What can you tell us about operating costs for vehicles, like maintenance, fuel, etc., especially as it relates to a solo player's ability to operate a large capital ship like an Idris or Javelin?
TL;DRRunning a large capital ship solo should be technically possible but prohibitively expensive, so it is realistically a group job, though the speakers expect some wealthy player to do it anyway.
I think the discussion with that is that it should be almost prohibitively expensive, such that you could do it by yourself, but it's just so much money that it'll cripple you. If it's spread over a group or an organization, it'll be much more feasible and manageable.
It's technically possible, but not realistically possible. Yeah, you can fly one of those ships by yourself. You could hire an NPC crew instead of other human players. That just adds more cost. If you fill it with humans, they're going to want some share of whatever you're doing. It's realistically not something that you use as your daily driver around the 'verse. Although someone will. There's always someone that will have their Javelin out every day.
Let's not kid ourselves. There will be some magnate who corners the market on Quantanium or something and is a Star Citizen billionaire. And they will, just as a matter of status and a matter of effort and a matter of 'I'm going to do it the hardest possible way', they will be solo operating a Javelin out there. And it will happen.