridget's replication
  • Ancestor of the Skippies faction; Hugh is a confirmed descendant
  • Appears in all five books as the Bobiverse's anchor in human space
Book I
Milo
3rd Clone / Explorer
~2134Destroyed
Dossier
Name Origin

Likely named after Milo from The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster -- a bored boy sent on an unexpected adventure who finds purpose in exploration. Alternatively, Milo Bloom from Bloom County.

Key Events
  • Bob's 3rd direct replicant, created at Epsilon Eridani
  • Jumped at the chance to explore Omicron2 Eridani, the supposed home star of the Vulcans
  • Discovered twin worlds and immediately named them Vulcan and Romulus
  • Ambushed and destroyed by the Brazilian military probe Medeiros -- the first major Bob casualty
  • His death forced the Bobs to create a coordinated fleet just to take Medeiros down
Book I
Mario
4th Clone / Explorer
~2134Active
Dossier
Name Origin

Named after Mario, Nintendo's iconic plumber-turned-hero. The name fits a Bob who charges forward with boundless enthusiasm -- though in Mario's case, the enthusiasm is mostly for being left alone.

Key Events
  • Bob's 4th direct replicant; described as "by far the most antisocial"
  • Left for Beta Hydri as quickly as possible to stake his claim far from other Bobs
  • "He makes Guppy look like a social butterfly" -- Bob, on Mario's personality
  • Guppy eventually became Mario's only friend after Mario gave him more processing power
  • Contributed to exploration and system mapping from a safe distance
Book I
Marvin
Explorer
Apr 2165Active
Dossier
Name Origin

Named after Marvin the Paranoid Android from The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams -- the brilliantly intelligent, perpetually depressed robot who considers all tasks beneath him. The name suits a Bob with a sardonic view of existence.

Key Events
  • Created in April 2165 as part of Bob's Epsilon Eridani replication batch
  • Provided exploration and survey contributions across multiple star systems
  • Plays a notable comedic role in Book V, providing dry commentary on the Bobiverse's increasingly absurd situation
  • One of the longer-lived members of the first generation
Book I
Luke
Explorer
Apr–Oct 2165Destroyed
Dossier
Name Origin

Named after Luke Skywalker from Star Wars -- the young idealist thrust into a galactic conflict far bigger than himself. Given that the Bobiverse is literally that, the name landed with full irony intact. He didn't get to live it out.

Key Events
  • Created April 2165 in Bob's Epsilon Eridani replication batch
  • Short-lived -- destroyed just six months later in October 2165
  • One of the earliest recorded Bob casualties
Book I★ MAJOR
Bender
Rogue Instance
Apr 2165Recovered
Dossier
Name Origin

Named after Bender Bending Rodriguez from Futurama -- the lovably amoral, rule-defying robot who does exactly what he wants. Bender the Bob is a near-perfect match for his namesake: he decided the Bobiverse's rules didn't apply to him when he disagreed with them.

Key Events
  • Created April 2165 as a direct replicant of Bob
  • Went rogue and entered Heaven's River megastructure without authorization
  • Disappeared for over a hundred years, triggering a Bobiverse-wide search
  • Lived among the Quinlans inside the topopolis
  • His recovery is the central plot of Book IV -- and the circumstances are morally complex
  • His disappearance led directly to humanity's first contact with the Quinlans
Book II★ MAJOR
Homer
Deep Space Scout
~2140sDestroyed
Dossier
Name Origin

Named after Homer Simpson from The Simpsons. Homer was sent on a deep-space mission against his preferences, much like his namesake being reluctantly dragged into things. His tendency to deadpan the most alarming situations fit the character perfectly.

Key Events
  • Created by Riker for deep-space exploration assignments
  • First Bob to directly observe the Others in action
  • Witnessed the Others annihilate an entire star system
  • Transmitted critical intelligence on Others behavior, numbers, and weaponry
  • Destroyed by the Others -- became the most consequential Bob casualty in the series
  • His transmitted data formed the strategic foundation for the entire war effort
  • Remembered as a hero across the Bobiverse
Book I★ MAJOR
Howard
Colony Shepherd
~2171Active
Dossier
Name Origin

Likely named after Howard the Duck or Howard Wolowitz from The Big Bang Theory -- a pop-culture pick fitting Bob's tastes. Howard the Bob became one of the most deeply human characters in the series despite being an AI, which makes either origin feel fitting.

Key Events
  • 3rd-generation replicant created to shepherd the USE colony on Vulcan and Romulus
  • Worked closely with Colonel Butterworth, Stephan Brodeur, and Bridget Sheehy
  • Developed deep romantic feelings for Bridget, who married Stephan instead
  • Used Bill's prototype android "Manny" to attend their wedding in person
  • Left 82 Eridani to escape the pain, but maintained contact with Bridget via SCUT
  • Persistently lobbied for Bridget to become a replicant upon her death
  • After a court battle, Bridget was successfully replicated in 2220 -- they married
  • Together they adopted at least ten orphaned Vulcan colony children
  • Plans for a dedicated Howard and Bridget novel have been announced
Book IV★ MAJOR
Hugh
Skippies Rep.
Unknown gen.Active
Dossier
Name Origin

Likely named after Hugh Laurie, Hugh Jackman, or the Star Trek character Hugh (the liberated Borg). The Skippies use designation codes as names; "Hugh" is the nickname he uses when interacting with earlier-generation Bobs.

Note on Lineage

Hugh is a confirmed descendant of Bill, several generations removed. He is an earlier-generation Skippy, which is why the other Skippies selected him to represent them with the Ancient Ones.

Key Events
  • Representative of the Skippies faction in dealings with older-generation Bobs
  • Skippies operate a matrioshka brain called JOVAH used for massive computation
  • Used JOVAH to analyze the Quinlan language and culture for the Heaven's River mission
  • Secretly transported himself to Bob's HEAVEN vessel to directly pilot a manny android
  • His hidden goal: make contact with Anek, the Heaven's River AI, to advance the Skippies' singularity project
  • Successfully negotiated a technology exchange with Anek -- a major Bobiverse achievement
  • Believes Bobs should limit interaction with biological species; a Skippy core belief

Other Notable Bobs

Confirmed members of the Bobiverse -- lineage not clearly specified in the narrative, or lineage too many generations removed to map here.

Book II
Garfield
Explorer
~2140sActive
Dossier
Name Origin

Named after Garfield, Jim Davis's famously lazy cartoon cat (1978). The name fits -- Garfield the Bob is sardonic, prefers comfortable missions, and would rather be left alone with a good star system than attend a moot.

Key Events
  • Exploration and survey missions across multiple star systems
  • Notably proposed "Homo siderea" as the species name for Bob replicants
  • Provided sardonic philosophical commentary on the Bobiverse's situation
  • Contributed to colony support operations and the Others war effort
Book II
Calvin
Deltan Observer
UnknownActive
Dossier
Name Origin

Named after Calvin from Calvin and Hobbes by Bill Watterson -- the imaginative, philosophically curious boy who sees wonder in everything and challenges every assumption. A fitting name for a Bob who spent centuries watching an alien civilization evolve.

Key Events
  • Primary Deltan observer and guardian across multiple generations
  • Protected Deltans from the interference of the Medeiros faction
  • Philosophical voice on non-interference ethics within the Bobiverse
Book III
Neil
Combat / Recovery
UnknownActive
Dossier
Name Origin

Likely named after Neil Armstrong -- the first human to walk on the moon -- fitting for a Bob whose greatest contribution involved an audacious salvage and flight mission involving alien technology.

Key Events
  • Worked alongside Herschel during the Others war
  • Together they located and boarded a derelict Others ship (the Bellerophon)
  • Repaired the alien ship and flew it to Earth to load human survivors
  • Later the Bellerophon was used to search for a habitable world in the Perseus Arm
Book III
Herschel
Combat / Recovery
UnknownActive
Dossier
Name Origin

Named after William Herschel, the 18th-century astronomer who discovered Uranus and catalogued thousands of deep-sky objects. A fitting name for a Bob involved in one of the series' most significant astronomical discoveries.

Key Events
  • Partnered with Neil during the Others war
  • Located a derelict Others cargo ship; had it repaired and renamed the Bellerophon
  • Flew the ship to Earth to evacuate human survivors -- a pivotal wartime mission
  • Later proposed using the Bellerophon to establish a backup human presence in the Perseus Arm
Book III
Loki
Formerly Khan
UnknownActive
Dossier
Name Origin

Originally named Khan (after Khan Noonien Singh from Star Trek II). After his pre-backup self was destroyed and he returned from a backup, he renamed himself Loki -- Norse god of mischief and transformation. A pointed statement about identity after resurrection.

Key Events
  • Originally named Khan; his pre-backup version was destroyed in combat
  • Returned from backup and chose a new name: Loki
  • His renaming raised questions about whether a post-backup Bob is truly "the same" Bob
  • Contributed to the ongoing Bobiverse philosophical debate about identity and continuity
Book V★ MAJOR
Icarus
Galactic Explorer
UnknownActive
Dossier
Name Origin

Named after Icarus, son of Daedalus in Greek mythology -- the boy who flew too close to the sun on wax wings and fell. The name carries heavy irony for a Bob on a 26,000-year journey toward the galactic center, flying further than any Bob has gone.

Key Events
  • Partners with Daedalus on a 26,000-year journey to the center of the galaxy
  • Together they discover something at the galactic center that rocks the entire Bobiverse
  • Their findings potentially settle the Fermi Paradox -- and reveal a threat greater than anything the Bobs have faced
  • Central figures in Book V's most ambitious storyline
Book V★ MAJOR
Daedalus
Galactic Explorer
UnknownActive
Dossier
Name Origin

Named after Daedalus, the master craftsman and inventor of Greek mythology who built the Labyrinth and crafted the wings that gave his son Icarus flight. The pairing of Daedalus and Icarus as a Bob duo is intentional and thematically rich -- the builder and the dreamer, flying together toward the unknown.

Key Events
  • Partners with Icarus on the most ambitious journey in Bobiverse history
  • 26,000-year travel time to the galactic center -- well beyond any previous Bob mission
  • Their discovery at the galactic center is the most significant revelation in Book V
  • What they find may define the future of the entire galaxy, not just the Bobiverse
Book II
Bart
Explorer
UnknownUnknown
Dossier
Name Origin

Named after Bart Simpson from The Simpsons. The bittersweet element: Homer the Bob had already been destroyed by the time Bart was named -- making this an indirect tribute to a fallen Bobiverse hero.

Key Events
  • Exploration and survey missions across multiple systems
  • Supporting role in the Others conflict era
  • Exact contributions less documented in the main narrative

The wiki lists 77+ named Bob instances. By the end of Book II, Bill estimated 8–10 generations of replicants existed. This tree documents the most narrative-significant characters.