I'm running the game for the first time tonight (I've ran a few Edge of the Empire games) and I was trying to get a better understanding on two things:

1. If my players take the Base of Operations resource how is ship acquisition handled? Do they just get a "loaner" to use when the mission calls for it or are they taxied around by Rebel agents (Rebel pilots, smugglers, what have you)

2. If a player drops Duty down to zero how is their duty activated? Does it mean they have to seek out situations that satisfy their duty and accomplish it to earn ranks in duty so it increases? I.e. let's say the Diplomat has a recruitment Duty, but dropped in to 0 for extra credits and experience. The benefit of the increased wound threshold won't come up until the player actively looks for people to recruit and is successful or, at the very least, adds to the story by doing so.

3. If one player is a Smuggler do they get the choice of starting resource while the Age of Rebellion characters get a choice? I.e. Can the Smuggler start with a YT-1300 and the Rebels start with a Base of Operations (now, the Smuggler wouldn't get the 1000 credits that the Base of Operations gives, just the Rebels).

If you have the edge of the empire beginner box set run the bit where they're trying to steal Trex's ship and go from there.

If not then just have them start ending a mission which involves stealing a lambda shuttle and they end up exchanging it for a freighter or whatever you want them having access to remembering it will need to be modified even repaired once they're ready.

1) It would be a "per mission" loaner, one that the PCs would be expected to return to the Alliance in reasonably working condition. Although, given a YT-1300 is Rarity 4, you can very easily have their first Contribution Rank boost be the Alliance giving them a YT-1300 on a more permanent basis.

2) Since their Duty is 0, there's no way for it to trigger since you can never roll below a 01 on percentile dice. Until that PC raises their Duty above 0, it can't be triggered at all.

3) The GM chapter discusses this, but honestly it's for the best if the Smuggler PC also uses the Duty mechanic, as it keeps things simpler. Personally I wouldn't give them the ship, since a large part of Obligation over in EotE is that everybody has an Obligation, which contributes to them having a ship as their group resource.

1)

Also the definition of "base" isn't set. So while it can mean an Echo type base, it can also mean a set of crumby apartment and warehouse safehouses, a well appointed hunting lodge in the hills, a section of compartments on a bulk cruiser, an abandoned underground mag lev station...

So if you want the team to get around, a block of bunks and a ready room and storage room on a corvette or frigate might be exactly what you want.