“Where we’re going, we won’t need eyes to see.”
The “monsters from the Id” dwell in j-space. The things attack vulnerable human psyches. Leaving the ship for a jaunt in j-space? That’s a terrible idea.
The good news is that a properly working jump drive and its protective field hedges out all such bad stuff. Navigation comps help filter and collate outside input so that human navigators can “move” the ship through jump space without having to spend too much time looking at what they should not see.
Early model drives had weaker protective screens. And of course some people insisted in looking with their own eyes, trying to understand more fully. Or they left the ship. Some travelers went crazy. Some of the crazy ones developed strange psychic powers. They weren't all lone madmen, either. Some created cults, criminal gangs, terrorist movements...
Now, on most civilized worlds, psionics have become inked in the popular imagination with terrorism, cult activity, subversive politics, drug abuse, criminality, and mental illness.
I’ll need to tie in psi drugs and jump space in some fashion. Maybe the early psi-drugs developed from meds used in an attempt to treat “jump psychosis.” Maybe some come from drugs used early on as j-space navigational aids, before really effective jump computers were created?
INSPIRATIONAL SOURCES/STUFF I AM JACKING:
I’m looking at Firefly and Warhammer 40K as inspirations, as well as at Forbidden Planet and Event Horizon. Also some T-4 stuff.
Reavers (from Firefly) or something along those lines may fit. Crazy bastards. Vey Warhammer.
Thoughts?