Are there any useful resources for random character generation?
Stuff like background information, small perks and drawbacks, etc.
Do you use anything?
Stars Without Number has a nice system for generating quick NPCs.
The party wants to get friendly with a local starship mechanic? You pick up a standard set of polyhedral dice and roll them. They're talking to a tall young man with terrible taste in clothing who owes loan sharks and does his job because it's the family tradition.