Yes, SWTOR had a subscription based payment, $14.99 a month.
Yes SWTOR is now fully free to play
You can begin to play PvP Warzones at level 10 in SWTOR. Due to the balancing system used by SWTOR, you can actually make a contribution at this level and won't be steamrolled by higher levels.
Human, Zabrak, and Cyborg are fully free to play
Yes, that is the only way to play SWTOR.
No, SWTOR has become a free-to-play MMORPG now.
Free to Play Weekly - 2011 SWTOR PlanetSide 2 and More 1-59 was released on: USA: 8 August 2012
SWTOR is slated for launch spring of 2011
From the SWTOR Species Codex he is Nautolan.
Yes, SWTOR can only be played online.
SWTOR is no longer a pay to play MMORPG, it is now free to play as of 2014. While SWTOR is now Free To Play, it is very limited in terms as to what the FTP player can have, use and at higher levels, content. If you choose to subscribe, the pricing starts at $14.99 a month, with discounts for paying multiple months at a time.
You can keep anything you find in SWTOR in your inventory or your bank vault. Wheather or not you can use them, is totally up to the class you play. Troopers use rifles and autocannons, not melee weapons.