Star Ocean: Till the End of Time True Cast

		True Cast
		Fayt:  Fayt is a typical hero role, so he gets the typical hero position. His world is destroyed, he is thrust into a journey in a new world, he holds a secret, amazing power, and he has smashing blue hair. The plot is all about his journey and as such, he is the main character. There's...really not much else to say about Fayt. You could almost say being the main character was his...fate? Oh yeah, I went there.
		Cliff: Like any typical hero, Fayt is too weak and stupid at first and he needs some help. Okay, so Fayt wasn't terribly stupid, but either way, Cliff comes to his aide because his unit, Quark, knows of Fayt's powers and want him on their side instead of the Federation. Cliff's specific role, however, is being your hired muscle. He's willing to follow Fayt anywhere and protect him at any costs, but on top of that, Cliff, like Fayt, joins into the war on Elicoor II and becomes involved in all aspects of the story. He makes contributions to the story, mostly by collaborating with Fayt about ways to help one side of the war without ever letting on that they're from a much more advanced society. For a good portion of the game, he is as involved as Fayt and the two are acting as a pair.
		Nel: Nel's role in the game depends on what you think the game's main plot is. Her role is basically only on Elicoor II, though the game extends farther than that. Still, she is involved in the later sections as well, she just doesn't have the technical abilities to contribute to the conversations and schemes. Also, the whole game is on Elicoor II. No, really, the rest of it didn't exist. It didn't! Nel is the link to the Elicoor II plot and without that link, Fayt and Cliff would've abandoned the whole situation, sat in a corner, and waited for Mirage to rescue them. And since Nel is your link to the awesome portions of the game, she's True Cast material.
		Maria: Maria is basically the exact opposite of Nel. When your crew starts to get involved in the war on Elicoor II, the plot seems to change from getting Fayt home to helping the Aquarians win the war. When Maria--the leader of Cliff's group Quark--shows up, she is the reminder that there are greater things in play than this silly conflict on an underdeveloped planet. She has powers that were given to her to allow her and others to exist in their world and prevent their world's destruction, which means she is a very integral part to this plot, but again, this depends on what the plot of this game is. She has little to do with Elicoor II, which consumes the majority of the game, but in the grand scheme of things, Elicoor II technically isn't the true plot of this game. Technically.
		Secondary Cast
		Mirage: When Mirage first joined my team, I was happy. I loved using Cliff in battle, and Mirage is almost exactly the same. Problem is, they're exactly the same and you don't need both. But outside of battle, why is Mirage Secondary Cast? She is introduced just as early as Cliff and remains for the duration of the game, though some bits were on the side. Well, Mirage is Secondary because she's Alfred. She is your group's pilot and your contact to the outside world while you're doing things. She guards the Bat Cave, washes the Batmobile, and presses the Batsuit. She was great as an NPC, so including her in the game was pointless. I bring up her battle skills because it shows that on top of everything, she has no purpose. She's a second Cliff in battle, which you don't need if you have Cliff #1, so you don't actually need her in your party. She's the perfect NPC, which is how she should remain, but at least she does have some influence on the plot.
		Sophia: Sophia really doesn't have much place in your party, much like Mirage. It's the same idea though. Sophia is your Princess Toadstool and she is just meant to be rescued and then stay at home and cook the team dinner. But as it turns out, she's like Fayt and Maria in the sense that she has abilities that can combat the destruction of their world. Still, Sophia is not entirely vital to everything. Her powers help you unlock the fourth-dimension and completely destroy this game's plot. Yeah, I know it isn't her fault and that the game was always going in this direction, but even still, her role is that she has a key. Good for her. In my opinion, her role is better as an NPC.
		Unnecessary Cast
		Peppita: Peppita was a fun character in the beginning of the game to help you learn how to fight. Granted, she talked way too much and was annoying, but she was basically involved in your tutorial. After that, she should've stayed out of the picture. She's part of a traveling freak show and joins your crew because...err...uhh...gimme a minute...no, I've got nothing.
		Albel: Albel has a good role in the game. He's the evil guy that shows up in battle and you go "Ahh! We have to fight him!?" He's kind of a badass. He's mean, he has a sword, he has a claw arm, and he rides a friggin' dragon! He's a great villain! But then, you beat him in combat and his friends betray him, so he asks you if you hate him and if you say "no" he comes with you. For...not hating him. It's a terrible reason for somebody to join your party. He was a great villain and they made him into a playable character. Way to ruin a good thing.
		Adray: Adray is an important NPC's father, who is a member of an elite fighting squad. Nel's elite fighting squad, actually. So if you do a few things, he joins you. I suppose it at least makes sense since he's on the right side of the war and is strong, but he contributes nothing to the plot. He wasn't even supposed to be a character. He was inserted into the Director's Cut version of the game as a peace offering for all those people who bought the non-Director's Cut version of the game and had to deal with the terrible glitches. Personally, if I were one of those Japanese people that bought the original version, then the addition of an unimportant side character would not make me forget all of the terrible original version. Adray, you're pointless. I'm sorry. But at least you're not as pointless as Roger.
		Roger: Who? Uhh, wha? Roger? Okay, admittedly, I never took Roger on my team (more info in the final comments on this). He's just some kid, that if you do a sidequest for him, he'll join you. That's it. Seriously. He has no role in the game. At all.
		Final Remarks      Star Ocean: Till the End of Time has an interesting cast because there's really little need for most of them. The four I listed as True Cast are the ones that are important, the Secondary Cast are semi-important and would be better as NPCs, and the Unnecessary Cast is comprised of side/hidden characters. In the game, you are always required to get Fayt, Cliff, Maria, Mirage, and Sophia. The rest of the characters you can skip. Yes, even Nel. Adray is just a simple choice. You either do what you need to do to recruit him or you ignore his pointless butt (he's terrible in combat). As for Peppita, Nel, Roger, and Albel, you can only take two of them. So choose wisely (Nel)! Nel is such an integral part of the game and, while I understand plot-wise that leaving her should be an option, since she has little purpose outside of Elicoor II, I've always felt her character was strengthened by her ability to look at this new world and comprehend things. Plus, she's possibly my favorite character in the game.      Mirage, like Adray, was inserted into the Director's Cut. She was always important and she actually functioned as an NPC exactly how I was saying she should function (see: above). I don't understand her integration as a playable character because she does not serve any purpose to the story, not to your team dynamic. Seriously, I tried a Mirage/Cliff/Nel party, and it worked, but Fayt, as Mr. Main Character, becomes ungodly strong, so I was being outclassed eventually. Since this game loves costume changes so much, they really may as well have just allowed Cliff to have a "Mirage" outfit. Then you can have Mirage in your party and she'll function the same (like Cliff) and talk in his deep, manly voice. Yeah, it's absurd, but so is the plot of this game! OH BURN!