Setting Jam: Hyperbolic Trajectory

[TGLS]

What's something common now that's rare in-universe?

Freehold real estate for sale. Over the past five centuries, freehold real estate fell out of fashion, replaced by renting and leasehold real estate. When many modern stations are constructed, there are no or almost no freehold properties sold. With the sale of the last lands on the moon about one hundred years ago, the idea of owning a house to pass down to ones children has fallen out of reach of most people.

Questions

What's a good character background?
Why might 2-5 people find themselves in control of a spacecraft?
What's a rumor someone might hear?
Who is a powerful individual NPC? 
How do people get stuff off of earth into space?
What's another important group in the game, and what's their relationship with TFOEB?
What are the major energy sources used? Is nuclear fission dead, or finally widespread? Is fusion even possible? What about truly epic solar panels?
Why can't people own land anymore? Is it being concentrated in the hands of few? If so, why aren't they selling? Have governments changed how they feel about freehold title? If so, what caused them to move towards leaseholds? Or is it something else?