Quote Originally Posted by Prime Administrator View Post
A TREKKIE'S TALE

By Paula Smith


"Gee, golly, gosh, gloriosky," thought Mary Sue as she stepped on the bridge of the Enterprise. "Here I am, the youngest lieutenant in the fleet - only fifteen and a half years old." Captain Kirk came up to her.

"Oh, Lieutenant, I love you madly. Will you come to bed with me?"

"Captain! I am not that kind of girl!"

"You're right, and I respect you for it. Here, take over the ship for a minute while I go get some coffee for us."

Mr. Spock came onto the bridge. "What are you doing in the command seat, Lieutenant?"

"The Captain told me to."

"Flawlessly logical. I admire your mind." Captain Kirk, Mr. Spock, Dr. McCoy and Mr. Scott beamed down with Lt. Mary Sue to Rigel XXXVII. They were attacked by green androids and thrown into prison. In a moment of weakness Lt. Mary Sue revealed to Mr. Spock that she too was half Vulcan. Recovering quickly, she sprung the lock with her hairpin and they all got away back to the ship.

But back on board, Dr. McCoy and Lt. Mary Sue found out that the men who had beamed down were seriously stricken by the jumping cold robbies , Mary Sue less so. While the four officers languished in Sick Bay, Lt. Mary Sue ran the ship, and ran it so well she received the Nobel Peace Prize, the Vulcan Order of Gallantry and the Tralfamadorian Order of Good Guyhood.

However the disease finally got to her and she fell fatally ill. In the Sick Bay as she breathed her last, she was surrounded by Captain Kirk, Mr. Spock, Dr. McCoy, and Mr. Scott, all weeping unashamedly at the loss of her beautiful youth and youthful beauty, intelligence, capability and all around niceness. Even to this day her birthday is a national holiday of the Enterprise.
I think I can come up with a basic, easy to understand, and non-abusive definition for a Mary/Marty Sue/Stu archtype character from this story.

1) The character must be a character that has extraordinary ability for no aparent reason other than "I'm me! Mary/Marty."

2) The character must be irresistible to all other characters of the opposite sex for no rational reason (within the confines of the story).

3) The character must be chaste.

4) The character must gain instant respect for no reason other than "I'm Mary/Marty."

5) Decisions by other characters to place this character into positions of power/authority is always the correct decision, even if there is no known reason to back up said decision.

6) The character must gain new abilities via an ass-pull by the writer (a la Mary being "Half-Vulcan" as needed).

7) The character must show invulnerability or uber-resistance to injury/disease without any established reason.

8) Character must gain extraordinary recognition (I mean ridiculous like Mary acquiring the awards listed) for simplistic/unrealistic action. Like a fifteen year old running a starship.

9) Over reaction by other characters at the death of said character (Spock crying made me laugh).

10) Over emphasis on the importance of said character without a legitimate reason. (like the Enterprise Holiday for Mary's actions).

That's a list that makes sense.
If this label is going to be used, it needs to be reserved for when someone actually creates a character like Mary Sue and not a demi-god/superhero who is integral to a story which is well thought out, complex, and of epic proportions.

A character with six or more of these traits should be considered a possible Mary Sue/Marty Stu.