Back to Basics – How?

This is the second half of our Back to Basics miniseries, a primer on the whats, hows, and whys of living history in the Galaxy Far, Far Away setting.
Like cosplay, reenacting is fairly straightforward; it generally does not go beyond ‘looking good’ through the creation of an ‘outer persona’. Since contemporary life is noticeably lacking in FTL spacecraft, energy weapons, antigravity vehicles, etc., true Star Wars reenacting is well out of reach.
On the other hand, living history—while requiring more diligent research—is actually much more achievable for the galactic setting. Because it usually involves educational interactions with the pubic, you should try to build your persona as accurately as possible, and whether you’re pursuing First-, Second-, or Third-Person interpretation, you’ll want to have at least a decent understanding of life in the Galaxy, as well as being familiar with your specific subject, trade, or activity.

So today, I want you to ask yourself two questions:
What am I good at? and What can I use those Skills to interpret or teach others?

What do you already know a lot about, have experience with, or just have a burning desire to explore through the Star Wars lens? Frame that real-world knowledge in the galactic setting, play to your strengths, and share your love of it with others through living history! Whether I’m portraying a Rebel fighter or on-the-run Jedi, survival wisdom like the Rule of Threes or the 10 C’s hold just as true for the wilds of Arizona as the wastelands of Tatooine.
With this in mind, I’ve prepared a selection below of ‘interpretation seeds’ based around various interests and everyday skills ready to be taught through Star Wars living history!

– Are you an electrician? Just like our modern world, life in the galaxy runs on electricity – lead a workshop on basic electrical circuits or soldering!

– Work in healthcare? Teach some first aid skills, or share some memorable experiences in a space-warfare context!

– Are you in the armed forces or a veteran? Study up on the Imperial or Alliance military structure, and give a lecture comparing it to modern or historical armies!

– Always up for a game of poker? Learn the rules of Sabacc or Pazaak and host a game, or teach some card-shark tricks!

– Are you really interested in astronomy? The Star Wars setting is a whole galaxy’s worth of space-based topics to apply and unpack! Classes of stars, constellations, life in the Goldilocks Zone, hyperspace hazards, gravity & relativity, you name it!

– Are you a military history buff? Analyze the lives of key generals or important battles in galactic history, and compare them to historic examples!

– Mechanical engineer or just a tinkerer? Portray a repair technician and teach a workshop on small engines! If that’s too mundane, remember many GFFA vehicles (landspeeders, swoops & speeder bikes, LAATs, X-wings, etc) are propelled by a pretty standard jet engine…explain and demonstrate how one works!

– Are you an environmental scientist? The Jedi Agricultural Corps can be a springboard for lots of eco-friendly or conservation-focused educational activities or topics: lead a creek walk, take samples, and teach about aquatic ecosystem health! Soil fertility and sustainable agriculture! Food chains and trophic cascades!

– Are you a tailor or seamstress? Lead a handsewing workshop…as someone from an Outer Rim planet where tailor droids would be a luxury!

– Interested in ‘bushcraft’ or ancestral lifeways? There are plenty of wilderness survival skills that can be taught in the context of Ewok society—braintanning, wild cordage, plant identification, friction firestarting…

– Fascinated by firearms? Plenty of gun-related topics can easily be translated to the GFFA…as long as you remember to call them slugthrowers: gunsmithing and repair, ballistics, rangefinding, the list goes on and on.

– Maybe you’re a visual artist? Portray an artist from a peaceful planet like Naboo or Alderaan and teach a workshop on your vocation: sculpting and casting, perspective drawing, still life, etc, or consider the chemistry of art and teach how to make your own gesso or paint!

– Practice HEMA or other martial arts? Teach self-defense or a basic lightsaber sparring training course as a Jedi battlemaster.

– Are you a cartographer? Lead a hands-on seminar and teach the basics of surveying or map-and-compass navigation!

– Work in I.T.? Put together a slicer persona and teach basic coding!

– There’s plenty of room for archeology-related topics to be interpreted – whether it’s the actual methods of field work and excavation, an overview of an ancient galactic culture’s remains, or a contrast between a real-world culture and one from the GFFA (Rome vs. the Rakata?).

– Interested in metaphysics and eclectic spiritualism? Consider portraying a Jedi (or even a lesser-known Force tradition) and lead a workshop on topics like mindful meditation, yoga, ESP, or astral projection!

This list is far from exhaustive—but hopefully it gives you an idea of the opportunities you can make for yourself. (I haven’t even touched on the various possibilities for galactic ‘trekking’ or encampments!)

Whatever you’re interested in or skilled at, there’s a place for it in the form of Star Wars living history. If you have your own ideas for interpretation, leave them in the comments below, or come discuss at the SWLH facebook group!

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