Rebels should probably use Mon Calamari Tech Specialists.
Separatists should probably use Battle Droids or Muun Guards.
Imperials should definitely use Stormtroopers.
Republic should probably use Naboo Soldiers (if you have them).
For the other factions, I tend to lean heavily on 5 point Fringe shooters (5PFS) for my cheap fodder needs. The following is a comparison of the strengths and weaknesses of each of the options. All of them have 10 HP and 10 Damage, so I'm not including it in the comparison.
Bespin Guard (12 Def) (+3 Atk) (Advantageous Cover)
Jawa (11 Def) (+4 Atk) (Ion Gun +20)
Nikto Soldier (14 Def) (+2 Atk) (Sniper)
Dark Hellion Swoop Gang Member (13 Def) (+3 Atk) (Gang +1)
Human Blaster-For-Hire (12 Def) (+4 Atk) (Black Sun)
Ewok Warrior (12 Def) (+2 Atk) (Swarm +1)
Bespin Guard
King of Combining Fire
Def: 12
Atk: +3
Advantageous Defense (+8 defense from cover instead of +4).
The noble Bespin Guard sees a lot of play because of his 20 defense in cover. No other 5PFS has as much defense in cover as the Bespin Guard, no matter how you boost them. As Defense is pretty much the most valuable stat for a piece used to combine fire, and hopefully you can keep your fodder in cover most of the time, the Bespin Guard is usually the best choice for combining fire. Their attack is pretty low, so you probably shouldn't be shooting with them unless you have nothing else to do. Lando Calrissian boosts their attack by 2, but then you're stuck with a 16 point liability in your squad.
Jawa
Droid Demolisher
Def: 11
Atk: +4
Ion Gun +20 (+20 damage to Droids)
The Jawa not only has the highest base attack rating of all the 5PFS, but it can also do massive damage to Droids. Unfortunately, Jawas also have the lowest defense of any of the 5PFS. They aren't much good at combining fire, because they die quickly. But if you know you're going to be facing droids (which is maybe more likely with Kazdan Paratus coming out), Jawas can be great filler for your squad.
Nikto Soldier
Jack-of-All-Trades (Master of None)
Def: 14
Atk: +2
Sniper (Other characters don't provide cover)
Nikto Soldiers take a lot of flack and are usually considered a throw-away piece. They do have the highest defense of any 5PFS when they aren't in cover. Against a melee squad, Nikto Soldiers are better than Bespin Guards everytime. +2 Attack is weak (ties Ewok Warrior for lowest amongst the 5PFS), but Sniper helps that out a bit. In the right situation, Sniper is like a +4 Attack bonus. So the Nikto can be a decent attacker or a decent fire combiner, but it's not the best at either. If you aren't sure which role you need in your fodder, or you know you want both, Niktos actually aren't a bad choice.
Dark Hellion Swoop Gang Member
The More, the Better
Def: 13
Atk: +3
Gang +1 (+1 Attack for each other Gang member within 6 squares of target)
If you only have room for one or two 5PFS in your squad, these are not the best choice. They have weak attack and weak defense. However, if you bring a bunch of Gang Members (Dark Hellion Marauders on Swoop Bikes count, too) and surround your opponent, you can get a pretty high attack rating (although still for only 10 damage).
Human Blaster-For-Hire
Xizor's Little Friend
Def: 13
Atk: +3
Black Sun (Grenades 10 from a Vigo, Grenades 20 from Xizor)
Don't bother running these guys without Xizor or one of the Black Sun Vigos. They're just not as good as the other 5PFS. However, with Grenades, the Human-Blaster-For-Hire quickly becomes the most reliable damage-dealer amongst the 5PFS. Grenades 20 on a 5 point piece is pretty ridiculous--especially if you have a bunch of them. If you have Xizor on your team, always bring these guys for your 5PFS needs. With just a Vigo, it's more situational, and you'll have to decide if you want them to be dealing damage or combining fire (in which case a Bespin Guard may be a better option).
Ewok Warrior
I Get Played Because I'm Cute
Def: 12
Atk: +2
Swarm +1 (+1 attack for each Ewok adjacent to target)
These little Day-Glo Orange teddy bears have horrible attack and defense stats. Swarm +1 is only effective if you play tons of Ewoks, and even then, the best you can get is +8 to your attack if you manage to completely surround the nearest target with Ewoks. And you'll still only do 10 damage. Han Solo in Stormtrooper Armor and the Ithorian Commander make Ewok swarms playable, so these guys can kind of fit in there (if you don't mind getting completely outclassed by plain old Ewoks that cost 2 points less). You still see these get played because, well, they're Ewoks. They have better name and sculpt recognition than any of the other 5PFS. But outside of theme squads and Ewok swarms, anything else on this list is a better choice every time.
My final ranking based on all-around usefulness and/or likelyhood that I'll actually play each piece:
1. Bespin Guard
2. Human Blaster-For-Hire
3. Nikto Soldier
4. Jawa
5. Dark Hellion Swoop Gang Member
6. Ewok Warrior
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Maybe i am missing something if i am i am sorry.
