So the fleet officer card coming out with the decimator looks like it might be pretty useful. It's like a better version of squad leader that doesn't require a EPT.

Thinking about using it in my bomber list (on an omicron shuttle) to make my initial missile salvo even more deadly. 2 bombers acquire target locks, get given focus by the fleet officer and then unleash their missiles. You spend the TL to fire and then use the focus on the salvo.

What's more, the shuttle can continue to do this in future turns, allowing the bombers to become more deadly even with their primary and/or increase their survivability, even after they perform a K-Turn.

Any other uses you guys can think of?

Well, i certainly like it with experimental interface.

Kir Kanos and Rexler could both really make use of that extra focus

You can pair it with Experimental Interface and perhaps Advanced Sensors or a Black Squad with Wingman. Double stress, but you get to Focus/Target lock as well.

Only practical for Epic play, probably, but how about this for a crazy action passer.

Colonel Jendon

- Fleet Officer

- Weapons Engineer

- ST 321

- Advanced Sensors

- Experimental Interface

Advanced sensors to Target Lock > Fleet Officer > reveal green, pass target lock at start of combat, rinse and repeat. I guess you don't need weapon's engineer or the title here, I just like them to help boost the shuttle's offensive output a bit too.

Only practical for Epic play, probably, but how about this for a crazy action passer.

Colonel Jendon

- Fleet Officer

- Weapons Engineer

- ST 321

- Advanced Sensors

- Experimental Interface

Advanced sensors to Target Lock > Fleet Officer > reveal green, pass target lock at start of combat, rinse and repeat. I guess you don't need weapon's engineer or the title here, I just like them to help boost the shuttle's offensive output a bit too.

Similar to what I was thinking, but you still have one stress at the end of the turn. Fleet Officer AND Experimental Interface each yield a stress. You can do both, but activating Fleet Officer as part of ExInter creates an additional stress, and only one is cleared by a green move, leaving one remaining.

Bah, I forgot fleet officer gave stress. Hm...

So give him a buddy with Wingman!

None of the ships which could really utilize Fleet Officer well are able to deal with stress well. You can always add a Wingman, but then it starts resembling one of those Rube Goldberg lists. You need to do similar things to get Colonel Vesserey's ability to work, but it pays off many times over.

Either the ship carrying gets 1 Focus plus another friendly, or 2 other ships get a Focus. In the first case, it seems like it would be better to just use an Experimental Interface + Squad Leader combo on a ship with more green on its dial.

None of the ships which could really utilize Fleet Officer well are able to deal with stress well.

I guess that depends on your standards for dealing with stress "well", but I'd say all the Imperial Large ships are more or less equally qualified to handle it--meaning they all have two straights and two banks, meaning in turn that they're no worse at it than the Falcon is.

And with a Lambda, you could always run Fleet Officer + Advanced Sensors to deal with the stress pre-emptively, as it were.

Either the ship carrying gets 1 Focus plus another friendly, or 2 other ships get a Focus. In the first case, it seems like it would be better to just use an Experimental Interface + Squad Leader combo on a ship with more green on its dial.

I don't think you can target yourself with the FO, can you?

Either the ship carrying gets 1 Focus plus another friendly, or 2 other ships get a Focus. In the first case, it seems like it would be better to just use an Experimental Interface + Squad Leader combo on a ship with more green on its dial.

I don't think you can target yourself with the FO, can you?

The wording is similar to some other cards (Tantive, Jan crew) where there is some precedent that you can and is intended to be. It definitely needs some FAQ clarification though.

None of the ships which could really utilize Fleet Officer well are able to deal with stress well.

I guess that depends on your standards for dealing with stress "well", but I'd say all the Imperial Large ships are more or less equally qualified to handle it--meaning they all have two straights and two banks, meaning in turn that they're no worse at it than the Falcon is.

And with a Lambda, you could always run Fleet Officer + Advanced Sensors to deal with the stress pre-emptively, as it were.

You're probably right about standards there. I've flown tons of Lambdas, and even won a few tournaments with them (No Regionals, though), so I feel like I have a lot of experience with them. When flying them, the most common things I need them to do during their activation is Boost, Full Stop, or Hard Turn. Without Boost, it is hard for them to be where they need to be. If they are going to Full Stop, even Advanced Sensors will not help with activating Fleet Officer, as my opponent will just get to choose my maneuver (Same goes for the Hard Turn at speed 2). Then even if I switch from having a FCS to AS in order to inch along while handing out Focus tokens, I am giving up a large portion of the ship's own effectiveness and am also chaining two other ships to the slow moving Lambda - predictability is a killer.

But even more generally, when I say that the ships don't 'handle stress well', I simply mean that the Empire's smaller craft like Interceptor, TIE/ln, and even the TIE Advanced with Vader, can move a very small distance to unstress, then rapidly and radically change their position through Barrel Roll, Boost, or a combination of both. If a Lambda or Firespray takes a stress, your opponent is going to know where it's going with a high degree of certainty if you decide to clear the stress. The large base means asteroids, other ships, and board edges are quite treacherous for plotting movement.

Don't get me wrong, though, I will try any and every combo with the Lambda possible. I just don't see Fleet Officer doing all that much. Now, a Decimator with the Tactical Jammer and, say, Intimidate, might actually make it safe for you to tether one or two Interceptors like Kir Kanos behind it within range 2. Might.