Re: Depicting the SF sandbox
Sure. The idea of a starport extraterritoriality line (which was present from the beginning in Traveller, pre-dating "The Imperium") also offers a clear incentive to trade in the designated spot. The balancing factor is that it makes off-worlders easy marks and lets a small group of natives (those in control of the starport environs) set the terms of off-world contact.
But then, if you don't have restrictions on trade, what will smugglers do for a living?
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