Scouts, also known as explorers or rangers, were individuals who charted new hyperspace routes and explored unknown planets or unknown planetary areas as well as planets or planetary areas occupied by enemy forces, either working for a government, a corporation, or as an independent.
Most major governments, including the Galactic Republic, Galactic Empire and the New Republic had their own scout services. In 4000 BBY, government scouts were organized as the Republic Astrogation Survey Team, a part of the Science and Culture Administration. The Imperial Survey Corps was much more tightly controlled than its Galactic Republic predecessor. The Humanocentric biases of the Empire, the ISC's new emphasis on finding worlds for the Empire to ruthlessly exploit and conquer, and attempts to recruit scouts into the Imperial Starfleet led many scouts to join the Alliance to Restore the Republic. The company Lardanis Survival Systems made equipment specifically for explorers.
The New Republic formed its own scout service soon after its formation, with the goal of rejuvenating exploration of Wild Space and the Unknown Regions and undoing some of the damage the ISC had done.
The "Laconic Scout" was one of the original twenty-four character templates used by the Star Wars: The Roleplaying Game, first published in the first edition rulebook.
The scout is a starting class in Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic. The scout is also a heroic class in the Star Wars Roleplaying Game. Prior to the New Game Enhancements of 2005, scouts were a trainable profession in the MMORPG Star Wars Galaxies. However, following their removal as a playable profession, scouts still existed in the form of various Non-Player Characters (NPCs).