Although I'm sure there were deep discussions about the near infinite possibilities of a habitable universe, it was not the MAJOR limiting factor..... That was size pure and simple. You get restricted races because there was no size for any more. Also world size, planet size, ship size, everything.
It doesn't matter if the original idea had all the detail and craft of a faberge egg. It was hammered into a concrete box half it's size with a pounding mallet. This isn't a philosophical and whimsical flight of fancy, this is grubby scientific triage.
I know I'm going to catch flack for this; Elite is a good game but from the perspective of biology, history, sociology, exobiology, evolutionary principle, physics: Newtonian, relativity And quantum mechanics; IT'S AN IRRATIONAL BADLY THOUGHT OUT PAIN IN THE ASS!
That's why I love it, it's a frontier, an undiscovered country, a place that requires explanation, a thing that forces you think. NOW THAT'S FUN!
So in short I'm not down on any explanation, just as long as it fits the hastily constructed world in which we find ourselves.
