If you plan on using your companions it does not really matter. If you pan to know your chosen classes abilitys and play smart it does not matter. If you plan to just push random buttons brainlessly it does not matter. I think you should follow and live out the fun factor, or be a Smuggler.

Nope, red ones (Which are actually orange) schematics come from underworld trading. p.s.: The items you can craft from theese schems are items with empty mod slots.

I don't really know what your concern is, but I try to answer it anyway. It is not a big issue that you and your friend start on different planets, since you can finish the beginner, tutorial planet in 2-4 hours. If you complete your class quests only then it is around 1 hour. You can travel to the other planet even at level one to be with your buddy if that is your wish, hovewer you will need to come back to your starting planet to advence in your own story. On a side note, the force users from the same faction start on the same planet and non force users from the same faction start on the same planed as well. Regarding the MMO aspect. This depends what you mean about turning into an mmo. You can be max lvl in every single mmo without talking even to a single person. There are some missions you can make with your companion in the begining but later on it won't be that easy and you will need the help of other player to complete them. Btw. mmo is more about socializing than getting party members with advanced AI. And don't forget that if you do it for the loot, you are just a .......toot.

You say that you were usually a tank in other games and plan to do so here as well. Since you are playing a tank, I guess you will usually have a group of friends to support, heal you. (The companion system is a miracle, since you can play as a tank even while not grouped and... well, this is another story.) Coming from the above points you will be doing flashpoints a lot, so you will be always up to date with your gear, so synthweaving wouldn't be used out that much. So, since you will be a critical asset to a group as a tank, why don't you take the biochem, bioanalisys way and get yourself the reusable buffs and medpacks to be awesome?

Orange items do not have any stats without the mods. If you place mods into them their item level will increase due to the updated stats.

Crafterm while crafting an armor or weapon by chance can make exceptional item, which has an augement slot. This slot is not the same as the one in the moddable items, it's an extra.

When I am online, they need to slice, like there would be no tomorrow. They rarely have some change by healing me in a harder quest but I usually give them tasks even while i am in a flashpoint. They have enough time to rest when I need to work, and maybe sleep.

It's a bug and every gathering skill has it. Hopefully they wil fix it soon. The nodes you can't click are nodes that someone already has been "mined" out, but the node didn't disappear.

Try under Slicing.

There is no scoreboard table during the pvp match, the only one you get is the one you see at the end of the game.

All your companions are having their own personalitys, you can't change that. You will loose affaction points by chosing paths it does not like, but you can bring that back up with companion gifts, or you can simply avoid loosing the points in the first place by leaving your companion on your ship, or taking another one to taking up or handing over the quest.

Your companions continue doing the task you give them, even if you are offline, be it any crafting, gathering or mission skill.

Your chances of mission success or for getting blue recepies aren't affected by companion affection. Only the time it takes for the companion to complete the task you give them changes.

Crew skill bonuses are fixed, you can't tinker with them.

It is possible, but you better unlock at least 2-3 companions with your alt, so they can all go out and do the slicing, othervise it will be a pretty slow process. Btw. you need to be somewhat patient at crafting as well, since mailing isn't instand as far as i know.