Of course, this *IS* Bioware, and that's what they do.
This all comes down to my view of story in an RPG. When I started computer RPG's, I played Wizardry. The plot is threadbare. The the story is the game itself. The story is the decisions that you make along the way. The story is the desperate battles, stupid experimentation, and lucky finds that change how the characters develop. The story is your exploration of the Maze.
I did play Ultlima back then, and that game had more "talk and run errands" than I preferred. I could never remember who was where, or even which quests I ran into. Some chat is fine, but extended chatting gets on my nerves.