There is one major order going on at a time, and yes everyone has the ability to contribute to it. There are a lot of other personal things going on too, but the mission selection encourages contributing to the major order.

Eveyone gets the rewards for the major order if it is successful, and most of them have been. You can also see player counts by planet, you see other ships in orbit with you, and see more.if there are other players doing missions nearby, and other things that make the game feel large and connected. The actual gameplay is up to four players on a map at a time.

The jingoist propaganda style is also over the top and clearly inspired by Starship Troopers. There are a fair number of annoying bugs, but not enough to slow down me or my friends.