whatever faction you choose i think it's safe to say that the best place to start is developing your character that you intend to play. i'd rather not see 15 generic hessian/xeno pilots running around. create an interesting background, add depth to your characters, and roleplay them both on the forums and in-game.
sure PVP is fun but as you said before, it gets old. actually playing the role of a character you created, now that's where the fun comes in.
take your time, develop someone that we'd all like to interact with and read about.