Give Objectives Other Than Destruction

One of the best ways to make a starship combat encounter more engaging is to give players an objective other than simply eradicating the opposition. Although destroying one's opponents can certainly be a key component in accomplishing that objective, it doesn't necessarily have to be all of it (and, in fact, it rarely is). When designing an encounter, try to pick an objective that allows the heroes to engage their enemy in combat while giving them some other goal to focus on. A goal other than all-out destruction also encourages the players to be more cautious and think tactically rather than just going in guns ablaze. Just as you might not have character combat just for combat's sake, starship combat encounters should serve the purpose of moving the plot forward.

Escort Missions

One option for an alternative objective is an encounter in which the players are required to protect something or someone. Escort missions are common among starship pilots in the Star Wars setting, and providing the players with the goal of protecting something from coming to harm means that the players will have to do more than just unleashing their weapons. Protecting something requires more tactical awareness while still allowing for high action and dogfighting that makes space combat exciting. The players might be escorting a ship through hostile territory, defending a transport as it's being loaded, or keeping enemy vessels from detecting a secret base.

Blockade Run

Alternatively, not all encounters can be won by destroying your enemies; the players might simply be trying to get from one place through another through a series of encounters. The players might be trying to maneuver through a large scale battle toward a specific target, attempting to penetrate the core of a space station, or simply trying to avoid being captured or destroyed.

Base Assault

Furthermore, you could have your players use their starship to assault a planetary base. Rather than just dogfighting, they might assault a compound featuring turbolaser batteries and walkers.

Retrieval Mission

Finally, the players might have to task of obtaining something during a starship encounter. This could be a job as simple as using a tractor beam to drag away a derelict ship, or it might involve the heroes actually landing somewhere, obtaining an item, and rejoining the fight. In some cases, the object in question might be a hostile starship, requiring the heroes to disable rather than destroy.