Sorry if this has been asked already but; could you use a blue crit from a ship's anti-squadron to activate the Ion Cannon Batteries effect. The Rules Reference states that in Step 5. Resolve Damage of an attack that critical effects are are resolved and that only hit icons count as damage against squadrons. There is nothing stating that I couldn't use the Ion Cannon Batteries to discard a CommandToken from a defending Squadron (which squadrons can't have) or deal an extra damage as it has none.

Thoughts on if this would actually work?

Edit: I somehow initially read that it was defense tokens, not command tokens.

You don't count crits when attacking squadrons. I thought about point defense reroute, but it only allows you to re-roll crits. Because crits are ignored(or re-rolled), you can't use Ion Cannon Batteries on Squadrons, as much as I wish we could.

Crits don't count as damage, however there is nothing in the Rules Reference that states you can't resolve crit effects.

Resolve Damage: The attacker can resolve one of its critical effects. Then the attacker determines the total damage amount. Then the defending squadron or hull zone suffers that total damage, one point at a time.

◊ If the attacker or defender is a squadron, the damage is the sum of all F icons.

◊ If the attacker and defender are ships, the damage is the sum of all F and E icons.

◊ Each ship has the following standard critical effect: “E: If the defender is dealt at least one damage card by this attack, deal the first damage card faceup.”

from basic learning to play book.

Squadrons suffer damage equal to the number of hit (F) icons only; they ignore critical (E) icons.

Page 22 learn to play : Critical Effects

*Squadrons cannot resolve or suffer critical effects unless otherwise specified.

(Squadron)Vader counts crits as damage.

Bombers can resolve critical effects : One face up damage card.

Nym can force a defending ship to discard a defense token (blue crit).

That is it for exceptions to the rule so far.

TheEasternKing, thanks for finding that. I hadn't recalled/seen that when I was looking into it. That answers my question.

Also I want to point out that if Ion cannon batteries did work against squadrons it couldn't do anything because

1) squadrons cannot have Command tokens

2) squadrons do not have shields

Also I want to point out that if Ion cannon batteries did work against squadrons it couldn't do anything because

1) squadrons cannot have Command tokens

2) squadrons do not have shields

Yep this is true, I very nearly posted asking something remarkably similar, but it was the NK-7's discard a def token I was having thoughts about, but I realised it wouldn't work.

But NK-7's might work; "Blue Critical: you can exhaust this card to force the defender to choose and discard one of his defense tokens". Unique squadrons, like Luke Skywalker and Howlrunner, have defense tokens.

But NK-7's might work; "Blue Critical: you can exhaust this card to force the defender to choose and discard one of his defense tokens". Unique squadrons, like Luke Skywalker and Howlrunner, have defense tokens.

If, of course, if it were not for:

Page 22 learn to play : Critical Effects

*Squadrons cannot resolve or suffer critical effects unless otherwise specified.

Which is also backed up by:

RRG, Page 4, "Critical Effects"

• Squadrons cannot resolve or suffer critical effects unless otherwise specified.