Version Update 5/23/2018 [Mega]

"_ho0ligan_;c-1555572" wrote:
CG chose 6a as it's easily accessible to all players lvl60+. The choice to farm the mats is yours to make, either farm them and stay competitive in your fleet shard or don't and be ok with it. CG could've held off making mats available until ships table. Given that the 3v3 will be live in the next few days people would whine about not having mats available.

Or they could have put the mats....pretty much anywhere else in the game where cantina energy isn't required - a few hard nodes, in any one of the stores, in one of the challenges (regular or fleet) .

I also find your assumption that the "new" iteration of ships will automatically be a better experience, amusing.