I think there should be minigames to play with your friends, like the swoop bikes from KotOR except they could be multiplayer. I also think there should be space jousting on space animals with space lances in space.
That can help a bit with keeping the game fresh. PS:FORGET SPACE ANIMALS! JUST GO HOVERSHARK JOUSTING!!!
Space Jet racing. That would be pretty fun, racing your friends around the planet on hovercrafts. Though, without some kind of proper reward (unless the players themselves implement rewards), it would be a pointless feature.
Space minigames, what a good idea. What about more than races, like pet competions, space sports or puzzles.
Puzzles and races sounds like a good thing for multiplayer. Maybe an NPC would host to race or whatever, and whoever got 1st got a prize?