The described purpose is narrower than it needs to be: "a player or character can’t make it to a session or you need to have a certain character not present at the same location as others for a short time. Where did they go? What are they doing when not in play?"

In our group, when a player misses a session, we play their character for them instead of making up reasons to take the character out of action. That works for us, so we don't need these tables for an absent player. Maybe we'd use them for an extended absence or a temporary retirement, but not for the odd missed session or two.

However, there are other uses for these tables:

• Roll up one to three entries as backstory for a PC or a major NPC. Describe what happened then, and how it still shows its influence today.
• The PCs are looking for a particular NPC. If the NPC isn't available right now, roll on these tables instead of settling for a boring "not available" response.
• If the PCs meet an NPC they've encountered before, you can roll up a result to say what the NPC has been up to since the last time.
• If you need to convey information to the PCs about the setting or current events, roll up a result and use that as the means to convey it, maybe in the form of a news item or a conversation with a nearby NPC.
• Use the result as the means for delivering an adventure hook, instead of yet another rumor in the spaceport bar.
• Do you remember Morn from Deep Space Nine? He never had a speaking part, but the running gag was that other characters would keep referring to his actions that always happened off camera. Roll up an entry to say what your own Morn has been up to. In fact, I now think of these tables as the "Morn Tables."

To get a result, you roll from the main d100 table. Some entries refer you to d20 subtables, Mad Libs-style. Here are some example results, with subtable outcomes in italics: Got into a fight/argument with another in party and stormed off. Attacked by a childhood enemy by mistake and is recuperating at a military starship. Character’s aunt lost their job as a translator and needs help. Is required to do jury service or give reason for exemption in person in nearby friendly planet or moon. An alien culture is after the character's kidneys for use in a mating ritual and they need to hide.

In a d100 table, you're likely to start repeating results as of the 13th roll on the table (that's the Birthday Problem as applied to 100 entries instead of 365). However, replay value should still be good if you pick the next unused item instead of repeating, or if you find ways to make an entry fresh again on a repeated use. By the time I'd use up all 100 entries, I'm sure that a return to a past result wouldn't seem like boring repetition.