A) Travel: I know I am not the only one who has noticed but sector space is a drag. It makes space seem so small and to tell the truth it is just plain ugly. So here is my suggestion. If you haven't noticed it takes a certain amount of time for you to travel from system to system. So this is my suggestion, Keep the sector space map BUT only as a travel map. One opens the travel map and selects the system . At this time you go to a midway screen that looks like the ship is in warp as you travel, almost like a load screen. At this time you can go to your "bridge view," or just stay in "Tactical View." This way you can do different things... Such as walk around your ship, visit sickbay to heal injuries, Or engineering to heal ship injuries or just chill in your ready room and create a captains log. As you are approaching the system... you get a pop up from your first officer (since you are going to impliment this some time) that says you are needed on the bridge, and you go out and have the option to go to tactical view.

Deep Space Encounters: While "warping" to the system you can have popups from your bridge crew with deepspace encounters. This gives you the opportunity to accept these instead of being dragged in. Also this would prvide for more of a virety of encounters... for example: Your bridge officer pops up with something like, " Sir we are recieving a distress call from ______ Would you like to respond?" You accept and then you have the opportunity to rescue this ship and recieve diplo points or something like that. If you are teamed up and one person accepts one of these missions you would get something like: "The U.S.S _____ is responding to a distress call, would you like to assist?"
The problem so far with changing sector space is that the game is 100% instanced. This idea however would allow for the heavy instancing while at the same time giving room for a more realistic feel of travel.
C)Sector to Sector Travel: One word... Starbases. At each sector have starbases that are the "central hub" You can either warp to these places Via the sector map, OR you can unlock transwarp features when you level up to a certain level allowing you to travel to these bases every 10 min or so. Have multiple bases per sector to make travel faster and have each base level oriented. Just another fun thing for leveling. That way at each starbase you can have the level appropriate Weapons and equipment. That way Earth Spacedock doesn't have to be such a central hub like it is now.
---> another fun aspect is to have these starbases be fleet owned. It would add to the overall "I am part of this game" feel. When you beam in there are Banners all around with the the name of the fleet as well as the fleet logo. Would be cool... could you imagine having a fleet starbase and having the fleets awards on display Would be neat. I have not as of yet figured out how these star bases will be awarded, whether through PvP or the highest bidder (Out buy another fleet) I would prefer PvP because that would give actual meaning to PvP, but who knows... some people might not like that.
Overall I think that in making the game in such a way it will add more of a trek feel while at the same time making it much more fun to play.
Comments
They are reworking sector space soon don't worry.
You are 100% right on the nose, and if Stahl doesn't read this post, Cyrptic will be missing a critique of the game that could turn it around. Keep up the good work, and if you need any assistance with promoting you idea, I'll be 100% behind you. We can go to Crtptic and picket it. "Real Starship Space Travel, and Free the Z".
I see what you mean BUT wouldn't it make more sense to have a pop up that warns you of ships incoming and asks if you want to avoid or engage them? I mean really? Isn't that what sensors are for anyways?