2. I think my reaction to the *surprise* was about the same as Darth Chaltab, although perhaps excluding the "I'm going to kill Bastila" thing.
3. Playing time: Of the 5 games I've played, the first 4 were anywhere from 33-37 hours to finish. The last was well under, more like 25-26 hours.
4. If you want a decent change, play a melee-less game. I did that for my last game. Beating Malak wasn't too bad. I threw on Jedi Robes so I could 'feed' just as he did, and used Advanced Energy Resistance to survive most of his attacks.
I played as a Scout/Sentinel that game...or was it a Scoundrel/Sentinel...I know I use Sentinel because I wanted to Force Immunities.