psikobunny wrote:
Sure, they'd find a use for him, but after he came back he wouldn't be up for a promotion (faction standing). He's outside the Chain of Command, can come and go as he pleases, he's militia. Regular armies use them, and then thank them at the end of the day, but they don't let them in to the fast track to becoming Colonel.
As for you examples of "other cases" in star wars, I'm still willing to bet those other folk using personal craft were the heroes of the story or central to the plot. That means they were special cases, and as players we're not.
The Rebellion started small, but was always well organized. They put up 30 ships at Yavin, and that was when they were still small. By the time of ESB, the Rebels on Hoth were one smaller contingent of the Rebel command structure, and Rogue group alone was at least 11 ships, and there were more than just one fighter group on Hoth.My point is, there was a large enough standard force to demonstrate that while every ship was crucial, the Rebels weren't as desperate for help as you portray them. Certainly not desperate enough to fast track a guy off the street into the Officer's Club.
After a person proved their usefulness repeatedly though, most groups would start to trust them and give them more responsibilites. Maybe "Bubba" is an extreme example. What about someone who showed tons of talent and devotion,but wanted to fly their own ship? Even though they may not have been desperate per say, they still accepted those that proved their willingness to help and promoted them accordingly. Originally, most of the Rebels did come off the street in some form. Wedge, Biggs, etc, they all found the Rebellion and basically said, "Hey, sign me up". The primary difference here is that they were given Rebel ships.
Here's another example to act as a middle point. You mention Rogue Squadron, have you read the books? Corran Horn brought his X-Wing with him and flew it rather than being assigned one by the Rebellion. Sure, it was an X-Wing, but it was his personal ship too. Still, he moved up in ranks and trust in the Rebel Alliance. The next step down from that would be personal ship, which just so happens not to be the same as the Rebel supplied ships. I mean, if you are a declared Rebel on the ground and choose your side when going into Deep Space (or Imp for those Imperials), why shouldn't Privateers get the ability to earn rank for their faction?
We could sit here and poke holes in each others sides of the arguement all day, since a large part of it is based on opinion. But in my mind it all comes down to this. If I'm a loyal Rebel on the ground and I'm choosing to declare my Rebel faction by entering Deep Space to fight the Empire, why shouldn't I get the benefit for my side? If anything, allowing Privateers to get faction points in Deep Space will liven the sector up, since we will have more of a reason to go there as opposed to now.
Drakkoon Shao (Gorath) -- Smuggler
Smuggler's Alliance Ace-- Vaksai - Firespray - YT-1300 - YT-2400 - ARC - Scyk
Shaelyna Kadas (Gorath) -- Spy
Novice Pilot -- Heavy Tie Fighter
Kallarrlo (Gorath) -- 12pt Wookiee Weaponsmith and Alliance Ace
Opyso (Gorath) -- Ithorian Force Adept