If you count this as "evidence", that's actually the way it used to work in the old X-Wing and TIE Fighter games.

You could press the hyperspace button to jump your ship any time you wished. When you did so, the ship would automatically rotate to orient itself in the direction of your destination and then jump. Note that this meant a few seconds would usually pass between the time the button was pressed and the time the jump was executed, as the ship slowly rotated to the correct heading. If you were unlucky, you might be shot and destroyed during this interval.

I say no ships in the way. In the Beginner Box Game you can jump as soon as you get the part installed whether combat is over or not, so I say if you have a clear run, go. The Ghost jumped right before being engulfed in a fire ball. I think the key is getting the coordinates right before jumping, and not having any obstacles between you and the jump point.

ok that means that no matter the combat they could potentially jump at any time as long as they reorient the ship?

And as long as they are far enough away from gravity wells - planets, moons, asteroid belts, etc. If you arrived close to a planet, you're going to have to get far enough away from the planet to stop the planet's gravity well from preventing you from jumping to hyperspace.

To MKX they seem to have channeled your spirit, they took out one of the star destroyers by using their shuttles hyperdrive as a makeshift "bomb".

Ouch, that's a nasty way to die... objects in hyperspace remain in there until the fields kick in to dump them out. Hence your 'backup' is not always so much to get you to the next system, but to dump you out of an alternative dimensional hell if the main one goes kaput.

This does raise a point which has been bugging me.

One of the pilot or scout career talents allows players to plot hyperspace jumps in half the time alongside other benefits (Don't CRB with me so can't elaborate). I know it's not vital and I kind of placated one of my players by saying narratively he would plot a course twice as quickly as someone without said talent. That said he didn't seem impressed by this and is far from enthusiastic about sinking points in to this as he doesn't see how this detail benefits him. I've had any successful astrogation check take effect next round where the ship jumps away as it seemed consistant with films and games but because of this talent detail it made me doubt this as he does seem to have a point.

Similar thing applies to the outdoorsman talent too. Been meaning to try to come up with a solution which isn't too crunchy but life got in the way. How has everyone else been applying this stuff in game?

I'm not really a fan of being able to instantly jump out of any combat that isn't in your favor. It's boring as the GM or the player.

I've been thinking of having it take a certain number of Preparation maneuvers before you can make the Astrogation check. Then have Galaxy Mapper halve the number of required Preps. Then it takes a maneuver by the pilot or co-pilot to actually engage the hyperdrive.

If it took 8 Preps normally you could jump in 4 turns if you were willing to take 2 Strain on the 4th turn. If you had Galaxy Mapper you could do it in 2. I'm thinking that if you fail the check then the next attempt takes half as many Preps as most of the data has been entered, you just need to make some adjustments. I'm not sure if this will make it feel about right though, so the 8 Preps may get adjusted up or down.

What do you guys think?

Here are the rules we use:

Base time: ~10 rounds from when you take the standard action to make the Astrogation check. The navicomputer is doing its work based on your input. We usually say the person doing this has to commit his maneuver each round on this.

Absolute minimum: 3 rounds

If you fail the jump might not happen or something goes wrong along the jump.

If the GM rules the jump does not go off you get an Astrogation check (as a standard action) every round until you succeed to see it's not going through right. Then you can make a new check.

Spend two advantage to get you closer to the destination when you come out of the jump (avoid patrols).

Spend two advantage to reduce plot by 1 round (after halving)

Spend two advantage to decrease the jump by one day (after multiplier, to a minimum determined by GM).

Spend two threat to end up farther from destination when you come out of the jump (possible patrols)

Spend two threat to increase plot by 1 round (after halving)

Spend two threat to increase the jump by one day (after multiplier).

So it takes your average joe 10 rounds. If you have a talent that halves this, 5 rounds. Roll some advantage and you can get it down to 3. Lot's of stuff can happen in 3-10 rounds.

Also, note you have to clear a planet to jump so you can make the fights close to planets.