Being a new GM I have a few questions on PC contributions.

Last weekend I ran Escape from Mos Shutta using the CRB and it added a nice aspect to the adventure to not be limited to the beginner rule book. Anyways my question concerns what the PCs add to the adventure.

During the session I would let the PC’s determine how they spent their advantage and disadvantage results from the various skill checks they made. During combat checks I decided how to spend their advantages and disadvantages

Along the same lines, we created our own characters for the adventure. I let them contribute greatly to the opening crawl to establish why their characters where in Mos Shutta in the first place and why Temo was after them.

Is this ok to do? Or does it give the PC’s too much power during the session?

It is your game. As long as everyone at the table is having fun, it doesn't matter.

Don't let the players run the show, since they don't have all of the background information for your adventure, but let them suggest ways of making the dice results more interesting and cinematic. It will keep everyone at the table engaged in the game and not check their phone.

I have the players to spend their advantages and triumphs. I spend the threats and despairs.

I have the players to spend their advantages and triumphs. I spend the threats and despairs.

I like that, I kind of followed that but I think I may fully implement this into our next session

I believe that is how it is supposed to work according to the book. Whomever rolls gets to spend the positives and the opposite side (GM or player depending on who originally rolled) spends the negative results. So, when the NPC shoots at the player the GM spends the advantages and triumphs, but the player spends the threat and despair

This is one of the best parts of the system is input and engaging the players to help tell the story. No more binary results and alot less distracted/bored players on their phones/laptops.

I have the players to spend their advantages and triumphs. I spend the threats and despairs.

This. If it benefits the players, let them spend it. If it's beneficial to you, the GM, you can spend it.

Meaning, on a GMC roll, you spend advantages and triumph, and let the players spend threat and dispair. If the players roll, they spend the advantage/triumph, and you spend threat/dispair.

-EF

I let them spent advantages where it make sense. So for a skill check somewhere (lockpicking) I decide if advantages or threads are important for the story. Example: They are at a magnetic sealed door. The droid tries to hack the lock.

1.) He rolls and fails but have also some threads: The door does not open and another security plate goes down to additionally secure the door.

2.) He rolls and success with threads: The door opens very quickly and makes a lot of noise. People inside may be alarmed.

3.) He rolls a success with advantages: The door opens and doesn't make any noise. The players may slip in.

4.) He rolls and fails with some advantages: Nothing happens, door is shut. But nobody notice that they are in front of the door.

In combat situation with the PCs "on the slot" I stick strictly to the corebook: PCs decides for the advantages, I decide for the threads with all the strain etc.

On combat checks the players in my group decide what to do with the advantage/triumph. Of course I can say yes or no to what they want unless its a clear cut thing such as removing strain or giving/getting a boost die. With skill checks I tend to just let them know what happens since there is real no clear cut bonus to getting advantage and threat. If they get a triumph on those kinds of checks i do have them suggest what they think should happen and then say yay or nay or adjust it a bit.

I have the players to spend their advantages and triumphs. I spend the threats and despairs.

That's what I do. I always spend the negative. However, I do sometimes spend their Triumph if I have something cool in mind, I ask first though.

I find that it usually depends on the situation. Some examples from last night's game:

1) The Politico was trying to convince female near-humans that it would be a brilliant idea to go to the Imperial Governor's office and make advances on him (he was trying to create blackmail). He rolled one success and three threats. He succeeded at getting them to go there, but he later learned that they were threatened with lethal force due to a spy overhearing the conversation and reporting it.

2) The same Politico was attempting to trick a dockmaster that he was part of a company of mechanics. He rolled one succees and three advantages. When I asked what extra benefit he would have, he couldn't think of one offhand and asked me to offer a few ideas.

3) The Scoundrel was attempting to gather information on the local Governor, and found it in the only human gambler in a non-human owned casino. While playing cards, he scored a failure but an advantage. He offered that he got a bit ripped off, may not have a friend in him later on, but still got parts of the information needed. I found this to be very well described and allowed it to happen.

4) The Outlaw Tech was tasked with mounting a security pressure plate as part of a "job." The Governor, who they were recording, was in the next room, but they needed to look as though they were doing their exact job. The player rolled a Triumph, Failure, and a Threat. The player, who is still new to roleplaying, wanted to make sure the plate at least looked like it was where it needed to be, but didn't want the alarm to go off and ruin the perfectly good blackmail that they were recording. We agreed that since they had a single-use code to override the security system in a case like this, one of the party members stepped up and deactivated it, but it tripped the silent alarm, calling in the stormtroopers they had to run away from outside of the manor. The plate also at least looked like it was mounted correctly, but it wouldn't pass a close inspection.

5) Said Outlaw Tech was also trying to hack into the Governor's office to get the holocam feeds from the previous night. A success and two advantaged remained, but there was a Despair. The player stated they wanted the data, I stated they would be tracked. They asked to use the advantage to be given a head start to run away from where they were, and I agreed.

At my table, it is a give and take. Out of combat advantages don't have a horribly clear use outside of narration, but sometimes that give-and-take is exactly what you need to make it work.