Step 3 – Who Are You? (Personas 101)

Folks who are new to living history (or the ‘costumed arts’ in general) may be surprised to see that Step Three isn’t ‘Go Out And Buy A Bunch Of Stuff’ or ‘Time to Start Sewing!’. Many reenactors have done that very thing, only to find that what they wound up with was A Bunch Of Stuff they didn’t really need once they got more involved in the hobby. At this point, you should simply take a deep breath, and read on!

Now that we have thought about the opportunities that exist around you (or ones you can create!)—the What—it is time to think about Who will be doing the What. It is time to pick a persona. What do we mean when we speak of a Persona? Simply, this is the individual that one ‘portrays’ in one’s ‘impression’ (this step is very similar to the character-creation process at the start of a role-playing game).

When deciding on a character/persona to portray, it is important that it be based on a type of person during a specific time and place—if this were an MMORPG, this would be your ‘player class’. With several thousand years of depicted history and a whole galaxy to choose from, your choices are nearly infinite. However, keep in mind that certain times or places are more fully documented than others. If there is an aspect of life in the Galaxy that you find particularly interesting, by all means: follow that interest!

It is also key at this early point to keep in mind that any history is best experienced from the perspective of the common man (or woman, or alien, or…droid?).
Unfortunately, because we have traditionally seen the Galaxy through the eyes of a small cast who is (somehow) consistently responsible for directing the course of Galactic history, we have a distorted view of things. If you wanted to learn how an everyday citizen of our society lived, you certainly wouldn’t follow the President, Cabinet, Speaker of the House, Senate Majority Leader, and a couple of five-star generals around!
While it may be tempting to gravitate to a flashy persona like an elite ARC clonetrooper, a General in the Alliance military, or a Mandalorian supercommando, these would be comparatively rare in the Galaxy, so start with something simple, common, and generic—think background character. It will likely give you a much more authentic taste of life in the GFFA. You also probably shouldn’t draw too much inspiration from the main Heroes of the saga (at least not after they became heroes)—as in historic reenacting, first-person impressions of known, famous figures (think American presidents) should be avoided at first. Besides, unless you are a dead-ringer for Harrison Ford or Natalie Portman or whomever, it’s going to be weird.

Here are some possible persona ideas (and topics you might use them to address) to help you brainstorm your own!

-An artist living on Naboo during the Trade Federation’s blockade (Economics)
-A podracer mechanic just before the Boonta Eve race. (what makes a jet engine work, or even simple engine repair!)
-A medic stationed on a Rebel medical frigate. (Combat first aid)
-A member of the Imperial Survey Corps scouting Endor’s moon. (Cartography or orienteering)
-A pickpocket operating in Coruscant’s entertainment district. (Social engineering/situational awareness)
-A T-47 pilot just before the Battle of Hoth. (military life on a airbase, a la the Battle of Britain)
-A moisture farmer on Tatooine just prior to the Clone Wars. (relations with hostile indigenous?)
-A communications technician serving on a Alliance cruiser. (digital warfare and cybersecurity?)

In my case, I have a few personas I have developed for first-person:
-Silo, a ‘washout’ Jedi (formerly of the Agricultural Corps) keeping his head down and trying to blend into civilian life about six years prior to the Battle of Yavin;
-‘Citizen Olis’, a partizan (part of Rebel Alliance Sector Forces) on Sulon one year after the Battle of Endor–which I have since reworked and refined into:
-Steen Olis, a former archeology student turned partizan, based on Naboo shortly after the Battle of Yavin.

Still in development:
-a Naboo-raised member of the New Republic Archeological Corps, c. 24 ABY

Each of these personas can function as an engagement ‘hook’ to teach basic real-world wilderness survival and traditional skills, just in the context of the Galactic setting.

Researching, compiling, and writing this site takes a lot of time and energy. If you’ve enjoyed reading this series, have learned something from this post, or will use it as inspiration for a persona of your own, please consider supporting my work with a small donation below! Thank you!