Both sides of the AC respec debate have legitimate points. So what's the answer?

There is still no stated concern in your post. What is your concern?

Start this with this. "My concern about implementing AC repsec is..." and then follow that what whatever you think the harm of implementing or not implementing AC respec would be.

Could have been zero voiceovers and every class gets the same story, like every other MMO. What we have is an improvement. Would a voiceover/quest chain for every AC have been preferable? Sure. In the same vein, It'd be preferable if I got paid twice as much as I do currently.

The solution is to make you pick your class at level one rather than level ten.

I don't really have a problem for AC being permanent but I don't want people switching their AC at 50 just because "I'm bored of this class" or have a sudden epiphany saying "ZOMG I HATE THIS CLASS I WANT TO BE A *insert AC name here* INSTEAD!" they're two completely different play styles, if you respeced at 50 you wouldn't know what the hell you were doing thus ruining the game for yourself.

Personally I think the answer is to give players one chance and one chance only at a level where they have access to a more diverse range of skills and abilities that makes their chosen AC distinct, say around 40.

This will have given the player 30 levels of play to see if they like the feel of and enjoy the AC they have chosen, if they don't they use their 1 allowed AC swap then that is it for life, change your mind again tough go re-roll.

^This.

The OP asked about the debate regarding AC respec. The answer is that it exists because the game misrepresented the 8 classes as 4 to cut corners. You shouldn't be able to respec AC because it's a different class.

Exactly because it's a completely different class however, it should have been labeled as such too during character creation. The one and only reason it's not, is the voiceover budget.

Concern:
Allowing AC respecs would mean that Bounty Hunter/Trooper or Consular/Inquisitor can switch between healer/tank/dps while the other 2 base classes (and mirrors) can only switch between tank/dps or heal/dps.

Concern:
DPS-Bobby who have played his Marauder to 50 respecing to Jugg and having no idea how to tank in SWTOR.

But as has been stated in this thread. I don't have to give you a reason why AC respecs shouldn't be allowed. It's not. End of story.

It's like asking people to give a reason why people should not be allowed to create lvl 50 fully geared characters. It's not how the game works.

Simply because something isn't currently allowed doesn't mean there are good reasons that it isn't currently allowed. There are a hundred things BioWare did for no good reason, and a hundred things they didn't do for no good reason. It's just the way they ended up doing it. It doesn't mean that ideas can't come along later and be cause for something to change. Change in response to player suggestions, wants, demands, etc. is fundamental to MMO's.

Now, do you have a concern about AC respec one way or the other?

So go on then, set out those arguments for why it should be allowed.

Personally I don't think it should be, because it would mean I'd wasted considerable time levelling bother a BH Merc and a BH Powertech - and I took a perfectly reasonable decision that if I wanted to play both ACs, I would have to level them both because this is how the class system works.