I do think shipjacking is a fine career for Edge characters (well, maybe not 'career.' I hope they have higher aspirations). It shouldn't be exceedingly lucrative, though, and much of the job will take place between sessions. They'll probably be employed by a regular chop-shop or two, who's looking for particular vehicles. Most of the jobs they pull won't be worth a session, really. You can start your sessions with them bringing their latest acquisition to Snarg the "Used" Shuttle Dealer, and introduce the fun stuff from there. Maybe they need to grab a particular ship which leads them into trouble, or Snarg has another type of job for them, whatever.

In any case, the jacking itself is rarely going to be lucrative. The schmucks who actually steal cars ain't exactly rolling in dough, especially since they're probably spending their payout on something other than their 401k. The guys who "clean" the ship (reprogramming the transponder, swapping out parts, tuning it up, giving it a swell new paint job) may get better paid, and with a more regular paycheck. The guy who runs the shop does better than them, and the crime boss who owns multiple shops does better still.

So yeah, let them be shipjackers. Have only a couple sessions revolve around the actual stealing of ships, and then give them opportunities to move up in the world. I believe it's the Colonist book that gives rules for starting a business, let them open their own shop, if the have the chops for it (ha! get it?). Let them negotiate with the local thugs for "protection" and pay off the authorities. Then maybe give them a ripe peach for plucking, where the boss needs to dust off his old skills and show these kids how a real jacker does it (jacking a Nebulon frigate or something).

Stealing the wrong ship is also the perfect start for a new campaign.

I've always thought of ship-jacking as that lower-than-the-lowest of professions. In the Old West, most were shot on-sight. organizations were formed to track down, catch people, and return merchandise (such organizations would work well for star wars, a repo-man-like approach like someone stated above. Bounty Hunters and investigators work for them.) Sworn enemies put aside their differences when it comes to ship-jackers, much like gang enemies in prison join up against the new pedophile in the prison....a common enemy...a moral code that supersedes rivalry. That's how I always thought of it, anyways. I think that I have always liked a sort of moral code among humans and aliens that transcends race and societies. I think that in the old west it was acceptable to steal a man's guns, money, clothes, and food....but to take his horse was especially low. That being said, setting up a stolen-ship ring sounds exciting. There's a lot of ways to get screwed, though. Part dealers, buyers, dock personnel, cameras, tracking beacons, ship transponder codes, political connections, bounty hunters, private investigators, rival jackers, etc...