What Spartan689 said. When I saw that text as the cinematic started, I was only thinking YES! It turned out like I had hoped it would be and more. Chris is using elements from WC and Privateer under a different label, Star Citizen, and you have career choices that branch out in a mission tree style, or the open-ended explorer/merchant style of Privateer in the same game.
I have ALWAYS wanted that in a space game. In Privateer, I would have the thought in the recess of my mind...why can I not sign up and be a part of the military faction? I had accepted it because the game was designed to be mostly a sandbox environment, and having a set structure in place was what Wing Commander, a separate game was for. Now, we can have our cake, and eat it, too!
It really does look great already, and it seems like there's gonna be a lot one can do with the ship's interface, carrier, etc. I mean, even something so simple as exploring the whole carrier is gonna be a high for me!