Commander Yáo Li-Jie was the commander of the primary crew of the Hail Mary mission. He passed away en-route to Tau Ceti while in a medically induced coma.
Appearance[]
There is not much information about Yáo's appearance besides the fact that he is a Chinese person. According to Ryland Grace's memories, he was "young and striking, [with] eyes full of determination"
Personality[]
Yáo is a stern, straightforward, and quiet person. In Grace's memories, he was described as a person who "understood the severity of the mission and the weight on his shoulders", was "ready for the task", "stern but reasonable", and "would give up his life in a second for the mission or his crew". He is very polite, bowing to greet Eva Stratt.
History[]
Even though Stratt thought that China's space program was too young, she still chose Yáo as the prime crew commander of the Hail Mary because he was the most qualified. However, even with coma-resistant genes, he didn't survive the trip. After looking at his dead body, Grace assumed he was dead before Olesya Ilyukhina.