Considering respecing my jedi to EntertainerFollow

I have been considering doing a respec from Jedi to Entertainer. I am mostly bored of the traditional combat based xp systems and I enjoy the idea that Traders and Entertainers both level differently from the other professions (officer and medic excluded as I haven't tried them). I have been in space so much that my jedi is just now hitting 30, but only 150k from the X-wing certifications lol. The space side of the game is really fun and I find myself night after doing space duties vs. leveling my character.

What I am more curious about is can the entertainer handle some combat (as I do need enzymes for bio-engineering) and how does the buff system work? Do players see the screen, can they manipulate the buffs, and is there any good guides to creating the buffs needed for the other professions?

Thanks in Advance!

Also Entertainers can devote some expertise points to Beast Master without decreasing their effectiveness to add a reasonable combat ability.