I don't usually just post videos without much to say about them, but CCP's put out a new trailer that really gets to the heart of why Eve is different from every other MMO out there at the moment. This one highlights a player event, but the same could be said of the metaplot's potential:
The Butterfly Effect
Yeah, that video was pretty neat. (I hope CCP makes it available for download— I'm something of a media pack rat.) I found some of the details of this specific example questionable (a solo, unaligned assault frigate cruising aimlessly around deep 0.0?) but the overall point is accurate.
Most MMOs have a sort of "plot treadmill." You can beat down the Lich King three times a week (and indeed, your guild probably does) but nothing changes until the devs and writers make arbitrary decisions about story progression. EVE is probably the only MMO in which the players really do affect the story.