The space missions are just a mini-game. Don't like them, don't play them. I don't see this as a negative, as the game wasn't billed as a space combat sim. Personally, I like to do them a couple of times a week The new quests give a boat-load of Xp, and the credits aren't bad. Now you don't even need commendations to upgrade your ship (as in the beta), so it is really free, when you look at how little the upgrades cost, to explore and have fun with.