The emperor was defeated by the jedi knight final story line quest. This leads into the battle of ilum and false emperor if you follow the quests in order.

You see him again in the false emperor.

Stockpiling money to then dump into a mission skill when you can send out 4 companions at once doesn't put you as far behind as one would think. Also making that 1-30 gear seems nice but in a week everyone will have out leveled it as well. Now if you are looking to use the GTN to make money then all the power to you. I dislike playing GTN to make money.

its nerfed but still gives you extra credits as you adventure. had about 17-20k ish around level 17 but was spending money on crafting.