I just got the game myself and intend to learn some modding for it.
So what if it's mostly abandoned (apparently)?
Simply stand on the corpses of the dead and mark your own mark!
It's not a game's fault that it's mod community dies off or wanes. That's life!
However, it is the responsibility of those that enjoy the game to get the word out and keep interest alive.
Look at Freespace2... I've only been modding it for the last 6 tears or so (I did over a thousand personal ship conversions for it), but the community has been going strong for the last ELEVEN YEARS!
Here is preview of how a community comes together and holds the line:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pHRvxBtS_Ug I'm the Theta-Two voice actor by the way.
Also the comunity helped me out with knowledge so I eventually figured out how to make animated torps right from Trek games. Something no on else had done at the time publicly (possible exception of the starfox team, but they use a physical model).
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kPOQS6h_wAs
As for me, I am picking apart FoxThree's Stargate Mod to see how this thing ticks and taking my stab at a Robotech mod (starting small RDF replaces Terrans), then expanding on that to a full mod.
I used to have a gigantic folder chock full of modding resources: models, sounds, images, textures, ect. They were gathered from past games I owned or ones I got mroe recently. A crash nearly a year ago devastated the various long-term FS2 projects I had going, and I went into a modding-hiatus for a long time...
I may take long breaks like in the past (true) but my hiatus is over... I'm back! Time to learn how to make this happen for Galciv II...
So let the invasion begin, time to break your toys and take your s...stuff!

Yeah, I know you're not supposed to put mecha in a fighter/shooter sim.
I'm also not supposed to let a f-302(Teal'c), YF-19(basara), and VF1SS-custom(Myself) combine to form a super robot...
Cause that's how I roll!
Soon as I can find the right tutorials (that actually decipher what otehr tutorials are talking about), the sooner I can post more than this one pathetic pic...
