SW1 has a strictly linear mission tree, you can't really "grind" for more exp/money there unfortunately. I like it for the quirky characters and it's not bad, but yeah it ain't an easy introduction.

I skipped SW2; I heard it's hella buggy even though some of the features (random missions roster?) sounded absolutely brilliant if they had managed to pull them off right. Also heard it was very short, shorter than the first game - I suppose you would spend time doing random missions for exp/money.

This game, SW3, has several fairly decently-scripted starting missions: I'm a bit surprised you're having trouble early in the game. You need to follow the directions the script takes you, as if you wander off the path into another portal you'll get auto-ambushed on the other side because the script doesn't want new players missing the story. It's not exactly clear when you can take off on your own but it's somewhere in the vicinity after recruiting your first team member.

Great tips overall by HDS66NL, it's pretty much what we've found out after being chewed up a few times Take some time off from missions to hunt pirates for exp/money, not that you need to do so but it'll help you (and your confidence) a lot to win some extra stuff. Leveling up your team and getting them better ships does wonders.

Good luck and have fun!