NRAC: research and insights

Creation of a functional New Republic Archeological Corps impression will be an exercise in extrapolation, as I have a limited amount of data to draw from. In this post I’ll lay out and unpack the sources I uncovered, and next week I’ll reveal a ‘character design’ I have synthesized from these sources, and my explanation for these choices.
As the main body of Star Wars material for popular consumption generally (and stubbornly) revolves around a cast of high-level generals, politicians, pilots, soldiers, and warrior-monks, ‘occupational’ characters like archeologists are not to be easily found. As I have frequently found in my efforts documented here, when ‘common’ background details are scarce, one can usually turn to role-playing game materials to flesh things out, and this case is no exception.
In my research, I was surprised to see that most Star Wars role-playing-games have included accommodations for archeologist characters. From the West End Games era, Heroes and Rogues (1995) includes such a character template, whose design unfortunately gives us very little to go on besides tunic and utility belt, as the fellow appears to be wearing a poncho over his garments (unhelpful for us, but practical nonetheless); he also seems to be wearing a billed cap with a device (flashlight or camera?) mounted on one side (art by Tim Eldred):
However, the template also gives a practical selection of equipment: “outdoor hiking gear, synthrope, datapad, terrain charts, sensor pack, blaster pistol, rations pack, pickaxe, 1,200 credits” (p. 92).
In addition to a generic template, a complete profile for a specific xenoarcheologist, Dr. Angrail Ryhl, is also included in this book. His character sheet includes the following list of equipment: “a wall of degrees, small artifacts worth 3,000 credits, heavy blaster pistol, datapad, a library of ancient maps, a commission for 25,000 credits to recover the [ancient artifact of a lost civilization, mystical powers, yadda yadda yadda]” (p. 125).

Heroes and Rogues also includes a template for a similar type of character, a mineralogist. As an educated occupation which would involve getting dirty, he is logically depicted (by Robert Duchlinski) wearing unremarkable pocketed coveralls (what would later be termed a ‘generic utility suit’). A character of this type is equipped with “field coveralls, comlink, datapad, mining gear, 1,000 credits” (p. 89):
Thus far, I’ve been unable to find mention of archeologist characters in materials by the prequel-era SW license-holder, Wizards of the Coast. There are a few archeological ‘adventure seeds’ included in connection with Ossus in Geonosis and the Outer Rim Worlds, but no details on characters or their equipment. (If you know of any such references, please drop a line in the comment box below and I’ll check my sources!).

However, the modern (2010s) license-holder, Fantasy Flight Games, has included multiple ‘fringe’-type characters in their Edge of the Empire game system, and introduced a clearly-illustrated archeologist template in their career book for Explorer-class characters, Enter the Unknown. Now we’re getting somewhere!
The example character has a great design with plenty of details to unpack: (click for larger version)
Clothing first – our Duro archeologist appears to wear off-white coveralls with a turn-down collar; sleeves are ¾ length and turned up to his elbows. His right upper thigh area suggests that either his suit has a reinforced seat in a contrasting color, or else these are not full coveralls but chaps! The suit is decorated with several details: sleeves have orange and brown stripes down the arm, and possibly an orange/brown pad on the right shoulder; single brown stripe from top shoulder to armpit, and from armpit to waist. Two small brown pockets are present on the upper chest, with a double-pocket on the left abdomen. He wears orange kneepads, and chunky brown leather boots with added leather/metal details. His hat is brown with a silver-buckled band, and appears to be flat-brimmed with flat crown (more on it in a minute). From his right shoulder is slung a gaudy striped satchel with greeblies and brass hardware; over his shoulder is what appears to be an A280 blaster rifle. His forearms have been wrapped puttee style, and he wears fingerless gloves.

After scanning through Edge of the Empire, one thing has become very clear to me – their artists have a fixation with flat-brimmed, flat-crowned hats! In addition to the Duro archeologist above, several other human females (possibly archeologists as well) and a Rodian ‘fringer’ Explorer wear the same style. If one factors in the more prominent characters Cad Bane and Nico Okarr, it seems that this type of hat has become shorthand in the modern era for ‘fringe character’!:

I am of two minds on this revelation. While the progressive reenacting side of me knows that personal preference should yield to documented sources, I am also aware of the fictional nature of this setting, and how the GFFA (and the artists who depict it) draws heavily on ‘visual storytelling’ tropes. This style of hat straddles the line between two visual archetypes: Indiana Jones, and the ‘spaghetti western lone gunslinger’. While these might be appropriate influences for an Outer Rim independent treasure hunter, I don’t think they’re quite right for a proper archeologist working in the field on behalf of the New Republic and/or in cooperation with the New Jedi Order.

In the Gear section of Enter the Unknown, a few descriptions combine to create a better image of a outdoor adventurer.
-“Common among outdoorsmen, scouts, and hunters, the Tracker Utility Vest from Ayelixe/Krongbing Textiles Corporation is the Explorer’s best friend. These vests are simple sleeveless garments worn on the torso and made from lightweight, durable, stain-resistant, tear- resistant synthetic textiles that close in front with a heavy-duty zipper.* They are covered with numerous pouches of various size, shape, and utility…” (p45). While this description goes on to add a bit of high-tech invisible load-bearing abilities to an otherwise simple pocketed vest, it does suggest that—in accordance with the aesthetic established by John Mollo in 1976—vests are just as commonplace in the backwater fringe as they are on the Rebellion’s frontline.
*Also remember that zippers are generally verboten in the GFFA style, although I can think of a few tricks to keep one hidden behind flaps or similar.

-“Archaeologists can easily evolve from a background of wandering. As a restless soul traveling the Rim, coming across ancient ruins and hidden places as his feet took him there, someone could develop a keen interest to uncover and learn more…” (ibid, 18)
The passage goes on to imply that an archeologist might be identified by his “grungy” appearance, suggesting a heavy level of wear and tear accumulated by time in the field!

Aside from the above roleplaying resources, I was curious what else I could use to flesh out this persona’s kit. While the Edge of the Empire materials are focused (I think) on the GCW era, the NRAC is based in the New Republic/NJO years. With this in mind, I skimmed through the covers of major EU sources in this era (I still want to track down some Dark Horse omnibuses and see what I can uncover), and noticed one clear trend: folks sure love their jumpsuits! . This is especially true for the younger class of Jedi–see the three Solo siblings and Tahiri Veila below–who are featured prominently in the novels set in this period. The images below date from between 18 and 29 ABY:

With all of these findings in mind, I think I have a good idea of the items that I’ll need in order to create an archeologist’s kit. Prospective breakdown next week!

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