Why so long? And why so expensive and not universal?

because

My feeling is this is something the ships should just have from the start.

I think that the main reason why they didn't put it at the start of the game was something like : ''We (FFG) don't want people bring on the play area only the same amount of squadrons that your ship can command.''

In example, if you bring a fleet of 5 CR-90, this could limit you to only 5 squadrons (because of the squadron value total of 5).

The fact that most of the Rebel figther have Hyperspace should explain why we could have more squadrons (no regard of the squadron value). But on the other hand, it's not the same for the Imperials. Those Tie-Figther don't have it. So maybe they just tought it will be more easy this way.

After reading our commentary on this forum, that we would like this option, they created RLB (and because it will change those balls strategy).

In the movies, X-Wings and other rebel ships always hyperspace into battle on their own. Therefore, any "launcher" type rules would either be an unfair advantage to the Imperials or limit them in a way that also isn't fair. Better to just default to starting the battle with all the fighters deployed than have two special sets of fighter rules one for each side that may or may not affect play balance in unexpected ways.

Thus, rules like this weren't in the game originally.

Notice how the main beneficiary of this card are the slow Rebel bombers who have never been shown being launched in battle. So the card is already breaking the theming of the game.

I dont understand why people feel theze should be standard due to theme

During the fleet battles if RotJ and Rogue1, squadrons engaged each other LONG befre they engaged the capital ships

You know how you have to deploy within distance 2 of a ship? THAT is your normal Thematic launch bay

Simple the idea of holding fighters off the table to bring them in at my choosing gives me options. I could hold bombers safely while waiting for my fighters to take out any potential interceptors. I could hold my fighter so if I go against a fighterless build I don't have mess with them until I want to.

well yeah, now you have the option to do so

that's the point of the upgrade

this isn't a standard feature on any star wars vessel, thematically speaking, hence the qualifier "rapid", the fact that it is an upgrade card and the point cost associated with it

only place I've ever seen fighters come swarming out of a ship after it's been under attack is in Empire At War where you can just sling Star Destroyers out of hyperspace and into people's face

only place I've ever seen fighters come swarming out of a ship after it's been under attack is in Empire At War where you can just sling Star Destroyers out of hyperspace and into people's face

happened in the last movie fighters and SDs.

and:

@OP

you think 6 points is expensive?? really for being able to drop 4 B wings in attack range of a target that you hopefully just hammered with a full large ships or 2 firepower??

Rebellion had the same thing you could drop fighters or hold them if you did care to lose them to a,corvette when no other fighters were around.

Capital ships all have hyperdrives. Why can't they jump into and out of combat at will?

There are space wizards. Why do they even bother flying fighters when they can magic things to death?

Space is three dimensional. Why can't I fly my star destroyers over top of your Nebulon?

It's a game, dude. Things are abstracted. The ships don't all have rapid launch bays by default because they don't. If it bothers you enough, you can always just house rule it.

Also, weren't you just in another thread griping about how this makes Rhymer or something unstoppable?

Tonight, my MC80 CC w/Sato was sliding around a Gladiator, and had pushed past the Decimator screen. She used Rapid Launch to belch out Hera, Rogue Squadron, and 2 basic X-Wings right at almost point blank range to the Glad. The Decimators were then tangled up by some A-Wings for a turn or two, leaving Hera and Friends to stomp around the Glad and help Sato deliver the knockout punch, then they roamed at their leisure for the rest of the game. It felt wildly thematic, was great fun (for me, not so much for my Imperial opponent), and worked very well.

ISD 1 - RLB - EHB - H9 (defender/rhymer ball inside)

Launch, shoot with rhymer, then use the main battery of the isd for the knock out.

Gunnery teams...psh

I understand the fluff argument being made by OP in favour of every ship being able to launch squadrons after beginning of the battle - it just makes sense, even if rapid launch might require some additional features onboard your beloved SD to shove out all the TIEs in time before the carnage ends..

Gameplay-wise, I think that a rapid launch bay-type of feature innate to all ships would heavily influence the balancing, and not in a good way. Deploying squadrons in the deployment phase would only tactically make sense to accumulate deployments - for every other aspect it would make so much more sense to carry all your precious bombers in your belly till point blank, then spit them out rather than having to fly them around on their own, prone to Flak, engagements and stuff. There is also no direct counter against any capital just parking next to you (which forces you to relocate your overlapped defending squadrons), unloading 4-5 TIE bombers or rebel equivalents into your face, and if every capital would be able to just do it without any need for an upgrade card it would probably be one of the boring go-to tactics.

So gameplay beats fluff!