In regard to the transport, does Backstabber always get his bonus? I checked the errata and didn't find it, but it doesn't have anything about him that i saw. It does however mention the Senator's Shuttle, and states that "all ships are considered to be outside the shuttle's firing arc". This leads me to believe that Backstabber gets his bonus as a precedent for ships without arcs. My friend however says that since there is no arc to be outside of, that i can't technically be outside of an arc that isn't there.

Your friend is thinking backwards. Here is the text from the FAQ:

"Backstabber" only rolls the additional attack die granted by his ability if no portion of his base is inside any of the printed firing arcs on the defender’s ship token.

So, ask yourself this question whenever it's Backstabber's turn to fire: is he inside my opponent's printed firing arcs? If there are no printed firing arcs, the obvious answer is no. You cannot be inside of something that doesn't exist. Backstabber gets the extra die.

Actually, Backstabber only gets his ability against ships with a printed firing arc. This is a bit further down in the FAQ, in the Missions section of the general FAQ.

Is Backstabber outside the firing arc of a ship that has no firing arc?

A: No, Backstabber's pilot ability only triggers against ships with a printed firing arc.

So, since the Transport has no firing arc, Backstabber doesn't get his ability.

I LIKED WAAAGHS COMENT BUT AFTER READING THE NEXT ONE I WAS WRONG. I WAS INCLINED TO BELEIVE HE ALWAYS HAD IT, BUMMER

Actually, Backstabber only gets his ability against ships with a printed firing arc. This is a bit further down in the FAQ, in the Missions section of the general FAQ.

Is Backstabber outside the firing arc of a ship that has no firing arc?

A: No, Backstabber's pilot ability only triggers against ships with a printed firing arc.

So, since the Transport has no firing arc, Backstabber doesn't get his ability.

Strange, though I have to question whether that applies to Epic games, since it was buried in the Missions section. Huge ships are, after all, a completely different beast. Given the conflicting information, I'd leave it up to a TO for a tournament, or just come to an agreement with my opponent for a casual game. This really needs a specific answer from FFG.

I don't see why not. I see the logic for their answer, and don't see why it would change for the Transport. Backstabber requires their target to have a firing arc. The Transport doesn't have one, thus Backstabber can't be outside it.

I don't see why not. I see the logic for their answer, and don't see why it would change for the Transport. Backstabber requires their target to have a firing arc. The Transport doesn't have one, thus Backstabber can't be outside it.

The contradictory nature of the two different FAQ rulings are what raise the biggest questions for me. Without a specific entry for Backstabber vis-a-vis huge ships, you really could go either way, depending on which interpretation you choose to lean towards. Bear in mind that the logic for their second answer is geared towards game balance in a niche scenario, so the impact that a ruling on one specific ship would have is, in general terms, negligible. Epic play is not a mission, and not a niche scenario. It would not, in my estimation, be unbalanced to permit Backstabber to keep his bonus die against huge ships. So, while you don't see why it would change for huge ships, I don't see why it shouldn't. Like I said, I think we need a definitive answer from FFG.