I noticed a bit that , clearly for game balance, pilot skill doesnt really marry up with narrative.

The lowest PS you have is an academy pilot or the like at 1. But these are supposed to be the top 5 per cent of the imperial navy.

But then some squadrons flying 'line ships' like the tie fighter are on much higher PS than the 'elite' pilots who get to fly the limited and new 'interceptor'.

Most odd of all in the PS 1 defender pilots...

I totally understand how it works within the game mechanics system but it just feels a bit odd at times.

we're used to thinking PS1 means you're rubbish...

Actuallly PS1 is the equivalent of being a modern NATO fighter pilot

PS9 would mean you were the instructor at a top gun style academy!

True enough. PS1 doesn't mean a bad pilot, it just means worse than all these aces flying around.

It probably also means an inexperienced pilot more than anything. Which is why you can have veterans in a TIE Fighter, and raw pilots in Intercepors. Even in the Defender, if you just think it's their first mission or whatever in that specific ship, it makes a bit more sense (and we all know how hard that Defender dial is to get used to....).

But yes, interesting point.

One thing that's always irked me is that Porkins has a higher PS than Garven Dreis. He also gets an EPT.

I think the ships themselves matter too. A TIE fighter pilot and a Phantom pilot might both be PS 7, for example, but I'd say the Phantom is the better pilot due to the degree of difficulty in flying a Phantom properly.

Cool point. It could reflect that *in this ship* the guy is a 3 or 4... stick him in a Tie fighter and he'd be more familiar with it and a 6.

Exactly.

Fairly sure, from a lore perspective, pilot skill isn't linear. Pilot Skill 2 is a much less talented pilot than Pilot Skill 3 (the difference between rookiees and elites), but 6-7-8-9 are relatively small jumps in skill, enough to make a meaningful difference but hardly the difference between an Academy grunt and an elite Black Squadron Pilot.

Pilot Skill 1 and 2 are your basic grunts. They're either academy fresh Imperial pilots, they're talented rookie recruits or they're pirate rabble with experience. I wouldn't read too much into the difference between PS1 and PS2 any more than I would between PS3 and PS4.
Remember also that it's pilot skill in that ship. You have to be a pretty **** good Interceptor pilot to get moved to the TIE defender, but the Defender is a very different beast. Move an Obsidian Squadron Pilot to a Defender and they'll probably be about Delta in apparent skill.

Then you've got a fair jump in skill between the PS1-2s and the PS3-5s.

Pilot skill 3, 4 and 5 are more elite. They're good pilots, they know their ships and they've got the flight hours in. This range covers your experienced pilots. They know what they're doing, they're not new to their craft, they've got a few missions under their belts for the PS3s up to several for the PS5s.

6 is a Veteran. Dutch, Garven, Vessery, these guys are squadron leaders with high ranks and significant experience.

7 is an Ace Pilot. This guy is good. Very good. Protagonist level good. They're outflying the hardened veterans who know their ships inside out. They're likely a veteran themselves.

8 is either a prodigy, a Force Sensitive or a very hardened ace veteran. 7 and 8 I wouldn't draw too much distinction between though.

Pilot skill 9 is a living legend. There's a reason this game only contains four.

Good description of the skill levels there. I think that combined with the idea that being in an 'elite' ship could make a great pilot good if hes not used to it lets this rest with me a little easier in a narrative sense

it does tie in nicely with the other thread about limiting VI to PS5 or below.

Like you say 9 is a living legend like han or vader but VI does actually allow people who shouldnt be to be better than the dark lord of the sith!

VI doesn't raise the pilot's actual skill, it just buffs your reactions and reflexes, which is what pilot skill partly represents. Whisper VI doesn't suddenly become a legendary pilot, she's just reacting at legendary pilot speed. If those legendary pilots also focused on reactions and reflexes then they'd be PS11, but they remain at PS9 because they're focusing on predatory strikes, outmaneuvering their opponent or pushing their craft to its limit.

here is another wierd one.

(and i can see the game mechanic reason for this... cheap blocker)

A wing prototype pilot is PS1... but the A wing in the 'lore'is only flown by exceptionally talented pilots.

To compound things the 'test pilot' card, who you would expect to fly protoypes cant be taken by a prototype pilot as his PS is too low

No biggie i think i'd have just have had a 'amber squadron' chit/card for PS1 and made prototype about PS 6