Quick answer
Star Wars Zero Company lets you customize Hawks during the first character creation flow, then recruit and customize additional Operators as your campaign grows. For Hawks, EA's official guide confirms Origin, preset, appearance, outfit, Specialization, Weapon Class, first name, and Voice. For Custom Operators, official Steam news confirms recruited squadmates can be customized in appearance, clothing, voice, and name, while later Den facilities support more appearance and role adjustments.
Hawks is your created leader
Hawks is the main character: a former Republic officer who leads Zero Company. You do not create a blank protagonist outside the story; you customize Hawks inside that role. EA says the first creation step is Origin, which determines Hawks' species and the appearance options available during customization. The officially listed Hawks Origins are Human, Devaronian, Mirialan, Togruta, Twi'lek, and Zabrak.
Confirmed cosmetic options
After choosing an Origin, you pick one of two presets or start from a Custom preset. EA's Hawks guide lists appearance categories such as Body, Face, Facial Details, Hair, and Body Art, though available sub-options vary by species. Outfit categories include Headwear, Tops, Armwear, Lowerbody, and Boots; Tops, Lowerbody, and Boots are required, while Headwear and Armwear can be optional. Some outfit pieces are multi-slot items that replace other clothing selections.
Name and voice
The Dossier step lets you enter Hawks' first name and select a Voice. EA notes that Hawks is the character's surname and cannot be changed. The official Q&A also frames Hawks as customizable so the character can fit many player identities, but it does not turn Hawks into a different story role.
Specialization and weapon class
Creation is not only cosmetic. Hawks also chooses a Specialization and a Weapon Class. EA describes Specialization as the choice that defines Hawks' combat style and abilities, while Weapon Class affects how the weapon performs in battle and how Action Points are spent. Officially listed starting Weapon Class options for Hawks include Blaster Rifle, Repeater, Blaster Pistol, and Longarm Blaster.
Custom Operators
Zero Company includes both Authored Operators, who join as the story unfolds, and Custom Operators, who are recruited by the player. Official Steam news says Custom Operators can come with a Name, Talent, Primary Specialization, Weapon type, and backstory, and that those aspects can be adjusted in the Den after recruitment. The same official post lists Custom Operator species as Devaronian, Human, Mirialan, Neimoidian, Ovissian, Rodian, Togruta, Twi'lek, Weequay, and Zabrak.
What can change later
Do not worry too much about cosmetic mistakes. EA says many of Hawks' choices can be changed after the initial battle tutorial once you unlock the Den: Origin and Voice from the Profile tab, plus Appearance and Outfits. The Steam overview also says the Customization Facility can update Operators' appearance and outfits, and the Personnel Facility can change most Operators' Specializations at any time. This guide does not assume every named story character has the same edit rules.
What not to assume
Origin changes appearance options, but EA explicitly says it does not determine Hawks' combat style. Do not treat species as a build tier list unless later in-game data proves otherwise. Also do not assume every authored archetype, such as Jedi or Mandalorian, can be freely recreated as a Custom Operator; official public copy confirms a mix of authored and custom characters, but creator limits for those archetypes should be checked in-game before publishing build advice.