does profession alone prompt a reaction?

[pokerjunky]

for instance, if i am a pirate will ships and factions react to me differently, or is it governed entirely by my stats and in-game decisions? i may play a pirate or a smuggler with a strong mix of merchant thrown in. i want to be sure the starting profession i picked will not have any affect at all on how well different strategies will work (beyond starting stats of course)

[Cory Trese]

your profession is not used by the NPC, no, not in the way your describe.

Special powers (such as reduced pardon cost) do impact the factions universally, however. but that's not space combat.