Analysis / Scum and Villainy

Playbook inspirations

So, from the listed touchstones alone, we have:

• Firefly: Mal is the Scoundrel, Wash is the Pilot, Jayne is the Muscle, Kaylee is the Mechanic, Simon is the Stitch, River is the Mystic, and Inara is the Speaker. Zoe is a Muscle speccing over into Scoundrel (or vice versa), while Book is a Speaker dabbling in Mystic. Serenity most closely matches a Stardancer crew.
• Cowboy Bebop: Jet is the Speaker, Spike is the Muscle, Fay is the Scoundrel, and Ed is the Mechanic (with the focus on hacking, rather than repairs) with Ein as her Genius Pet. The Bebop is obviously a Cerberus crew.
• Star Wars: A New Hope: Luke is the Pilot, Han is the Scoundrel, Chewie is the Muscle, R2-D2 is the Mechanic, Obi-Wan is the Mystic, and C-3PO is the Speaker. Leia, at least in this movie, is more of an NPC than a player character, since she doesn't actually do much. In its minimal configuration (Han and Chewie), the Millenium Falcon is clearly a Stardancer, but for the purposes of the movie, it carries a Firedrake crew.

Other crews as playbooks

• Star Trek: The Original Series: Kirk is the Scoundrel, Spock may be the Mystic, McCoy is the Stitch, Uhura is the Speaker, Scotty is the Mechanic, Sulu is the Pilot. The Muscle archetype is notably absent from the roster.
• Star Trek: The Next Generation: Picard and Troi are both Speakers, Riker is the Scoundrel, Geordi is the Mechanic, Tasha and Worf are the Muscles, Beverly is the Stitch, Data is most likely the Pilot.
• The Expanse: Jim is the Scoundrel (with some Mystic moves^note thanks to his mysterious connection to the Protomolecule and the Investigator), Alex is the Pilot, Naomi is the Mechanic, and Amos is the Muscle with some Mechanic veteran moves^note as that is literally his official role on the ship. Among the guest crew members and passengers, Miller is another Scoundrel (with some Speaker moves), Prax is a Stitch, Avasarala and Anna are Speakers, Bobbie is a Muscle, and Melba/Clarissa is a Mechanic. The Rocinante, being a legitimately salvaged Martian gunship, is clearly a Firedrake.
• Farscape: The crew’s missions seem most out of the Firedrake playbook, though Moya being unarmed makes it a stretch. Crichton is the Mechanic, Aeryn and D'Argo are Muscle, Zhaan is their original Mystic, succeeded by Stark, Pilot is the Pilot, Chiana is the Scoundrel, Rygel is the Speaker, Jool and Noranti are Stitches.
• Mass Effect: Joker is the Pilot, Kaidan is the Mystic, Ashley and Wrex are Muscles, Tali is the Mechanic, Garrus is the Scoundrel, Dr. Chakwas and Liara are Stitches. Shepard can be most playbooks, depending on class and alignment.
• Mass Effect 2: EDI is the Pilot; Miranda and Kelly are Speakers; Grunt, Jack and Zaeed are Muscles; Jacob and Kasumi are Scoundrels; Mordin is the Stitch; Samara and Thane are Mystics; Gabby, Donnel, and Legion are Mechanics.
• Mass Effect 3: Vega is the Muscle, and Javik is the Mystic.
• The Mandalorian: The Razor Crest is a Cerberus, Din's the Muscle (who tends to go Loaded for Bear), Grogu's the Mystic, Greef Karga's the Speaker, Peli's the Mechanic, and really most of the other characters are variants of Muscle.
• Outlaw Star: Gene is the Scoundrel, Jim is the Mechanic, Melfina is the Pilot, Aisha is the Muscle, and Suzuka is the Mystic.
• Star Wars Rebels: Kanan is the Mystic, Hera is the Pilot, Zeb and Sabine are Muscles, Chopper is the Mechanic, and Ezra is the Scoundrel. The Ghost is a Firedrake.
• To Sleep in a Sea of Stars: The Wallfish carries a Stardancer crew, whose Captain Falconi is the Scoundrel, Nielsen is the Speaker, Sparrow is the Muscle, Hwa-jung is the Mechanic, Vishal is the Stitch, Gregorovich is the Pilot, while Veera and Jorrus are the guest-star Mystics. Trig is a bit harder to pin down, since he is basically the cabin-boy with no permanent specialization yet.
• Subverse: The Mary Celeste carries a Firedrake crew^note on a mission to overthrow the Imperium consisting of the Captain as the Pilot^note since he personally steers the F3N1X during shmup sections and is repeatedly mentioned to have been an Ace Pilot for the Solar Navy, DEMI as the Speaker^note thanks to her language and, uh, pleasure suites, Dr. Lily as the Stitch^note between her academic background, Manticore research, and passive healing powers, Dallick and Fortune as the Mechanics^note specializing in Rig and Hack, respectively, Killision, Elaisha, and Sova as Muscles, and Taron^note a literal Classy Cat-Burglar and the Huntress^note a lone wolf Bounty Hunter as Scoundrels. Senator Erark^note who, as a "respectable person on the take", would clearly be a Speaker on board is their Favored Contact.
• Lost in Space (2018): The Jupiter 2 doesn't map to a Scum and Villainy ship, but her crew does quite well. Maureen Robinson is a scientist Stitch. John Robinson is the Muscle. Judy Robinson is a doctor Stitch (who has good points in Scramble). Penny Robinson is a little hard to place, but she might be a Speaker. Will Robinson is even harder to place, and might be an NPC for the Robot, who is xeno Muscle. Don West is a Mechanic. Easy. He even has a pet: Debbie the chicken. Doctor Smith is an obvious Speaker.
• Andromeda: The Eureka Maru is a Stardancer but after recovering a Firedrake from a black hole the crew decide to change playbooks. Beka is the Pilot, Harper is the Mechanic, Tyr is the Muscle, Trance is the Mystic, Rev Bem is the Speaker, and Dylan is another Speaker, Rommie started as an AI Module but her avatar is Muscle.
• Tales from the Borderlands: Rhys and Fiona are both Scoundrels, Vaughn is a Speaker, Sasha and the Loader Bot are Muscles, and Felix is a Mechanic.

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