I think that the way of a set monthly fee is way too draconian these days. SWTOR might get away with it at the moment simply due to the popularity, but other companies letting their MMO's go to free-to-play models seem to be earning a fortune right now. It doesn't have to just be cash shops either; take a look at DCUO. They offer incentives to pay for premium service, but ultimately they have gained a 700% net profit since turning to free-to-play.

Also the fact that they are charging for extra characters is absolutely insane. But at least you can do everything, and experience everything on the one character unlike other MMORPG's. Right?