I think given the dwindling player population any restrictions on player activity due to RP will further dampen the chances of reversing it.
Therefore if you want to attract a new group of players that will join disco and stay there needs to be something that will appeal to them and that it not RP!
When we had 200 player population on the server then fine RP requirements were justified and people enjoyed it.
Now we have much less so we should relax the RP rules, derestrict ZOIs on all IDS and allow all people to fly any where in sirius they like. The only given RP restrictions should be that pirates cannot ally with lawfuls or other factions they are not friendly with. So just common sense rules, but the all borders relaxed i.e all factions should be able to take any ship any where and promote PVP interactions.
That will get em going.
Either Discovery holds on to its Freelancer Traditions with RP at the heart and slowly watch it fade away.
Or embrace a new approach that is against what discovery has always been about in return for more players and a longer survival turn.