Quote:Mm. Rather misses both of the points I was trying to hit - first, that fighter squadrons are based around pairs, not groups of three, and second, to provide a closer connection between her and the rest of our cast than 'that waitress girl'.
There might, however, be a way to reconcile this. Lets say that initially, Jialan is a civilian entertainer for the civvys stuck in the SDF, but midway/late series, after the effects of human culture, in particular songs and Jialan, on the aliens is known to the higher ups and they ask her for help in "converting" the enemy.
The way I see it, even the most capable and exceptional people are likely to have outside interests - hobbies, if nothing else. So, the problem isn't justifying both her job (pilot) and talent (music) in the same person, but preventing that combination from seeming overwhelming.
So, lets total things up. Katsuro is almost certainly the most gifted pilot on the ship, he was a college junior with a 3.9 GPA, and we're going to be hooking him up with thirty feet of sheer hotness. He doesn't need help.
Lydia is She Whom Everyone Obeys, 'nuff said.
Estevan has been a professional pilot almost since he was a kid, spends half his life in the air, and is a natural leader to boot.
Kim is an excellent pilot (daughter of one of the ten greatest in human history) and an Olympic-grade martial artist.
And Jialan... will end up a decent, veteran pilot, who can write songs and play a couple of instruments (neither ability is all that rare) and has a great voice, who was in the right place at the right time.
Is she actually a bad pilot? No, hardly. But, like Sakura in the early parts of Naruto, the bar is so high she gets overshadowed.
Actually, your version is almost backwards from what I had in mind - her career would start taking off at about the same time that Kyllikki was getting inserted, thus letting us drop Ms. Space Ace neatly into that slot once the action picks up again.
Which is, yes, slightly implausible, but close enough to stretch, I think.
Ja, -n
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"V, did you do something foolish?"
"Yes, and it was glorious."