Character Analysis
They call Impey Barbicane the President of the Gun Club, but we have a better title for him: King of the Nerds. To be clear, around these parts that's only a good thing.
Revenge of the Nerds
Barbicane is such a geek that he might as well guest star on Star Trek. Like Spock (live long and prosper, yo), Barbicane is a logical guy known for "bringing practical ideas to bear upon the wildest undertakings" (2.7). Captain Kirk would never have been able to get out of all those crazy messes without Spock around, and the same is generally true for Barbicane's cohorts. But while his logic skills usually work to Barbicane's benefit, there are times when he could stand to lighten up a little bit.
This fact is never clearer than when Barbicane hangs out with Ardan, the Captain Kirk to his Spock. Ardan is—as Barbicane says—a "most radiant artist" (23.17). Barbicane, on the other hand, has a "matter-of-fact mind […] little sensible of the beauties of art" (23.9). Though this intense practicality generally helps him out, Barbicane's logical mind also has a tendency to trip him up when he has to deal with people instead of equations. As nerds ourselves, we can wholeheartedly relate.
Social Ties
Barbicane's poor people skills get him into trouble at times. As the project progresses, for instance, he becomes increasingly labeled "autocratic" and "un-American" (16.20) for banning the public from the construction site. Barbicane has valid reasons for doing this—even the smallest mistake could have devastating (not to mention fatal) consequences on the finished product. It's simple logic: Opening the site to the public makes failure more likely. Despite his reasoning, though, this refusal to share with ordinary folks makes the public trust him less.
Their wariness isn't really fair, though, since throughout the entire process, Barbicane is honest and straightforward about his plan. What's more, everyone knows that his heart is in the right place—he's made it abundantly clear that "the honours of celebrity were […] not to his taste" (13.9). In short, then, the public needs to take a chill pill. In our eyes, Barbicane is only performing this "little experiment" (2.37) to see if it's possible and to challenge himself. He's way more interested in the journey than the destination, and he'd prefer everyone just leave him alone.
Elephants on Parade
There's just one huge elephant in the room when it comes to Barbicane: his relationship with the Gun Club. Like his compatriots, Barbicane is proud to declare "that any war which would put arms into [the Gun Club's] hands would be welcome" (2.12). It's hard to reconcile this man with the one that we've come to know over the course of the novel. That Barbicane seems like an open-minded guy—not the kind of dude who gets depressed that people are taking a break from killing each other.
That being said, these issues aren't black and white. We actually witness Barbicane enter a situation where violence is demanded of him, but instead of hunting his foe, he sits against a tree "tracing formulae and geometrical figures" (21.63). That'd be like stopping a schoolyard fight to read the latest Amazing Spider-Man.
So while there's little doubt that Barbicane has contributed to the deaths of thousands, we still don't think of him as a violent guy. To him, a cannon is simply another equation he needs to solve. Again, then, we see him so lost in his own nerdiness that he fails to recognize the impact of his actions on the ordinary folks around him.
Needless to say, then, we're glad we're not one of the guys stuck orbiting the moon with him indefinitely. His intentions may be harmless, but there's no way that sharing close quarters with him isn't tough.
Barbicane's Timeline