The Down and Out:
The player may decide that the character comes from humble or hardscrabble beginnings. Perhaps he was a moisture farmer on some barren world, an indentured servant working for the Hutts, or abandoned from a young age to survive in the depths of Coruscant's underworld. This character starts out knowing that life is nasty, brutish, and short and probably has seen more than his share of horror. He may have seen friends and family members die from malnutrition, disease, or violence and witnessed tremendous injustice done to the weak or vulnerable.
Despite (or because of) this harsh, early view of the universe, characters from this type of background strive to better themselves and do their utmost to escape their plight. The character either trains incessantly, picking up knowledge in any way that he can, or simply is tough and resourceful enough to go out on his own. However, leaving this rough-and-tumble life might not be as easy as it seems. The character may still have
family left behind in squalor, former comrades that take a dim view of him leaving a gang, or former "employers" that want the character to finish up their "contracts."

Secret Blueprints: Some Technicians come into possession of knowledge that can be downright dangerous. For some, it's information they stole or stumbled across, schematics for a secret superweapon or illegal technology. For others, it's a machine whose construction and design may have been their life's work up until its completion...until their employer decided to shut the project down, and with it all loose ends. These Technicians find that a life on the run is the only option, always trying to keep one step ahead of the corporate or Empire or underworld thugs who seek to do them in, always trying to find some way to turn that knowledge that's such a huge liability into an asset.

Mad Genius: It's not the Technician's fault if no one understands his genius. Granted they just asked for cooling condensers, but an arctic environment generator accomplishes so much more! A mad genius Technician probably has one or more misunderstandings in his past. He finds bureaucracy stifling (especially all the paperwork one must fill out after a moderate-sized explosion that might happen to eradicate a city block) and chafes at regulations or anyone trying to limit his genius. He must keep moving and continue searching for the perfect opportunity to display his genius, not to mention exciting new things to stimulate his curiosity and puzzles to solve.

Power (Ambition): The character craves power and authority over others. His rule may not be despotic, but he wants to control his situation and those around him, often bettering himself in the process.

Oath (To make the world better - no matter the cost):
The character has sworn some sort of oath that dictates his thoughts and actions, shaping his moral view of the world. This could be an oath to a deity, a way of living (such as the Jedi Code), or a willingness to sacrifice for the betterment of some group or cause. Whatever the case, the Oath should be both serious and make life difficult in some ways for the character. It is a personal and deep undertaking, possibly without a truly obtainable end goal in sight. Characters who do not live up to this oath face an internal and moral struggle.

Obsession (With the Force):
The PC has some unhealthy obsession that tends to interfere in his life, whether with a celebrity, a region, a political movement, a cultural icon, or some other facet of society or life. He must pursue this, possibly to the detriment of his health, finances, or well-being. A character with this Obligation tends to get along well with others that share his interest, but is looked at with pity, amusement, or even a bit of fear from others who don't understand.

Responsibility (Towards Admiral Thrawn):
A character with the Responsibility Obligation feels a strong sense of accountability or relationship to a person, place, or thing (a responsibility to kin falls under the Family Obligation described above). This could include a strong connection to a mentor, a strong desire to care for orphans in a given location, or taking on the needs of an under-represented minority.

Opportunity Knocks:
The simplest reason for a character to live on the fringes of society is the basic desire to grasp some opportunity or challenge oneself. A character from a hard, poor background may strive to better himself and jumps at
the first chance to improve his lot. A well-off character may be bored with the steady rhythms of high society or realizes that his chances for advancement must come from his own hard work rather than waiting for
things to occur. Lastly, this could be as simple as making a spur-of-the-moment decision to board a starship bound for some far-flung part of the galaxy.

A Higher Calling:
Even in the rough-and-tumble world of EDGE OF THE EMPIRE, there are those who strive to change the galaxy —often for the better, but sometimes for the worse. Perhaps the character has made a vow to help
others, which works nicely into the Oath Obligation. A character may receive some sort of sign that tells him to leave behind his former life and make his way to the fringes of the galaxy to serve this higher calling.