As we tend to do in this hobby, in the years since debuting Silo, my initial ‘Jedi on the run’ persona way back in 2017, I’ve done a lot of thinking and reworking. Since this is a post-Purge persona (c. 3BBY), blending in with the civilian populace is paramount; this means that including recognizably standard Jedi elements would only serve to ‘out’ this individual to the Imperial authorities.
Before getting into the nitty-gritty of textiles, we’ve gotta get one thing straight…
No, I do not (and should not) carry a lightsaber as part of this impression. Here’s what’s led me to this conclusion:
- This persona is a washout. The Jedi Path states that saber construction is undertaken at the Padawan stage, and if Silo was never chosen by a Master (hence his entrance into the Service Corps), he never would’ve reached the level at which a saber would be constructed.
- If we turn to RPG resources, the archetype for an ‘AgriCorps worker’ (WotC: Clone Wars Campaign Guide, p 122) specifies only ‘agricultural tools and datapad’ as the character’s possessions:
- However, as we see in Episode II, younglings of the various Clans do receive basic lightsaber training while learning at the Temple, and the aforementioned character sheet specifies that such a character would possess Weapon Proficiency for a lightsaber.
- Even if he possessed one, however, considering the spread of anti-Jedi sentiment under the New Order and the fact that the point of this impression is to do his best to operate under the radar, it would be incredibly irresponsible to be going about with a visible lightsaber in the first place. This is backed up by one of our best primary sources on the Jedi experience in the wake of the Clone Wars (James Luceno’s 2005 Dark Lord: The Rise of Darth Vader):
“‘Think about the final beacon message we received at Murkhana. The message didn’t tell us to gather together and coordinate a strike on Coruscant, or on Palpatine, or even on the troopers. It instructed us, each of us who received it, to hide. Yoda or whoever ordered the transmission knew that the Jedi were in a fight we couldn’t win. The message was a way of saying just that—that the Order is over and done with. That the Jedi are finished.’
He hid his ruefulness. ‘Does that mean that you have to stop honoring the Force? Of course not. All of us will live out our lives honoring the Force. But not with lightsabers in hand, Olee. With right action, and right thinking.’
‘I’d rather die honoring the Force with my lightsaber,’ she said.
He had expected as much. ‘How is dying honoring the Force, when you could be out doing good works, passing on to others all that you’ve learned about the Force?’
‘Is that what you plan to do—devote yourself to good works?’
Shryne smiled. ‘Right now I only know what I’m not going to do, and that’s help rush you into a grave on some remote world.'” (Chapter 27)
In other words, Roan Shryne knows Jedi derring-do is counterproductive under the Empire: keep your head down and carry the fire, but put the damn saber away!
- As if more justification were needed, let us we remember that good living history is focused on common people, and endeavors to present an authentic impression which is as real-world functional as possible. While I’ve seen them improve by leaps and bounds over the last few decades, even the toughest replica lightsaber is still just an LED glowstick that plays recorded sounds out of the hilt. If I wanted to use this persona to teach a lesson with ‘training sabers’, maybe I’d pick one up. But when the name of the game is ‘blend into the civilian populace’, a lightsaber is a dangerous liability.
The above points are backed up by several examples:
- Lorian Nod (sent to the AgriCorps as a punishment) possessed no personal lightsaber as a student prior to exile.
- Hestizo Trace (of the pre-Ruusan AgriCorps) had no lightsaber (Red Harvest)
- Sanya (serving on Ukio during the Clone War) did not have one, and had to appropriate a clonetrooper’s pistol to fight off battle droids (Act on Instinct)
- Gwellib Ap-Llewff* (kidnapped from the AgriCorps during or just after the Clone War) had to be trained by Vader to use a saber after being turned to the Darkside. (Evasive Action: Recruitment) *yeah, that’s just straight Welsh.
- Finally, None of the AgriCorps members seen in The Jedi Path are depicted with a lightsaber.
Okay, with that established and out of the way, let’s talk clothing!
Base layer:
As we can see, each of our prime live-action examples of “farmer” wears something under his outer tunic, and as this impression is trying to get by as a civilian during the Dark Times, there’s no need to wear a ‘Jedi-style’ high collar, wrapped front, inner tunic of crinkle cotton. A simple t-shirt or tank top serves as ‘body linens’ and keeps outer garments from getting too dirty/oily.
Outer tunic:
Based on the use of similar ‘peasant-type’ garments by our examples above, I believe this style represents a generic farmer. (While I may choose to not recognize the specifics of its plot and characters, assuming ‘Rogue One‘ is at least a relatively-accurate holodrama, its identification of this style tunic with agriculture in the opening scenes makes a decent data point.)
Pattern: sewn from Simplicity #2940 (kimono and gi)
Material: 6-7 oz 100% linen—chosen for its anti-microbial and fast drying properties, plus decent texture (for visual interest) and relative affordability (at least in 2011 when I first sewed this!)
Color: outer layer: natural + RIT ‘Tan’, overdyed with RIT ‘Cocoa Brown’ and ‘Golden Yellow’ (1-to-.6 ratio) for ‘Caramel’; lining: natural + RIT ‘Tan’
Closure: simple peasant overlap with belt
Notes: this cozy tunic is fully lined (essentially two tunics sewn together; though it would be better with the lining in a more lightweight material… and if it were 3-4 inches longer). For finishing touches and extra texture, I included topstitching around all edges.
Note that the typical tabards and obi sash worn by the Prequel-era Jedi are not included here, as these contribute significantly to the Space Wizard look.
Trousers:
Pants tend to (or should!) be the most nondescript part of ones’ impression, so these are nothing fancy – simple OD cotton trousers.
As an extra layer for warmth or visual interest, I can add a Vest (seen here worn over my blue silk shirt):
This is patterned from a thrifted jacket minus the sleeves; inspired by the ‘Ayelixe/Krongbing Textiles Corporation Utility vest’ in the WotC & FFG RPG materials.
Material: 100% cotton OD ripstop (a deconstructed M1966 Vietnam jungle shirt) + RIT Cocoa Brown; lining 100% silk (a deconstructed thrifted blouse) + RIT Coral, Cocoa Brown, Pearl Gray (2:3:1)
As we’ve noted before, a vest/waistcoat have been a key way to add visual interest since the GFFA’s very beginning; (see John Mollo’s comments on rebel fleet troopers in SWCOT); the cap-sleeve shoulder extensions were added for extra in-universe EU style points.
Headwear:
Floppy/bucket hat: definitely required for keeping the ol’ noggin shaded. Since the prototype I sewed myself back in ’21 came out a little wonky (my sewing machine didn’t like sewing through so many layers of twill material), I opted to go with something readymade from Amazon. Besides, realistically, a hat probably isn’t the kind of thing a farmer would be making themselves.
I wore this hat for the first 1,330 miles of the Appalachian Trail on my 2021 thruhike, so it got good and authentically weatherbeaten and sunbleached (as we would expect a farmer’s clothing should be!).
Documentation: in addition to frequent appearances on background extras in Mos Eisley c.0BBY, floppy hats are worn in ‘agricultural’ contexts by Luke Skywalker (deleted ‘Treadwell’ scene of Episode IV) and Paxi Sylo of Dantooine (episodes 12 & 13 of Tartakovsky’s Clone Wars microseries).
The hat can additionally be paired with a Pashmina (silk/wool blend) scarf to shade the neck or for ‘evaporative cooling’.
To add a little more otherworldliness, I’ve considered swapping the floppy hat for one of those brown not-cultural-appropriation conical hats sold at the Disney parks. A good addition?
Belt:
Nothin fancy, just an oil-tanned, full-grain leather belt with a tool hook (attached with Chicago screws) and a plain Tandy buckle:
-rectangular blank (see Erso, Luke Skywalker, Ben Kenobi, Dannik Jerriko (0BBY) or
-oval blank (see Cpt. Raymus Antilles, Owen Lars, Fixer Loneozner, Cornelius Evazan, Jan Dodonna, Luke Skywalker (all 0BBY)—noted in Character Encyclopedia (2011) to be ‘Commenor-style’
All of these receive constant usage (rotated throughout the week) which has given them authentic dings and scuffs for the ‘used universe’ look.
Footwear:
-Finnish milsurp jackboots ($70 Varusteleka), OR
-Chelsea-style (Blundstone) boots paired with either tailored Swiss snow gaiters (pictured above), or simple wool puttees/winningas/legwraps (which are seen worn by farmboy Luke and ‘Galen’, and definitely read more “peasant” than the other options).
So there you have it – a simple, reference-based impression of a former young Jedi getting by as a galactic farmer. Naturally, constructive critique is always welcomed! Are there any better examples of farmers I’ve overlooked? Drop a comment below and let me know what I could tweak for a future update!
Living History in the Star Wars Galaxy 