you prolly missed the word "usually" in my post. i am well aware that some words have changed spelling slightly throughout the years. to be honest, i kinda like the old english way of speaking. sounds a lot more proper than how kids speak these days.
your point being?
eventually, you start getting the choice to accept companion gear as rewards for turning in quests, so don't worry too much about buying them gear if you don't have much cash.
it's not that hard to catch on to MMO play, so you'll prolly be fine. good choice of a first MMO though. this is probably the best one i've ever played.
another way to tell if they truly want to talk is by right clicking them to see what they say. if they ask to talk to you, then that means the tiny icon is fo reelz. if they just say one of their random quotes, then don't bother looking for a cantina/your ship.
welcome, Maccer! nice to meet ya. i quite enjoy my Jedi Sentinel, but i have to say my favorite class is the smuggler hands down. don't worry about making mistakes and such. we all were noobs at one point in time.
i main Republic because i knew the vast majority of people would go to the Empire, and i wanted to help even things out. besides, i tend to like picking the least popular factions/classes.
you can choose to display it as a surname...
John Doe
choose to display it as a title, kinda like a guild name under your first name...
John
<The Doe Legacy>
or you can choose to not display it at all.
i don't know what it's like on the Imperial side, but as for the Republic side, when i play, i barely see any smugglers. my toon is either the only one or one out of a handful while everyone else is a Jedi or Trooper.
have you upgraded your gear? used stims? used med packs when your health goes low? and you bought all skill upgrades too, right? i didn't think he was that hard at all. >_> i was able to beat him on my first try at level 8-9.