Ok, what do you think are the most indispensable Talents to a Force user and why? Right off the bat, I would think Indistinguishable (from the Shadow & Force-Sensitive Emergent Trees) would be great to help keep your identity reasonably safe from the Empire. What others do you have?

FYI – I’m geographically challenged with no GM/Players around, so this is a mental exercise for me as I make different characters and develop how they would interact/survive in my mind. If I do end up finding a group, this will help.

Thanks in advance,

MTFBWY

Well, wouldn't it depend entirely on the character?

With such a broad question I'd say that the most indespensable Talent is "Force Rating".

It fuels Force Powers and every tree (I think) has some unique and powerful Talent that incorporates Force Rating.

Even for the lightsaber talent trees that don't include FR (Niman Disciple is the only one) they make good use of it - e.g., Ataru Striker would be able to get Linked 2 with one Force Rating Talent.

Yup, it is a bit broad based. I was thinking what talents would really help a Force-Sensitive character not only hide/survive from the Empire, but advance them in "life" as well. Not looking for a specific Career/Specialization here. Just looking for a discussion on what some of the best talents are and why. Wasn't really looking at Force Powers, as they are "actively" tapping into the force. Looking for more "subtle" "abilities" a character can take advantage of.

The first question is: "does the character know they are or acknowledge themselves as Force sensitive?"

The answer to that question would influence what they would need. And if they rely on passive applications of their power, they might not need much to disguise themselves. Another variable is the Inquisitors, and how easy it is for one Force-sensitive to detect other sensitives. The answer to that second point may vary from source to source and group to group, but including the Inquisitors is another unknown. If an Inquisitor can sense a character is sensitive, if they can be convinced that the character is ignorant of the fact and not likely able to get training, is it policy to let them go or to arrest them and indoctrinate/execute them?

If a character is on the run, then probably whatever mix benefits Deception, Skulduggery, Streetwise, and Stealth. Indistinguishable, Sleight of Mind, Street Smarts, etc.. Knowledge skills for Core Worlds/Outer Rim to help navigate, probably.

If the character lives in ignorance, or is really, really conservative about their abilities, then probably not anything in particular.

I maybe misunderstood the question but I think reflect, parry, Force rating+1 are pretty much the indispensable talents any wanna be jedi are going to have.

Hmmm yeah I side with the others in saying that this is a rather vague question. The talents most useful to them depend on how they wish to live their life, which has no lack of answers. For instance:

Do they constantly battle (for the rebellion, against the inquisitors chasing them, or just every chance they get)? If so, reflect/parry should be the go to.

Are they unknown and trying to stay that way? "Sense emotions" (add 1Blue to most social skills) is probably going to be the most useful, with black dice removing talents like "plausible deniability" and "kill with kindness" being less important but still top tier.

Are they wanted but trying to keep a low profile? "Indistinguishable" and robes will make you all but unrecognizable, "slight of mind" is great for not being found, and "shroud" is great for when the inquisition get close (plus "well rounded" from the shadow tree is a great way to get skills since most Jedi classes are limited on what skills they get).

But these are all talents for avoiding trouble rather than talents for actually doing things. As long as you have feasible survivability and play smart the GM should work with you to avoid your character biting the dust. When making a character you should focus on what you find fun and want the character to do rather than how to avoid death.

Two talents will help keep anyone in the game longer: Grit and Toughened. You probably shouldn't pick your Specializations just for these talents, but you should definitely pick them up whenever they appear on your tree(s).