I've been keeping up with this thread for some time now. Never posting just lurking in the shadows, admittedly laughing at some of the squabbles you've all gotten in to
But I figured I would finally offer my two cents. When I first started to play this game, I knew I wanted to play a stealth class. And ever since phantom menace I have been in love with the saber-staff (I was 11-12 when it came out). So Jedi Shadow seemed like a no-brainer.
And I enjoyed playing it all the way to 55. Sneaking up on mobs or other players, some cool moves; everything was cool. But then I got to end-game...and my God was I disappointed.
Now before you hit reply so you can type "L2P" /5char (lol) please know this; I am a competent player. I will never claim to be the best because I simply do not put THAT much time into the game. However, I have several 55s including a Gunslinger that is rocking all 72s with full augmentation. My Shadow possesses the same quality gear and yet he just CAN NOT touch the DPS my Gunslinger can put up.
The creator of this thread did post some parser data IIRC, but I wouldn't expect everyone to take that as undeniable proof. Instead, what I would look at is the countless testimonies from actual players who swear on their lightsabers/blasters that Shadow/Assassin needs some help.
I have actually been turned away by Operations Groups a few times solely because of the fact that I was a Shadow. This just doesn't seem right to me...
Anyway, TL;DR: Shadows/Assassins need a bit of help as far as I'm concerned.