He doesn't speak the language, had a highly recognizable face and is perceived to have money. Sounds like a recipe for a bad time in the rougher places of the world.
I wish there was a successor to Freelancer. I played Elite: Dangerous, Everspace, Everspace 2, and many others, but nowhere did I find a universe that felt actually alive, where it seemed like NPCs had a purpose and did things by themselves. Silly little things like calling up other ships and they would tell you what they are shipping, their home base and destination made Freelancer feel so alive to me. It also had a story, even if it was in places a bit forced.