I posted this over in Beginner Game Forum too but figured I'd ask here too:

I just got the Beginner Game and a copy of the Core Rules. Does anyone have experience either running the Beginner Game with original PCs made using the Core Rules or running it with the included characters but continuing on with them through the adventure in the Core Rulebook and possibly beyond?

Yep. Works fine.

Big thing of note is that the PreGens in the Beginner set don't follow the character generation rules to the letter. So if you mix and match the Pregens may come off as just a little better than a Starter character. Not significantly, but you'll notice they have slightly better gear and perhaps a spare rank or talent. So running an all Starter Team through the beginner game will run just as fine, except that the players might not pack the same punch here and there. But they'll be able to make it through, and carry on.

If you mix and match, after a few XP rewards, advancements, and gearing up, you won't even notice a difference at all.

If you want to keep rolling the pregens, no problem. Even though they got a little bonus at start, they otherwise follow the character system as normal, so they'll advance just like everyone else.

Cool. Thanks!

It's also worth bearing in mind that the Beginner Game adventure itself does not present opportunities for any and all specs (e.g. Driver, Scout, Modder, Droid Tech). This is easy to fix for the GM with planning, but it's just something to keep in mind - nothing is more likely to put a player of this game than creating a character who doesn't get to do anything in the first session.

It's also worth bearing in mind that the Beginner Game adventure itself does not present opportunities for any and all specs (e.g. Driver, Scout, Modder, Droid Tech). This is easy to fix for the GM with planning, but it's just something to keep in mind - nothing is more likely to put a player of this game than creating a character who doesn't get to do anything in the first session.

The last encounter is based off of the Driver, while the others can be easily integrated into the follow-up, or the adventure itself. There are plenty of Mechanics checks for a Modder or Droid Tech, and even a Scout could be kept busy somehow.

The biggest concern that I would note is that with player created PC's they may lack certain skills or traits that the adventure assumes is in the party for overall success. It isn't too big of a deal but running with an all player created group as the GM you may have to adjust the challenges to better consider choices that the players made in character creation that the adventure assumes are there but really aren't.

You can make a whole campaign out of the Beginner Set Adventure + Addon Adventure on the FFG Site.

some small spoilers!

I started with my PCs being sent to Onderon to capture the Whisper Base, so they got in contact with a rebel sympathiser cantina barkeeper in Iziz and had to find the base first, then capture it and now they are the Rebel cell on Onderon tasked with building up a Resistance on the Planet and taking down the Imperial Navy Ordnance Depot on the Planet.

The Addon Adventure from the FFG Site has a lot of good Adventure Seeds and you can flesh it out with stuff you create yourself, it is really fun.

You should make sure that your PCs have brought set of Skills anyway, so there should be no problem.

It's also worth bearing in mind that the Beginner Game adventure itself does not present opportunities for any and all specs (e.g. Driver, Scout, Modder, Droid Tech). This is easy to fix for the GM with planning, but it's just something to keep in mind - nothing is more likely to put a player of this game than creating a character who doesn't get to do anything in the first session.

The last encounter is based off of the Driver, while the others can be easily integrated into the follow-up, or the adventure itself. There are plenty of Mechanics checks for a Modder or Droid Tech, and even a Scout could be kept busy somehow.

Ah, you know what, I was thinking about the Edge of the Empire beginner game, not the Age of Rebellion one. So, you're right. But the point, broadly, still stands - there may well be specs that aren't designed for this encounter. As you say, you can "keep them busy", but you have to actually plan to do that ahead fo time - the GM needs to make sure he knows what specs are going to be involved, and make sure they each have something to do.