From the Earth to the Moon · Character

Captain Nicholl

Barbicane's bitterest rival, a man who walks the woods with a loaded rifle looking for him, and who ends up sealed inside the same projectile.

supporting

Also known as Nicholl, the worthy Captain Nicholl, the captain

First appearance: One Enemy Against Twenty-Five Millions of Friends

As a supporting figure in From the Earth to the Moon, Captain Nicholl is not background color—the story leans on what they do once the chapter opens.

The sole public enemy of the Gun Club project, a rival inventor from Philadelphia who challenges Barbicane's calculations and places a series of bets against the enterprise.

In the storyOne Enemy Against Twenty-Five Millions of FriendsOpen this moment free

Nicholl is the adversary whose feud with Barbicane predates the moon-shot and nearly derails it, hunting the president through the undergrowth with a discharged rifle and a grievance. His pride is rigid — he insists 'I shall fight, sir' even as Ardan and Maston try to talk him down — but his competence is never in question, and Ardan's proposition is designed precisely to be irresistible to both rivals. He matters because the voyage's strangest alliance is this one: the man who wanted Barbicane dead becoming the man whose survival is tied to his.

See Captain Nicholl in One Enemy Against Twenty-Five Millions of Friends Book page

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Character Web

7 connections

A slice of how Captain Nicholl sits in the book — open the reader for the full interactive map.

Relationship types

Rivalry
Friendship
Social
Other

Character groups

Projectile passengers and supporters
Protagonist

+2 more in the full Character Web

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Narrative arc

Story tension across the book — this chapter sits in Exposition.

Setup
Escalation
Breaking point
Aftermath
Closing

This excerpt marks the dramatic climax because Michel Ardan’s confident, visionary rhetoric is suddenly challe…

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Relationships

Impey Barbicane
rivalry · ambivalent
Nicholl and Barbicane begin as fierce intellectual rivals over the feasibility of the… How this plays out →
Michel Ardan
friendship · positive
J. T. Maston
rivalry · ambivalent
Tom Hunter
social · positive
Michel Ardan
friendship · positive
Impey Barbicane
rivalry · ambivalent
Nicholl and Barbicane begin as fierce intellectual rivals over the feasibility of the… How this plays out →
Impey Barbicane
rivalry · ambivalent
Nicholl and Barbicane begin as fierce intellectual rivals over the feasibility of the… How this plays out →
Michel Ardan
friendship · positive
J. T. Maston
rivalry · ambivalent

Impey Barbicane
Nicholl and Barbicane begin as fierce intellectual rivals over the feasibility of the moon shot, but later reconcile.
Michel Ardan
Nicholl and Ardan develop a strong friendship after initial antagonism, united by the moon expedition.
J. T. Maston
Nicholl and Maston initially clash due to Nicholl's skepticism and Maston's fervent support of Barbicane's plan.
Tom Hunter
Nicholl and Tom Hunter are acquaintances within the Gun Club circle, with Hunter being a minor member.
Michel Ardan
Nicholl and Ardan develop a strong friendship after initial antagonism, united by the moon expedition.
Impey Barbicane
Nicholl and Barbicane begin as fierce intellectual rivals over the feasibility of the moon shot, but later reconcile.
Impey Barbicane
Nicholl and Barbicane begin as fierce intellectual rivals over the feasibility of the moon shot, but later reconcile.
Michel Ardan
Nicholl and Ardan develop a strong friendship after initial antagonism, united by the moon expedition.
J. T. Maston
Nicholl and Maston initially clash due to Nicholl's skepticism and Maston's fervent support of Barbicane's plan.

Relationship notes

How these ties play out is in the reading companion — open the free preview.

See Captain Nicholl in One Enemy Against Twenty-Five Millions of Friends

In the story

Captain Nicholl appears across 11 companion beats. Open any chapter in the free preview to see the notes beside the text.

One Enemy Against Twenty-Five Millions of Friends
The sole public enemy of the Gun Club project, a rival inventor from Philadelphia who challenges Barbicane's calculations and places a series of bets against the enterprise.
Urbi et Orbi
His theories are cited by the Greenwich Observatory in their dismissal of Barbicane's proposition.
The Columbiad
Pays off a 2,000-dollar bet to Barbicane after the cannon's successful casting, causing him great anger and illness.
Thrust and Parry
Not directly mentioned in this chapter, but implied as part of the Gun Club audience.
How a Frenchman Settles an Affair
Engages in the duel but is persuaded by Ardan to join the voyage instead.
The New Citizen of the United States
Present during the preparatory experiment and the visit to the Columbiad.
The Projectile Compartment
One of the three travelers awaiting the projectile compartment.
Final Details
Loses his third bet as the loading succeeds, pays 3,000 dollars to Barbicane, and is wished by Ardan to lose his other two wagers.
Fire!
Walks with a firm and measured step, lips compressed.
Cloudy Weather
Nicholl is cheered by the crowd as one of the travelers in the projectile.
A New Star
One of the three travelers now trapped as a satellite of the moon.

Chapter companion notes

Spoil-light check-ins for Captain Nicholl unlock in the free preview.

See Captain Nicholl in One Enemy Against Twenty-Five Millions of Friends