Basic question is how to make game more palatable for all kinds of players. Including people who are newbies, and people who want co-op play without some gatecrasher trolling them all over. There are basically two ways: Either enable new mode, OR beef up C&P so that it steers certain behauviour to aprobriate systems.You're trying to have a C&P discussion in an OpenPvE thread... talking about a game where the most novice of players has access to Billions of credits and every ship in the game... and where 'crime' (including murder) is just a matter of which system you're in and is consequently an actual and viable, if not exactly profitable, playstyle.
"perhaps somewhat better grade weapons/shields,"
This applies to both NPC and Meta'CMDR... "more better equipment".... Noobs cannot go toe to toe with end-game opponents and expect to not see the rebuy screen. They can barely expect to go toe to toe with the opponents 1 level up.
This is expected and intended and should be recognised as the prgressive level scaling that it is. It doesn't need a discussion about game balance. Once more... a new player cannot and should not expect to go toe to toe with more powerful opponents regardless of NPC or CMDR. It's going to end the same way for the same reasons in Open, PG or Solo.
On PVE side opposition new player meets rarely is at end-game class. Even thargs need to get provoked by player. So every opponent you meet IS something you can beat. Maybe you end up rebuy screen some times, but thats about that.
When it comes to PVP, newbie just dies. No chance at all.
You can justify it with whatever reasonz, but I do not think it is very healthy for game at all.