Characters & Locations

(1944-)

Professor Arturo is a teacher of theoretical physics at the University of California. His favorite pupil is Logan Mallory. Arturo is known for being pompous and stubborn, but he realizes that Logan may very well have surpassed him in physics prowess.

(1963-1994)

Wife of Terrence Bergman, mother of Natalie Bergman, born Clair McKnight on Earth 8229.

Terrence describes Clair as "the woman who made life worth living." The two of them met in college, through a mutual friend. Both were still recovering from recent breakups and this was his way of cheering them up. It worked. Clair and Terrence fell in love. In 1986, two years after that day, the two of them were married. Both would graduate college shortly after with bachelor’s degrees, and both stayed in school, living together on campus.

Clair and Terrence were both doctors. While Terrence was into psychology, Clair was a doctor in medicine. The Bergman family was well off because both psychiatry and medicine offer some very high-paying jobs. Shortly after their marriage, Clair gave birth to a daughter, Natalie.

On their eighth wedding anniversary, someone visited the Bergman family. It was a deranged, murderous ex-patient of Terrence’s. He held the family hostage, and eventually killed Clair and Natalie. He then seriously wounded Terrence and killed himself.

Even now, five years after her death, Terrence has problems going through life without "the woman who made life worth living."

(1967-)

Terrence Bergman’s younger (and only) brother, born on Earth 8229. Terrence rarely talks about his younger brother. He has mentioned that, as children, Terrence would often watch out for his brother. Clarence is also now a doctor like Terrence, a podiatrist in this case. He was often jealous of his older brother, who always got better grades in school and was more popular. Clarence isn’t the type of brother to act violently on his jealousy, but Terrence says that Clarence gave him plenty of the "little brother experience" with which he approaches Jeremiah Mallory. Terrence claims he and Clarence were the best of friends before the elder brother began sliding.

(1987-1994)

Daughter of Terrence and Clair Bergman, born on Earth 8229. During her life, Natalie idolized her father, wanting someday to follow in her footsteps. When Natalie was six years old, a deranged ex-patient of Terrence’s came to his house and held Natalie and Clair hostage. Despite Terrence’s best efforts to save the lives of his family, the man shot and killed Natalie. After that, he fatally shot Clair and himself.

(1965-)

Dr. Terrence Bergman is one of the sliders. He was born on January 30 in Earth 8229. He has one brother, Dr. Clarence Bergman. Much of Terrence’s early childhood is a mystery. He and Clarence have always been close, though.

Terrence graduated high school in 1983. He was dating his high school sweetheart at the time. The two of them both attended the University of California, where Terrence was a human psychology major. The next year, she and Terrence broke up, leaving Terrence grief-stricken. Soon after, through a mutual friend, Terrence met Clair Bergman. The two of them fell in love quickly. In 1986, they married. In 1987, their only daughter Natalie was born. Both Terrence and Clair stayed in school for a few more years, and they both became doctors. Terrence was a doctor in human psychology. Clair was a doctor in medicine.

In 1991, fresh out of college, Terrence got a high-paying job at Gate Haven Hospital, working with the mentally ill. He became well known for his bedside manner and integrity. With a double income and a loving family, Terrence was very happy with his life.

Terrence’s life would be more-or-less ruined in 1994. A deranged ex-patient of Terrence’s came to his house on his anniversary. He held Clair and Natalie hostage. Terrence tried his best to talk the man out of killing his wife and daughter, but his efforts proved futile. The man gunned down Clair and Natalie, and then shot Terrence several times. The man finished by killing himself.

Terrence had never felt such a sense of loss in his life. He barely survived the shooting, but he ended up wishing he were killed too. He became bored with life, caring very little about his patients, his job, or himself.

Terrence’s life would change again for the better in 1999. One of his patients, Ryan Simms, said that he spotted a "slider," a term for a person who travels through parallel worlds. Terrence dismissed what Ryan said as inane ramblings. Ryan had gone insane from being in Gate Haven too long. He was originally sent there by Dr. Richard Whalen four years ago. Terrence always regretted not doing anything about Ryan’s degradation, but he felt that Ryan was beyond reach by then. It turned out that Ryan was telling the truth. A woman named Logan Mallory was going through parallel universes. Disillusioned with life, Terrence not only joined her, but he broke Ryan out of the hospital too. From then on, the three of them slid to parallel worlds together.

Jeremiah Mallory, Logan’s younger brother, joined the sliders soon after. Terrence and Jeremiah became the best of friends. In fact, Terrence believes that the sliders are the only friends he has left.

Gate Haven is a mental hospital on Earth 8229. Terrence Bergman has worked there since 1989. Ryan Simms was committed there in 1995 after being sent there by Dr. Richard Whalen. This is the hospital from which Ryan escaped with Terrence in 1999.

Gate Haven has a reputation among psychologists as being an efficient, well-organized hospital. It also has a reputation among patients as "pure hell."

(1948-)

Born Amanda McKinney, Earth 782. Mother of Colin Mallory, Logan Mallory, and Jeremiah Mallory. She is also the wife of Michael Mallory.

Amanda was born to a white supremacist family. Throughout her childhood, Amanda had problems with her blatantly prejudiced father, an alcoholic mother, and siblings who were sliding into their parents’ prejudice. Amanda was no racist, though. She has always been a pacifist. She had many Chinese friends, and often found herself helping the victims of her father’s brutality. Amanda was eternally grateful that, for all her family’s flaws, they didn’t hate her as much as they did minorities.

As a teenager she began to express a previously undiscovered aptitude in physics. While in high school, Amanda’s physics prowess continued to grow. When she was in college—while working on an anti-gravity device—Amanda stumbled upon the secret to travelling to parallel worlds. She decides not to jump in the vortex just yet.

A few months later, Amanda learned from her parents that they were no longer paying her college tuition. They diverted the funds to her little brother, Michael McKinney, their oldest son, who was gradually sliding into racism himself.

Feeling that her family considered her inferior, Amanda set her timer that day to slide out of that world, and into a better one. The last person to see her was Michael, who watched her leap into a vortex, never to return. However, soon she would meet another person with the name Michael…

Amanda slid through parallel worlds by herself for a few months. Eventually, she slid into Earth 882. There, her timer broke down. Through an odd coincidence, she met Michael Mallory on that earth. When each learned that the other was a slider, they used their combined physics knowledge to rebuild one of the timers. From then on, they slid together.

A little under half a year later, Amanda and Michael slid into Earth 142. There, they missed the slide when their timer ran out and they were unable to jump into the vortex. This meant that the timer would not be operational for twenty-nine years. With no place else to go, the two of them stayed together on that world. They acted on their feelings for each other and married. They had three children: Colin, Logan, and Jeremiah. Soon after Colin’s twentieth birthday, Amanda taught the kids about sliding. Soon, they slid non-stop, constantly perfecting the timer.

It’s been over twenty-eight years since Amanda and Michael last slid together, and Amanda is as pacifistic as ever. Now their children have discovered the secret to sliding. Colin can’t, but Logan and Jeremiah are sliding indefinitely. Meanwhile, Amanda still has her inactive timer. With less than a year to go before it goes off, she can’t help but wonder what she’ll do when it comes back online again.

(1972-)

Brother of Logan Mallory and Jeremiah Mallory, son of Amanda Mallory and Michael Mallory, born on Earth 142. Colin actually has two quantum signatures combined, because both his parents were born on alternate worlds. They slid onto Earth 142 in the early 1970s.

Colin grew up leading a relatively normal life, although he’s always been an expert with physics. He never knew his parents were dimensional travelers. His longtime friend is Derek Quade, a fellow student who also knows few things about science, although he’s no comparison to Colin. Colin had always been good at science, especially physics, which is logical, since both his parents were the same way when they were younger. Wade Welles was in love with Colin, although Colin always wanted to date Daelin Richards.

After graduating high school, Colin went to the University of California with Derek. He majored in physics, but on Colin’s twentieth birthday, whether he was in college or not, he became fair game for the military draft.

Amanda was always extremely opposed to the military draft, and the last thing she wanted was for Colin to go to war. She told Colin, Logan, and Jeremiah about traveling to parallel universes. The three siblings became extremely interested in sliding, but they stayed in school a while longer.

Amanda and Michael forbade any of their children to slide continuously until they graduated from college. Each of them, upon getting their bachelor’s degree, couldn’t wait. Colin and Logan started around the same time in 1995, when he got drafted. Jeremiah joined them the next year. Colin remained a physics expert, although Logan surpassed him.

In 1997, Colin, Logan, and Jeremiah reached a world that would change their lives forever. After a misunderstanding in which an insane gunman mistook Colin for his double, Colin was shot five times. He barely survived, and the shooting paralyzed him from the waist down. He decided he was done sliding, and he retired to a wheelchair back on Earth 142.

Colin is now working towards his Ph.D. in Theoretical Physics. He lives with Derek in an apartment between the Mallory house and the University of California. Colin misses the ability to walk, but he reminds himself constantly that there has to be some way—somewhere in the Multiverse—for him to regain the ability to walk again.

(1977-)

Jeremiah Mallory is one of the sliders. He was born on February 17 on Earth 142. He is the younger son of Michael Mallory and Amanda Mallory, and the brother of Colin Mallory and Logan Mallory. Jeremiah actually has two quantum signatures combined, because both his parents were born on alternate worlds. They slid onto Earth 142 in the early 1970s.

Logan grew up living a pretty normal life. He was something of a class clown in school, but he was a genius with physics (more so than Logan, but not as much as Colin). Like his siblings, he grew up not knowing his parents were once dimensional travelers. He has always had a great platonic relationship with one of her sister’s friends, Daelin Richards. He once secretly had a crush on her.

When he was in his teens, Jeremiah learned about traveling through parallel universes. His parents taught him the concept of it. He became very enthusiastic about "sliding," but his parents forbade him to slide until he graduated college. Due to having taken some college classes in high school, and taking as many classes as he could, Jeremiah graduated college at the age of 19. True to their word, his parents let him slide with Logan and Colin in 1996. Jeremiah only knows a little more about sliding than is normal, but so did Colin. It turned out to be Logan whose physics skills manifested when she started sliding.

In 1997, Colin, Logan, and Jeremiah reached a world that would change their lives forever. After a misunderstanding in which an insane gunman mistook Colin for his double, Colin was shot five times. He barely survived, and became a paraplegic. Jeremiah shot and killed the gunman. Despite his initial feeling of having avenged Colin, Jeremiah regretted what he did. When he killed the man, he felt a strange sense of euphoria that scares him.

Colin retired from sliding. Jeremiah split from Logan as well, when the three of them made an auxiliary timer and he decided to slide with it. From then on, Jeremiah slid alone. But, due to Logan’s sliding knowledge, she was always able to devise a tracker that keeps track of Jeremiah’s timer without his knowledge.

After Logan’s timer malfunctioned, she met up with Colin and made him slide with her. At that time, she had found two comrades, Ryan Simms and Terrence Bergman. The four of them make up the current team of Sliders.

(1973-)

Logan Mallory is one of the sliders. She was born on September 28 on Earth 142. She is the only daughter of Michael Mallory and Amanda Mallory, and the sister of Colin Mallory and Jeremiah Mallory. Logan actually has two quantum signatures combined, because both her parents were born on alternate worlds. They slid onto Earth 142 in the early 1970s.

Logan grew up living a relatively normal life. Like her brothers, she never knew her parents traveled through parallel universes. As a child, she wasn’t as good at science as Colin or Jeremiah, though. Logan and her friends formed a small clique of students in high school and college. It consisted of herself, Wade Welles, Daelin Richards, and Denise Søren.

In the early nineties, Logan learned about sliding from her parents. When she graduated college, Logan and her brother Colin became sliders. Jeremiah joined them in 1996. Amanda and Michael were surprised to find that Logan had absorbed a lot of sliding knowledge. For someone who previously showed no signs of physics prowess, Logan became very knowledgeable, even more so than her parents were.

In 1997, Colin, Logan, and Jeremiah reached a world that would change their lives forever. After a misunderstanding in which an insane gunman mistook Colin for his double, Colin was shot five times. He barely survived, and became a paraplegic. Logan feels responsible for what happened to Colin, since she was the one who sent Colin outside in the first place, although she had no idea what would happen. Colin continues to insist that it wasn’t Logan’s fault, but Logan is convinced it was.

Colin retired from sliding. Jeremiah split from Logan as well, when the three of them made an auxiliary timer and he decided to slide with it. From then on, Logan slid alone. But, due to her sliding knowledge, she is always able to devise new things for the timer, such as a coordinate log, a tracker that keeps track of Jeremiah’s timer (without his knowledge), and even a user-friendly interface.

Logan’s tracker malfunctioned mysteriously at one point. Soon after, she met two new sliders after breaking them out of Gate Haven Hospital: Ryan Simms and Terrence Bergman. The three of them met up with Jeremiah again when Logan repaired the tracker. Now, with her timer unreliable, she forces Jeremiah to slide with her, making the sliders a team of four.

(1947-)

Husband of Amanda Mallory, father of Colin Mallory, Logan Mallory, and Jeremiah Mallory, born on Earth 4291.

Michael grew up leading a pretty much normal lifestyle. On his world, though, time was measured mostly in tens, similar to the metric system. On our world, he would have been born on November 3. However, due to their system of time, he was born on that earth on November 7. Michael was an only child on that world. His father was a physicist, and somehow Michael started to develop an aptitude for physics.

Very little is known about the circumstances behind how or when Michael built his sliding machine. He did have some help in building it. Michael slid out of that world in October 1970. His timer’s timekeeping device was based around the time system of that world.

As Michael went sliding, he noticed more and more worlds that used a different system of time. He was sliding for less than three weeks when his timer broke on Earth 882. Through a strange coincidence, this is where he met Amanda Mallory. He helped her repair her timer, and they opted to slide together using Amanda’s timer, since hers was already configured to the time system that other worlds used.

A little under half a year later, Amanda and Michael slid into Earth 142. There, they missed the slide when their timer ran out and they were unable to jump into the vortex. This meant that the timer would not be operational for twenty-nine years. With no place else to go, the two of them stayed together on that world. They acted on their feelings for each other and married. They had three children: Colin, Logan, and Jeremiah.

It’s been over twenty-eight years since Amanda and Michael last slid together. Now their children have discovered the secret to sliding. Colin can’t, but Logan and Jeremiah are sliding indefinitely. Michael doesn’t know what he’ll do if the timer actually works after twenty-nine years, but soon enough he’ll find out.

(1951-)

Michael is Amanda Mallory’s younger brother, who continues to live on Earth 782. Michael is the oldest son of a prominent white supremacist in San Francisco. He had more of his father’s racial tendencies than Amanda did. Consequently, his father liked him more. He was nineteen when Amanda slid away from home. He was the one person who saw her leave.

Shortly after Amanda left that world, a Chinese woman saved Michael’s life. This caused Michael to have a change of heart. Realizing his old views were mistaken, Michael became a believer in minority rights. He even helped police in apprehending his father. Now, like Amanda, Michael’s no longer a family person.

(1972-)

Friend of Colin Mallory, born on Earth 142. Colin and Derek remember each other from "as far back as [Colin] can remember." They were roommates in college. They graduated from the University of California together. Derek knows that the Mallory family is made up of sliders, but he has yet to slide with any of them. Derek and Colin live together in an apartment near the Mallory house.

(1973-)

Daelin is a former college student from the University of California and a very good friend of Logan Mallory. The two have known each other since elementary school. Colin Mallory always had a crush on Daelin, but she never noticed. She and Jeremiah Mallory have always been good friends. In her high school and college years—until Logan started sliding—Logan, Daelin, Denise Søren, and Wade Welles formed a small clique of students. Logan intends to tell them that she is a slider, but she hasn’t yet.

San Francisco is an American city in the state of California. This is the city where the sliders lived and, for the most part, the city where the slides take place.

(1970-)

Ryan Simms is one of the sliders. He was born on June 22 on Earth 777.

Most of Ryan’s life is a mystery at this point. He knows a lot about nineteenth-century poetry and Yeats. At one point he tried playing the Lottery, which on his world was one of many forms of population control. He won the Lottery, and so was selected to "make way," or commit suicide.

The night before Ryan was scheduled to "make way," he escaped Earth 777 with four people who were travelers through parallel universes. One was a male double of Logan Mallory, and one was a double of Wade Welles. He landed on Earth 8229. There, he met with Dr. Richard Whalen, who had him committed to Gate Haven Hospital—a mental hospital—after Ryan claimed he was a slider.

Ryan spent four years at Gate Haven. While there, he met Dr. Terrence Bergman, a doctor of psychology who worked with Ryan. Despite his relatively sane attitude, Ryan was given many forms of inhumane treatment to drive his idea of sliding from his head. Ryan’s sanity slipped away, but he still believed he was from a parallel earth.

In 1999, the female Logan Mallory came to Earth 8229. She proved to Dr. Bergman that everything Ryan said about sliding was true. Dr. Bergman broke Ryan out of the mental institution, and the three of them started sliding together. Eventually, Logan’s brother Jeremiah Mallory joined them.

Since he started sliding, Ryan is slowly regaining his sanity. His memory is still a bit hazy. He has formed a relationship with the three other sliders. Jeremiah and Dr. Bergman have always suspected that Ryan and Logan would fall in love, but at the moment, their relationship seems to be purely platonic.

(1973-)

Denise is a former college student from the University of California and a very good friend of Logan Mallory. The two have known each other since high school. Denise and Logan are both very cerebral, especially in science. As a result, the two have always been able to relate to each other. Denise is aware of the concept of sliding, but she doesn’t know how to slide, and she doesn’t know Logan is a slider. In her high school and college years—until Logan started sliding—Logan, Denise, Daelin Richards, and Wade Welles formed a small clique of students. Logan intends to tell them that she is a slider, but she hasn’t yet.

This is a famous college in San Francisco, with alternates in many worlds, and connections to the Sliders and most of their friends. Terrence Bergman graduated from this college on Earth 8229. Years later, on Earth 142, more sliders and many of their friends graduated from this college. Graduates include Logan Mallory, Jeremiah Mallory, Colin Mallory, Derek Quade, Daelin Richards, Denise Søren, and Wade Welles. This is also where the Maximillian Arturo of Earth 142 teaches.

(1973-)

Wade is a former college student from the University of California and a very good friend of Logan Mallory. The two have known each other since high school. Wade has always been in love with Colin Mallory, although Colin rarely returns her affection. In her high school and college years—until Logan started sliding—Logan, Wade, Denise Søren, and Daelin Richards formed a small clique of students. Logan intends to tell them that she is a slider, but she hasn’t yet.

(1952-)

Dr. Richard Whalen is a psychiatrist who works in San Francisco on Earth 8229. In 1995, one of his patients was Ryan Simms, who slid on that world with four others. After talking once with Ryan, Dr. Whalen had him committed to Gate Haven Hospital, where Ryan would live for four years.

Dr. Whalen would be committed to Gate Haven the next year, when he was proven guilty of malpractice for having sex with some of his patients.

Draft World. This world is quite similar to Earth Prime. However, there are some differences. All of Europe, West Asia, South America, and Africa have become Balkanized. While the United States is more-or-less war-free, they still feel the need to send troops to calm down any violent situations, just like in our world.

The draft is constantly in effect for both females and males, provided they are between the ages of twenty to thirty. Every person drafted is required to join one branch of the military. There are fewer loopholes surrounding the draft than on Earth Prime, so just about everyone in that age group is fair game. One known loophole deals with paralysis.

Because of all the bloodshed in this world, the population is slightly less than on our world. However, this world has become more desensitized to violence, disregarding human life even more.

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• Amanda Mallory and Michael Mallory live on this world. When they first went to this world twenty-eight years ago, they started to live here. This is where Colin Mallory, Logan Mallory, and Jeremiah Mallory were raised.
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• Amanda is a pacifist, and so despises the bloody nature of this earth, but she is glad not to be caught in the war zone.

Paraplegic World. Little to nothing is known about this world, except that handguns exist. Presumably, this world is somewhat similar to Earth Prime.

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• This is the world on which Colin Mallory was shot five times, being forced to quit sliding and becoming a paraplegic.

Lottery World. On this world, people heeded the advice of Reverend Thomas Malthus, who speculated that this world would slide into disaster. The reason is because population increases exponentially, while food increases arithmetically. Therefore, many forms of population control were started. There were many types of contraception. The most well known form of population control on that world was the Lottery.

The Lottery was a system in which people would withdraw free money from an ATM machine. In return, they were entered in the Lottery. The more they withdraw from the ATM, the more their chances of winning. However, when a person wins, they "make way," or in other words, kill themselves to keep the population low. Intruding on the Lottery is the worst crime you can commit on this world. Punishment is "municipal processing," in which one is made to pay in pain before being killed.

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• Ryan was born and raised on this world. He would slide from this world into Earth 8229.

Sino-American War World. In this world, the Americans and Chinese were in a Cold War of sorts ever since 1948. In the spring of 1968, a full-blown war broke out after the United States captured a spy and refused to return him. In response, the Chinese bombed Camp Lewis, a military base in the western United States. The spy was executed in March 1969.

The war lasted for twelve long years. It ended when the Chinese Secretary-General and American President met in Switzerland to strike a deal. Their plan was dubbed "The Immersion." American and Chinese families would be paid government money to exchange places. An American family would move to China, and a Chinese family would move to America, replacing that family, and vice versa.

The Immersion got off to a slow start, when white supremacist groups and Chinese anarchist groups started cropping up. After certain displays of supremacy were outlawed, the groups died down.

Nowadays, Chinese and Americans coexist quite well. Although there is some tension between the countries as a whole, the citizens have learned to coexist over the past twenty-nine years. Technologically, the world is still set back. It’s the technological equivalent to Earth Prime’s 1950’s.

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• Russia is half its size on Earth Prime. The western half is a monarchy ruled by Czar Alexis II, aging grandson of Czar Nicholas II. The eastern half is an isolationist country called Siberia.
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• Amanda Mallory is from this world. She slid out in 1970. Therefore, this world makes up half of the quantum signatures of Colin, Logan, and Jeremiah Mallory.

1910’s World. This world is similar to the 1910’s on Earth Prime. On this world, the world is still caught in World War I. Differences include advances in women’s and minority rights, although there are still some hate groups that preach white male superiority.

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• This is the world in which Amanda McKinney meets and falls in love with Michael Mallory.

Time World. A world in which the system of timekeeping developed in a way that was drastically different from our earth. There, the people think in terms of "tetrannums," which on our world would be a period of four years. There are 12 months in a year, plus 5 extra-days: the "Between Time." Each month is exactly 30 days long. The 5 extra days are set aside. On this world, Christmas, the New Year, and other holidays are celebrated in the Between Time.

The most idiosyncratic measurements are the way the days are divided. Each day consists of 10 hours, 3½ of which are spent sleeping. Each hour consists of 100 minutes. Each minute consists of 100 seconds. On our world, there are 86,400 seconds in a day. On Earth 4291, there are 100,000 seconds in a day. Naturally, seconds are much shorter on the latter world.

This measurement of time has effects on all aspects of life on this world. Schools and most workplaces give days off for the Between Time. Schools are structured on a multilevel system. Each level is one tetrannum of schooling.

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• Michael Mallory was born and raised on this world. Therefore, this world makes up half of the quantum signatures of Colin, Logan, and Jeremiah Mallory.

Sanitarium World. In this world, the United States thrives on organization. Every American citizen is expected to remember his/her Social Security Number, or in this case, PIN (Personal Identification Number). PINs are used all the time on this world, and if a person repeatedly forgets his/hers, the government tattoos it on him/her. (Tattoos can also be administered voluntarily.) PINs make up the organizational structure of the United States. Canada has something similar, as do China, Japan, France, and England. Mexico does not.

Also on this world, sanitariums are an answer to everything. Work hours are ten hours per day for weekdays and five hours a weekend. If a person is experiencing problems at work, instead of firing that person, said person is sent to a mental institution. If someone cannot be identified by PIN, they are put in a mental institution until that person can remember his/her number. Sanitariums also serve a limited purpose as homeless shelters. Of course, a person’s stay at an institution is always temporary, except in the latter case.

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• Ryan spends four years on this world, in Gate Haven Hospital, after he was mistaken for a vagrant.
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• This is Terrence Bergman’s home world. He had a PIN tattooed on his wrist, which he had removed on the next world. His family, of course, was also from this world.