Seems you've had a totally different experience from me. Bring this down to bad luck or totally different expectations I guess.
I found the story quest/world quests suitably tailored to my level and gear progression and have very little trouble soloing everything (minus heroics) until around level 45, where it was still "doable" but I had to plan better to overcome the mobs.
Crafting was a breeze as soon as you get the droid for your ship to make everything - the only downside being having to spend credits to craft something. It gets harder and longer to find the materials as you progress, but that's to be expected.
Socially, I've found the members to be more polite and social than WoW and GW2 (my sole other MMO experiences). The RP'ing has been mostly confined to whispers or group chat, so perhaps that's why you didn't see any on your RP experience. The comment of grouping being forced...well I guess? You ask for a group and get whoever comes. But I don't see how this differs from any other social game.
As for your final point of space battles being a disappointment, I saw the space part to be a mini-game to give you a different experience away from the main component. Yeah, it's linear as can be and not very engaging, but it's a mini-game so I don't expect too much. Would I like it to be more open and engaging? Sure. However, since it is a mini game I don't put much weight on the matter.
I would like to compliment you (not that you'll come back to read this, especially after so long) on a well constructed and thoughtful post though. Unlike the majority of "I quit, cos this sucks!" posts.