Mark Watney: The Main Character of The Martian, he is left behind on Mars all alone after a freak accident almost kills him. Andy Weir uses Mark Watney as the main character to keep the book interesting and to tell the story through his point of view. Mark Watney is nerdy, funny, and bright. He is both street and book smart, and Andy Weir wrote him into the book in such a way that it made me want to keep reading the book.
Commander Lewis: She is the commander of the Ares 3 crew, and is therefore in charge of the crew. She is a no-nonsense person who doesn't put up with any kind of nonsense, but she is also a good commander. She can't get over the guilt she feels for leaving Mark Wateny behind. Andy Weir wrote her into this book as a leader, and she is definitely a leader in the book
Major Rick Martinez: He is the pilot of the Ares 3 crew, and he is the closest friend of the crew to Mark Watney. Watney asks him to check in on his parents if he dies, even though it won't be easy. Andy Weir wrote him into the book so Watney would have a close friend.
Flight Surgeon Christopher Beck: He is the medical doctor for the Ares 3 crew, and he falls in love with Beth Johanssen. Mark Watney convinces him to tell Johanssen how he fells. Andy Weir wrote him into the book so there was a love story in the book. Beck is also the crew member who goes into space and pulls Watney into the Ares 3 vessel during the rescue operation.
Beth Johanssen: Mark Watney thinks of Johanssen as a sister. He looks up to her as an example, and wants to be like her. Andy Weir wrote her into the book to give Watney a sisterly figure in the book.
Navigator and chemist Dr. Vogel: He is the navigator and chemist for the Ares 3 crew, and he is German. His German to English translations are hilarious. Andy Weir wrote him into the book to provide comic relief and to give the Ares 3 crew a chemist and navigator that can apparently also build bombs.
Mindy Parks: Mindy Parks is literally thrown into this whole big mess involuntarily, since she is the first person to realize that Mark Watney is still alive. She goes through more growth than any character, except for Watney himself. She goes from a dissatisfied, shy person to a confident and outgoing person who can tell the big-time bosses at NASA what she thinks. She goes from rags to riches. Andy Weir wrote her into the book to show how not only the main character can grow in a book, others can too.
Venkat Kapoor: Venkat has a simple leadership style. He doesn't big speeches like Teddy: in fact, he refuses to make a speech about Mark because nice words wouldn't bring him back Venkat is concerned with results, and his mind is already racing to figure out ways to turn this disaster into a net positive. Andy Weir wrote him into the book as a no nonsense person who wants nothing more than to get Mark Watney home safely.
Teddy Sanders: Teddy Sanders leads the charge to rescue Mark Watney, although the only thing he gets in thanks is an accusation. Teddy runs the whole of NASA, and he sacrifices days and nights to his one goal: Rescuing Mark Watney, and he does that for almost two years!
