Brief:[i]

A decade after the end of the First Sathar War a Frontier-wide youth organization was formed to help bring the Core Four Races together. Founded in FY13, the Star Rangers has many chapters on most settled worlds throughout the United Planetary Federation with the notable exception of the Araks system. It promotes the concepts of physical, spiritual and mental development of youth while teaching survival and exploration skills.

The popularity of the Star Rangers among youth has waxed and waned over the decades depending upon societal changes. Although the organization has traditionally received great support from most sectors, including sponsorship from the Pan Galactic Corporation and the other mega corporations, it has occasionally come under attack by various other groups and governments.

On Hentz (Araks), for example, the Family of One banned the Star Rangers early on as a “countervailing influence” that threatened the moral fiber of young Yazarians. The Family of One, however, established its own group – the Fellowship of One – that mirrors many of the Star Rangers activities, but gears them specifically for Yazarians.

Members of the Frontier Peace Organization have made several charges – often contradicting each other. One common allegation is that the Star Rangers are a front organization for the Free Frontiersmen Foundation and seek to overthrow the UPF with a fascist government. Another discredited theory is that the rangers are in league with the Investors and want to corrupt the youths into supporting the rich against rest of society.

Other fringe groups ranging from the Kraatar Liberation Corps to the HUSPs on New Pale (Truane’s Star) have attacked Star Rangers chapters – both financially and literally – for attempting to dilute the purity of humanity with alien ideals.

Formation

The concept for the Star Rangers goes back to some of the youth organizations that Humans had developed on their home world prior to arriving in the Frontier. Such groups were open to peoples of different nationalities, religious faiths and genders and promoted what were often considered universal Human values.

During the First Common Muster against the pirate fleet of Hatzck Naar, a young Nelson McMeamy of the White Light System joined the Clarion Royal Marines and was deployed into the Frontier. When the pirates destroyed his ship, he soon found himself on a Pan Galactic privateer (the PGS Surety) with a mixed crew of Humans, Vrusk, Yazarians and Dralasites. Here McMeamy made lifelong friends who helped shape the early days of the UPF.

Two decades later, when the Sathar invaded the Frontier in 3 PF, McMeamy was a colonel in the Clarion reserves and was called up for active duty in the Second Common Muster. He served as a liaison officer, initially between the Clarion forces and the rest of the Core Four races but was soon tapped by Admiral Morgaine to help coordinate the activities of the growing defense fleet.

Although based on Gran Quivera (Prenglar), McMeamy often traveled to many of the Frontier worlds, renewing his acquaintance with several others who served aboard the PGS Surety. McMeamy and his friends often talked about the need to train the youth for the necessities of defending their planets against future alien menaces.

During the Battle of Two Fleets in 2 FY, where the Sathar were defeated but at the cost of much of Morgaine’s forces and the loss of the admiral himself, McMeamy was severely wounded and spent two years recovering on Gran Quivera. He wrote a memoire of his experiences serving under Morgaine along with several other short books aimed at the youth of the Core Four races. One book, Rangers of the Frontier, became very popular and the basis for starting the Star Rangers.

By FY8, McMeamy (now Lord McMeamy after inheriting his father’s royal title) and seven others – including Dalaa Naaro and Jeeka Srobbalee of the Yazarians, K’llee and YKk’ll’tkk of the Vrusk, Lloomahnee and Oodaahkay of the Dralasites, and Kai-Fu Jinping of the Humans gathered on Gran Quivera to establish the first Star Rangers chapter, which was sponsored by the newly formed Star Law police organization. Star Law officials saw the youth group as a natural venue to train potential candidates for the future.

From its first chapter on Gran Quivera, the Star Rangers quickly spread to other planets – even to the Outer Reach (Dramune), which is known for its criminal government. However, not everyone welcomed the new club. Many Vrusk trade houses saw the Star Rangers as a threat to socializing young Vrusk, so only the more adventurous of their kind joined at first. As noted earlier, the Family of One also saw the rangers as a menace to the traditional clan system and banned the group from establishing any chapters in the Araks system.

Lord McMeamy was the commandant of the Star Rangers until retiring in FY44. Afterward, he was an advisor to the organization until he passed away in FY71 at age 109 due to illness and complications that could be attributed to his injuries back in the First Sathar War.

Star Rangers in Popular Culture

The growth of the Star Rangers was also aided by book series and an early youth holovision show called “Star Rangers,” which was produced between FY23 and FY27 by Jean Blashfield and Beverly Charette.

The series starred Ranger Chaylo (Jose Monarrez), a Human boy; Rama (Haileen of the Backa Clan), a female Yazarian; Carrel (KRL Vr’Kal’kkix), a Vrusk male, and Gogol  (Gantoorlp), a Dralasite. The child actors were supported by Nanny Navigator Robot, a modified Pan-Galactic Model H-1-Eleven service robot.

The children lived on the fictional planet of Nedram, loosely based on Gran Quivera, which had blue dirt and was home to many of the Spacefleet’s top officials plus a groundside spaceship construction facility. The first adventure, “Star Rangers and the Spy,” featured the children spoiling the efforts of a Sathar agent, Mr. Drel, from stealing an experimental starship and giving it to the worms.

Another fictional race, the Boxils – white, cube-shaped creatures with four stubby legs and humanoid faces – often appeared in the episodes, often reacting with comic effect to some event occurring.

One of the episodes, “Captured Planet” (S01-12), was banned in the Truane’s Star System by the government of Pale for “malicious intent” to “flagrantly violate the public trust” and “manipulation of the facts.” The plot concerned an alleged Sathar attempt to cause widespread mannakan crop failure and spark a food crisis throughout the Frontier. The storyline incorrectly stated New Pale’s population as being only 20,000 people while alleging that the planet’s farms were run strictly by the Pan Galactic Corporation and its robot harvesters. Streel Corporation and the United Farmers Alliance of New Pale strongly objected to the tale, but it has become an underground cult classic.

The holovision series ended in FY27 after a tragic accident where an air car carrying Monarrez and Haileen crashed, killing the actors and four production staff members, including the lead director. Conspiracy theories have swirled ever since that Sathar agents blew the air car out of the sky, but nothing was ever proven.

Gantoorlp went on to become a comedian, playing various venues throughout the Frontier until the Dralasite was ensnared in an embezzlement scandal in FY63. Fleeing Star Law authorities, it purportedly ended up on the Outer Reach.

Vr’Kal’kkix, who grew up in the Vrusk entertainment trade house known as Kar’Reh’Ll (the character name Carrel was derived from KRL’s name), also remained in the entertainment field, but often served as a spokesbeing for Star Law. He later became a director of several movies and holovision series.

In FY63, Vr’Kal’kkix became the producer of a HV series called the “New Star Rangers.” He also produced a spinoff series called “Young Star Law” in FY75.

The original Nanny Navigator Robot and models of the Boxils, which were robots made to act like living creatures, are on display at the Kajavian Museum of Frontier Culture at Port Loren on Gran Quivera.

Many of today’s Frontier adventurers and more than a few members of Star Law, Spacefleet, the Landfleet and the UPF Marines, had their start as Star Rangers.

 Uniform and Ranks

What Frontier adult doesn’t remember the early Star Rangers recruitment advertisements with members of the Core Four races in the classic white-and-red ranger uniforms with the slogan, “Join the Galactic Legions” underneath? The uniforms were designed to be bright, colorful and easily recognizable and featured an early bodycomp. Modern ranger uniforms are derivatives of this look.

Similar to the military, Star Rangers have seven “ranks of merit” to distinguish members of different accomplishments and experience levels, starting with the basic Ranger rank all the way up to Dragon, which is the highest level. A ranger advances in rank by learning progressively harder skills in citizenship, leadership, personal growth, physical fitness, planetary exploration and the “ranger spirit.” As they learn, rangers are expected to explore various vocation and avocations while also performing community service.

When a youth joins a chapter, they earn the rank of Ranger by being able to provide some basic knowledge about the Star Rangers’ ideals. As a club member gains more knowledge, they achieve the rank of Surefoot (a translation from the word ikkal which deals with how a soft-skinned larval Vrusk is able to move around without injury). Other ranks in progression are Second Class, First Class, Star, Nova and finally Dragon. Before they turn age 20, Dragon rangers are able to earn up to six Star Clusters, representing additional service work.

Except for the Ranger rank, if a Star Ranger wants to advance in rank, not only does the being need to complete the necessary requirements, but must submit records of these accomplishments to a board of review.