I've lost count of times I've seen people complain about a looter stealing a item their character really needed by needing on an item they can't use, or similar jerkery of 'its for my companion', especially when said class doesn't have a companion that can use it (IE, Trooper needing on a lightsaber when all trooper comps are troopers too). So to fix this, I think there needs to be an improvement to the loot system...
... And the easiest way to fix this would be to make it so that you can't need on equipment you can't use.
IE, Sentinals can't need on heavy armor, Ops can't need on shields and so forth.... Or even further... If its not your classes primary stat you can't need on it. Soo no more troopers needing on strength stuff etc.
If you can't need, you can still greed, so if the guy its for doesn't need it, everyone in the group still has an equal chance to gain the item rather then a looter stealing it.
Making it so that you can't need on an item you can't use would easily eliminate pretty much all of the compaints and arguments etc over looters and ninja's etc that happens.