Name: Hoshino Ruri
The dour-faced moppet of the Nadesico, Ruri is, perhaps, the most popular anime character in Japan for the year Martian Successor Nadesico aired.  I, of course, adore her.

Ruri was the test-tube child of the king and queen of Peace Land, a place that is best described as Switzerland if it was owned by the Disney Corporation.  Her parents, unable to conceive, when to a laboratory out of the country and, through the miracles of science, Ruri was created.  The lab, however, was destroyed.  Fortunately, "what would become Hoshino Ruri" and other test-tube babies were spared and taken by a research facility.

Engineered to be extremely intelligent and mentally skilled there, Ruri and her fellow "specimens", which is what they are at this point, begin their mental training.  From practically birth, Ruri began her lessons, which ranged from science and technology to language.  Her first words were: "Mama, Papa, Archemides, pi".  Her parents were but images on a screen that were designed to be supportive and loving, always giving her encouragement and telling her she's so smart and such a good girl.  As the man in charge of the experiment basically told her, these were to be the ideal parents for the ideal children.

Of course, when learning Japanese, she pointed to one of the words flashing in front of her face.  She asked the "teacher" image what it meant, to which the image said that it was a bad word to say in public.  The word?  "Baka."

"Baka", or "idiot/fool/moron", is pretty much Ruri's favorite word, coupled with her favorite phrase, "Baka baka."  "Too many idiots."  She believes that pretty much all adults are idiots and fools.  All the foolish things that love can do, all the silly things they do for whatever reason.  No episode passes without something silly happening, and not one passes without Ruri saying so.

She is the last living survivor of the experiment.  After a few years in training, she was bought by the Negral corporation to control the Omoikane.

Ruri is also the narrator of the story.  Each episode (almost always) opens with her recapping the last episode's events.

The male announcer who does the voice-over for the previews loves to make comments about Ruri.  In one preview, he alludes to the beaty contest several episodes back already, saying that maybe "Baka baka" is the best.  He was definately was voting for Ruri when the time comes.

Speaking of the "popularity contest", Ruri was runner-up of the idol singer contest that took place on the ship.  She, of course, would have won and have become the new captain of the Nadesico if it wasn't for the fact that Yurika was already promised the win.  Ruri is amazing when she performed her talent (a song about love and the realization that you may not be the one, but I will love in the next life anyway-obviously about her and Akito).  Omoikane helped a lot by supplying super cool lighting and smoke.

Her love for Akito began in ep. 12 (Those "Unforgettable Days"), when she asked the Aestivalis pilot to help her save the Omoikane, the ship's computer and her friend.  His devotion to Genkigander III helped save the day, and all the while, Ruri knew that Akito's love of the show will help them.  He may be a idiot sometimes, but he's kind and devoted.  That makes all the difference.