Deflector Shields
    Starship shield generators are rated by Class and Shield Rating. The Class is either Light, Heavy or Great, while the Shield Rating (or SR) is the level of disruption the generator can absorb before the shield is in danger of collapsing.

    Every time a deflector shield intercepts damage, the integrity of its energy field is somewhat disrupted. The better the shield, the more disruption it can sustain before it begins to disintegrate. When this breaking point is reached, maintaining the shield becomes increasingly difficult. Given enough punishment and no time to regenerate, even the most resilient shield, manned by the most skilled operator, will eventually be reduced to useless tatters. At this point, the shield will collapse, its generator overloading, shutting down and requiring a cool down period before it can be reactivated.

    Once the level of Shield Disruption is greater than the shield's listed SR rating, a successful Shield Operations roll is required every turn to maintain the shield. Every level of Shield Disruption above the shield's SR rating is also assigned as a penalty against the Shield operator's skill. (Example: After a nasty barrage, a SR: 3 shield is currently operating at a Shield disruption level of 5. The shield operator will now make his roll to keep them up at a -2 penalty.) If the roll is failed, the shields collapse.

    Note: Keeping dwindling shields up is a tricky task, and it's even more difficult when the person doing it is concentrating on piloting and/or gunnery as well. Thus, if the shield operator is engaging in any other action during the combat round, the Shield Operation roll is assessed an additional -2 penalty.

Special Rule: R2 Units
    Some fighters have the capacity to carry an astromech droid as a mechanic/co-pilot. An operational R2 unit can perform in-flight repairs, assist with deflector shield operation (+1 to the ship's SR rating) and tweak power management at crucial times: Once per combat, the pilot can ask his R2 to divert power--for one turn only--to either the engines (adding 2 to the ship's MR) or weapons (increasing damage done by the fighter's blaster cannons by one rank). The pilot must announce his intention to do this at the very beginning of a turn, before any other actions are made.