| Term | History |
| 1 | Became a Scientist at age 18 |
| 1 | Win a prestigious prize for your work. |
| 2 | Continued as Scientist at age 22 |
| 2 | Make a breakthrough in your field. |
| 2 | Promoted to rank 1 |
| 3 | Continued as Scientist at age 26 |
| 3 | Scarred. Fully recovered. Owe 5,000 for medical bills. |
| 4 | Became a Merchant Marine at age 30 |
| 4 | Is now a Crewman |
| 4 | A series of bad deals and decisions force you into bankruptcy. You salvage what you can. |
| 5 | Became a Worker at age 34 |
| 5 | Lost eye or limb. Fully recovered. Owe 5,000 for medical bills. |
| 6 | Became a Surveyor at age 38 |
| 6 | You survey an alien world. |
| 6 | Promoted to rank 1 |
| 6 | Is now a Scout |
| 7 | Voluntarily left Surveyor |
| 7 | Became a Flight at age 42 |
| 7 | Is now a Crewman |
| 7 | You are tormented by or quarrel with an officer or fellow crewman. Gain that character as a Rival. |
| 8 | Became a Wanderer at age 46 |
| 8 | You do not know what happened to you. There is a gap in your memory. |
| 9 | Switched to Engineer/Gunner at age 50 |
| 9 | Vessel participates in a notable military engagement. |
| 10 | Continued as Engineer/Gunner at age 54 |
| 10 | Advanced training in a specialist field |
| 11 | Aging Crisis. Owe 30,000 for medical bills. |
| 11 | Continued as Engineer/Gunner at age 58 |
| 11 | You join a gambling circle on board. |
| 11 | Promoted to Engineer/Gunner rank 1 |
| 11 | Is now a Able Spacehand |
| 12 | Aging Crisis. Owe 40,000 for medical bills. |