Your math is off. At least $20 is for the extra virtual items since the Digital Deluxe download version does not include the statue, CD, book, map or authentication key. I don't know if that has access to the CE item vendor (the implication on the purchase site is that it doesn't but I'm not sure); however, the difference between it and the standard edition is strictly virtual items which are also included in the CE edition. I don't know about anyone else, but I frequently buy CE editions strictly for the virtual content included. I honestly could care less about the statue or the book and would rather they weren't included since they made the package unnecessarily (to my interests) bulky. For me the "REAL items" other than the game disks themselves and the authenticator had no value and I wouldn't have paid extra for them.

Obviously, it won't be everyone's cup of tea but taking advantage of the majority of the content would require one to level multiple characters. To me, the different part of SWTOR for an mmo seems to be the extent to how story driven it is during the leveling process and how much detail, effort and expense was put into the story with the result being it is possible to level multiple characters with little crossover content (the up side to how fast leveling is compared to content and quests going grey early on if one takes a completionist approach). I believe somebody already mentioned the feeling that it is combining a recent solo RPG with an MMO. The problem being that this then leaves one waiting for the next major content patch for the continuation of the story once you complete your character's story lines. Otherwise, it is a return to a more typical mmo grind (of whatever sort that mmo has) at max level. There is, though, enough diversity in the class story lines that you can level 8 characters with only moderate overlap. If you don't at least do one empire side and one republic side you have chosen to deprive yourself of well over half the game's content. Again, I'm not saying that everyone is going to want to level multiple characters and there are many people who play for the end game in mmos and don't enjoy the leveling process. However, if you don't level multiple characters, you have chosen to not take advantage of most of the game content.