I have not had a chance to play too many games with the new pilot expansion I just got them.

I am looking for advice from those that have more experience than I. I look at building a fleet and if you use the generic pilots you can put more squadrons in the fleet.... which makes me think I get to roll more die more hit points over all. But then I start putting some Names pilots in the list and in total I might go down from 6-7 squadrons on the rebel side to 5-6 depending on who I all put in. So I loose 1 or 2 squads but I gain their damage reduction abilities which then probably make them the same as 2 standard squadrons that I would loose.

Thoughts which is the better way to go?

It depends on what Ships you are flying with them. If you are just using them to screen for the ships, generics are the way to go. But if you want to destroy the other guy's fighters/really ruin his ships' days, go with uniques

It's complex. By experience I can tell you that maximising numbers doesn't work. The named squadrons have many special abilities which interact well (with each other and with ship upgrade cards) which you miss out on with generics. A good balance of squadrons, specifically chosen to interact works best.

there's no such thing as "better"

if you have a specific role in mind, the utility of a named pilot's ability might serve you better

otherwise, spam. numbers help off-set the rather crap-shot game that is squadron warfare, and give a significant punch against cap ships

the only named pilots that seem super incredible are imperial (Howlrunner for anti-squadron, Rhymer for anti-ship, and Soonts for Advances), while the rest are ones you need to have a specific role/build ready in order to properly use to maximum effect (rebel aces w/gallant haven, Vader to assassinate named pilots, tycho to piss off bombers, a powerful bomber such as Luke or Keyan with Adar etc.)

What everyone else said. Keep in mind the number of squadron commands your fleet can issue as well - if you have points to burn and plan on only issuing 3 squadron commands a turn, you might not want to spam 10 Y-wings (for instance).

I'm still new at this, so take this with a grain of salt. But, to keep with the metaphor, I think named pilots are akin to seasoning in a recipe - It's best with a good blend and with just a little. Too much and you don't gain anything in the end, undo the work you were doing. Anyway, named pilots can be just as easy to kill as their normal counter parts in the wrong situation (this happens in 40K and other games too), for example, if I one-hit "plink" Vader each time, he can't do a thing with his Brace tokens. Like in other games, paying for bells and whistles that don't increase survivability also can indeed be a trap. Same with capital ships really, a few upgrades, but if you go too far you lose effectiveness. But as mentioned, named pilots can add a ton to the synergy or effectiveness of a fleet. Howlrunner, for example, is great, I bring her almost every time I run Imperials. I would recommend that you bring 1-2 characters each time and see how they best function for you. Just my two cents.

I loved running my named Rebels until wave 1 changed things. A TIE Int with boosts from Howlrunner and Swarm and Flight Controllers rolling six Blue dice and a reroll is real nasty. But, I do love my Wedge and Dutch combo.

I love my plain TIEs - and my plain X-wings and/or A-wings

I love my plain TIEs - and my plain X-wings and/or A-wings

Hey now, X-Wings are a cop-out. Those things are 13 points of awesome. Doesn't count. No named characters needed for those!

I love my plain TIEs - and my plain X-wings and/or A-wings

Hey now, X-Wings are a cop-out. Those things are 13 points of awesome. Doesn't count. No named characters needed for those!

Not needed per se, but I'm not turning down Luke or Wedge when I can use them.

My experience is that "generic" tie fighters and interceptors evaporate horribly quickly, whereas the characters can hold up enemy fighters for most of the game with some luck and good placement, far beyond their comparative cost increase.

Rebel fighters seem much more resilient, and the character upgrades seem to assist them in damage output rather than survivability.

Of course the points are reflective of this - the imperials approach double cost for their characters.

My experience is that "generic" tie fighters and interceptors evaporate horribly quickly, whereas the characters can hold up enemy fighters for most of the game with some luck and good placement, far beyond their comparative cost increase.

Rebel fighters seem much more resilient, and the character upgrades seem to assist them in damage output rather than survivability.

Of course the points are reflective of this - the imperials approach double cost for their characters.

Depends. I've seen Howlrunner, Fel and Mauler die just as fast as their generic counterparts. In fact, unless escorted and protected, they will die fast. If the enemy has real anti-fighter capabilities that is.

On the other hand, I've seen them last entire games, surviving shot after shot.

For me it's been much more about utilization. I completely undervalued the Squadron command until I had a few games under my belt.