Scientist

Of the 8 Career Skills, choose 4 to get a free rank. Of the 4 Specialization Skills, choose 2 to get a free rank.

Engineer Career Skills: Athletics, Computers, Knowledge (Education), Mechanics, Perception, Piloting (Space), Ranged (Light) and Vigilance

Scientist Specialization Skills: Computers, Knowledge (Education), Knowledge (Lore) and Medicine

With a fraction of the resources and funding of the Empire, the Alliance is constantly forced to find creative solutions to problems. These problems include matters of supply, housing, transport, effective weaponry and defenses, and a host of others. The people they turn to for those creative solutions are those who are trained and driven to identify a need and seek out a technical solution to it—in other words, Scientists.

Unsurprisingly, Scientists are among the most educated people in the galaxy, with a wide range of advanced knowledge in areas such as medicine and celestial mechanics.

Most Scientists pursue their work in labs, rarely venturing out into the greater galaxy. Their lives are spent on theories and research, pondering the latest mysteries of the universe comfortably away from conflict and strife. Some Scientists, however, seek the satisfaction of bringing their theories and their ideas into the galaxy in order to help others. They design solutions, help create of the technology to implement those solutions, and actively test and use those solutions alongside others who are also trying to help make life better.

Though Alliance officials prefer to keep Scientists in the rear echelons, as far away from clanger and risk as possible, there are more than a few who insist on being the ones to test their new devices directly in the held. Further, some Scientists sign on with the Rebellion for the express purpose of taking the fight to the Empire; they're just as prepared to fire a blaster at a stormtrooper as they are to devise a way to improve the power flow for that blaster to do more damage.

Potential Backgrounds

  • Academic: Scientists are the quintessential academics. From those in the secret research labs of Chiewab Amalgamated Pharmaceuticals and the halls of Coreilia University to those in the dusty plains and deep oceans of countless far-flung planets, Scientists are an integral part of the galaxy.

    Scientists are relatively uncommon in the Alliance, and academic Scientists are even more so. Most prefer to assist their local cells from behind the scenes, passing along scientific information and technology in an effort to give the Alliance an edge over the Empire. Those rare Scientists willing to leave their tenured university positions or cushy, well-paid research jobs to serve in the Alliance form the core of the loosely organized Rebel research and development cells.
  • Eccentric: Eccentric Scientists tend to be either overly attached to their field of study to the point of single-minded obsession or amoral monsters who will do anything or perform any experiment in pursuit of scientific mastery, with few falling between these extremes. These are the researchers who experiment with extremely dangerous diseases or deadly substances just because they can or clone monstrous hybrids for the challenge of it. There are very few eccentric Scientists in the Alliance, and those tend toward the absent-minded or quirky types who are a little too wrapped up in their work. The Empire’s various research labs and think tanks are full of eccentric Scientists. These individuals are responsible for biological, viral, and technological superweapons that can destroy whole worlds in an instant.
  • Journeyman: Journeyman Scientists spend their time in the field, examining strange alien flora and fauna, studying pre-technological cultures, or excavating the remains of long-dead civilizations. They are the itinerant archaeologists, the hunters who capture creatures for zoos and research facilities, and the unruly academics who prefer getting their hands dirty to teaching. These maverick Scientists are a perfect fit for the Alliance, and many members of Alliance R&D count themselves as journeymen rather than as academics.
  • Talented Amateur: Amateur Scientists are typically dabblers or passionate laypeople who combine passing knowledge of their chosen field with insatiable curiosity. Examples might include the backyard astronomer who charts stellar phenomena, the natural mathematician who enjoys number puzzles, and the student fascinated with exotic creatures. Amateur Scientists are surprisingly common, given that almost anyone can possess an interest in science and a drive to study the galaxy, even without extensive formal learning. While some have a reach that is much longer than their grasp, these individuals often bring fresh and valuable points of view to laboratories and research stations.