I doubt they'd do it, but I'd like it if they did. I've had friends quit playing for exactly this reason - because you can't separate group play from the story. You have to do one to do the other no matter what, and you can't even access nearly any expansion content without doing the msq.

Not something I recall really encountering in any other MMO... unless swtor locked planets with the story but I don't actually remember that being a thing except maybe for the start zones and newer zones needing certain quests to get there? Idk it's been years lol