>>An in-story parallel would be the steam technology of Ishiyama, where
>>they've taken something largely abandoned on Earth by the late 20th
>>century and advanced it to the point where it can power starships.
>
>*twitch*
>I'm going to permanently block this statement from my memory. I
>mean...no, I won't tear this concept the hole it deserves.

And yet steam-powered starships are already a part of the UF universe, along with magical girls, lightsabers, Norse gods, and TARDISes. So why is the notion of "resto-rod" starfighters so especially abhorrent to you?