Spatial Anomalies

Space is a dangerous place, and all sorts of anomalies and events can occur during space travel. These anomalies, among other things, are influential to the superstitions of spacers and homeworlders alike. Anomalies are somewhat common in less populated regions of space. Notably, the more populated a cluster is, the less anomalies occur within it.

This is one of the major reasons that exploration/colonization of uncharted space takes a lot of resources, time, and effort. The further out from the central systems you venture, the more chaotic space becomes. Neutron Gates also tend to become more unstable the further out from colonized space you get, making travel require much more preparation.