So, given their similar pilot abilities, the Luke/Ezra comparison seems an inevitable one. Which is the better ship, in your opinion?
Naked, I don't think there's much of a contest. Ezra's a hitpoint short, 4 ranks lower in pilot skill, and his ability is really only useful after a red manoeuvre, whereas Luke can use his every time he's attacked regardless.
But the truth is, if you're running either of these guys naked, you're doing it wrong. Throw VI, R2-D2 and Integrated Astromech on Luke, and you've got a PS10, regenerating Ace who's really hard to kill. The big downside, of course, is the cost - at 33 points, he's one third of your list right there.
Ezra, can also be loaded up to a decent extent if you want to. With Push the Limit or Elusiveness in the EPT slot, Ezra gets his stress generation mechanic so his ability triggers every time. Then you have plenty of options to make him longer lived, getting maximum use out of his ability. Hull upgrade and Chewbacca bring him up beyond the X Wing's statline, even with IA ( effectively, Ezra becomes 3 attack, 2 Evade, 4 hull and 3 Shields vs Luke's 3, 2, 3, 3 ) and, while he lack's Luke's regeneration, his defensive ability is better, as the addition of Evade to the stat bar, combined with either EPT, probably make up for the lack of regen. And the kicker is, even with PtL, hull and Chewie, he's still 2 points more than a naked Luke, and cheaper than a kitted out Luke. The lower PS is a factor, sure, but Ezra is still out of the Predator danger zone and outbidding things like Gold Squadron TLTs, and once you're doing that, PS isn't that significant until you're up into the rarified air of PS 8+.
Obviously, these aren't the only way to fit out these two -Luke is still solid at 29 points with just IA and a cheap 1 point mech if you're on a budget. And, also obviously, lots of factors are going to determine your choice that'll vary from game to game, list to list and local meta to local meta. But what it comes down to to me are a couple of simple questions:
Do Luke's upgrade options outperform Ezra's options enough to justify the points? In my opinion, no. Astromech slots are great, but so are crew slots. And I've not even mentioned the possibilities of the turret slot.
Does Luke's PS matter enough to justify the points? Again, IMO, no.
Does being stressed all the time matter enough to Ezra to make his ability more trouble than it's worth? Probably not, depending on the dial, given the useful action bar on the assault shuttle (for PtL) or the value of Elusiveness.
So, yeah, while I'll be interested to see the dial, at this point, I think Ezra might have Luke pretty solidly beaten... Of course, they don't have to be competitive... In writing this post, I've been wondering about the possibilities of an Ezra/Luke/Tarn list - three targets, and your opponent doesn't want to shoot any of them. Might even be able to fit a Bandit in as a blocker... 