In many respects, MA has been copying a little bit on EVE Online, especially when it comes to space features. And EVE Online is primarily a PVP oriented game.
The latest proof of this is the recent addition of "Robot Incursions" in space, I guess they didn't even bother to come up with a different name for it, they just went ahead and called "Incursions" which is exactly what it's called in EVE.
So, is the fact that travelling between planets in EU is 100% PVP EVE inspired? Most likely.. But unfortunately this is not EVE, and in EU, this doesn't work and here's a few reasons why:
#1 Budgeting for the level of Safety that suits your needs:
To get between planets your choices are:
1. Sleipnir (L) (~36 ped)
2. Quad (L) (~400 ped)
3. Equus (35k?)
4. Privateer (60k-80k?)
5. Mothership (>100k?)
The first issue, as can be seen above, is the huge gap in the line-up; you can have a really crappy limited ship that is not customizable at all, or you can have the best and biggest in the form of Motherships or Privateers. Nothing in the middle. EVE online has over 300 different ships to choose from, each of which can be customized to be better in some aspect then another.
The 2nd issue is that in EU, ships don't really seem to have any pre-defined role; the main difference between them is whether they are warp capable or not, how many passengers they can carry, the size of their cargo bay (which has no bearing on how much you can carry btw, except for Equus) and whether they have any gun turrets. The rest is pretty much all the same. In EVE there are shuttles, frigates, destroyers, cruisers, battlecruisers, battleships, dreadnoughts, carriers, supercarriers, titans, logistical support ships, transport ships, mining ships, exploration ships, bombers and stealth ops ships...
The third issue is in EU, 2 Quads side-by-side go at the exact same speed because Quads cannot be customized and there is only 1 type of thruster in the game. In EVE, you'd have a hard time to find 2 ships that perform exactly the same since there are so many modules to choose from and so many possible customizations, not to mention that everyone's skills are different and affect how the ships perform or don't perform.. The only customization that can be done to ships in EU is to increase the Structural Integrity which I think is only available for Privateers and Motherships (not sure about Equus).
So my complaint here is that I lack the options and tools necessary to be able to select and budget for the level of safety that suits my needs. My only options, really, are either a $40 non-customizable, non-upgradeable Quad (L), or an $8,000 Privateer. That really sucks. I don't need to go full Privateer but the Quad (L) is too slow for me, what about creating some $500, $2000 and $4000 options to begin with? And what about releasing an upgrade mission for Quads (L), they do last a long time if you are just using them to go between planets and it would be worth it for me to spend a little money to upgrade mine if it means I can get there faster and out-run pirates.
#2 EU lacks the tools to get properly organized and have teamwork:
In EVE Online, alliances have tax revenue from their members which they then use to finance the building of the biggest and most expensive ships. So when a big ship is lost, that financial burden is shared among all the members and not just on 1 person. In EU, Societies don't have the capability to tax their membership or organize in this way. Almost all Entrepreneurs in EU are operating solo, so if someone is transporting lootables in space, it's on him or her, the loss of that is born by him or her alone.
In EVE, you can hire someone to transport valuable goods from 1 system to another, and you can buy insurance for those valuables in case the person who accepts this contract ends up getting killed and loses your valuables. There is no such options in EU. You have to either risk it through space, or you hire a Mothership/Privateer to take you which is also not 100% risk-free, so either way, there is a risk, the only difference is the level of risk. Or you have to incur auction fees and pay the transport fee to have "brought" to the planet where you need it but this takes a level of understanding of the Auction interface that most people don't have or even know is possible (you list your lootables for 1 day on the PP auction at a price above markup, once the auction expires and as long as the stacks did not sell, those auctions will then be found in your "Won" tab. From another planet, you can access this tab, and "retrieve" the items. The auction will prompt you to select the transport option and pay the fee and voila, your loot will be transported to the planet where you are, wihout risk).
#3 The main activity or goal in EU is much different then EVE:
As I stated earlier, EVE is primarily PVP; in EVE, you play because you want to fight other players and you think you are smart enough to beat others while engaging them directly (with your space ship).
EU is a game about making money, while these 2 are not necessarily diametrically opposed, it's my opinion that since the majority of people in EU play because they like the concept and believe that they are smart enough to succeed and "make" money in EU, it is really shitty to then "force" these people to risk it in PvP if they wish to go explore other planets. Of course, no one is forced to leave the planet they are "born" on, but then you are denying people huge sections of EU, especially if they are born on a planet other then Calypso.