Queries by a returning player

Greetings, fellow space travellers.

I just reinstalled the game after approximately an year or two. Though I loved the concept of flying a space ship doing quests and stuff from system to system, I initially quit because I felt that the game felt empty, unlike Eve Online and Eve Echoes. The missions seemed repetetive and I was growing tired of the grinding aspect real fast.

So, after all this time, I decided to rejoin the game and things still seem the same. Has anything changed after all this time? I am wandering around, aimlessly doing the same repetetive missions. Dunno if there are corps/guilds/factions etc in this game that I can join. Really looking for some guidance since I'm a bit overwhelmed by all the features and game mechanics.

I really love this game, and I really want to explore it further.

Thanks in advance.