Snap Shot (Gunnery Phase, Minor)
You can fire one of your starship’s weapons with a –2 penalty to the gunnery check. You can take this action only if no other gunner actions have been taken during the gunnery phase (including snapshot).
In other words, you can do this if you don't have a gunner or if the gunner is asleep on the job. In the latter case, have your captain wake up the gunner instead.
I'm pretty sure this and the piloting minor action mostly exist so fighters actually function, with 'the pilot/gunner fell down and hit his head!' being a fringe scenario you can also resolve with them.
I don't think this works if somebody else on your ship is taking a gunnery action.
I'm pretty sure this and the piloting minor action mostly exist so fighters actually function, with 'the pilot/gunner fell down and hit his head!' being a fringe scenario you can also resolve with them.
That's probably the way it is.
OP, if you want to increase the damage output, make the pilot take second gunner seat and use the other minor crew action to steer:
Glide (Helm Phase, Minor)
You move the starship at half its normal speed. The starship can take turns during this movement, but the starship’s distance between turns increases by 2. You can add your ranks in the Piloting skill to the starship’s AC and TL for this round. You can only take this action if no other pilot actions have been taken during the helm phase (including glide).
If the enemy's main damage dealer is a turret, maneuverability probably isn't going to matter much.
If you do use the Glide, you will always move first, FYI.Why do you think that?
CRB 317: "If a starship has no one in the pilot role, that starship acts as if its pilot had rolled a 0."