in general - almost every RP we have is imported - some a bit more - some a bit less. - but all in all... we cannot help but roleplay "roles".
those roles are derived from archetypes. - just as you expect pre-defined roles in "fantasy"-settings.
so you have the wizard, the warrior, the thief. - you do not go forth and re-invent them (much).
many vanilla factions are imports from real life history or based on stereotypes. - many playerfactions are imports. - so you have the militaries that appear to be just like todays militaries - even if the battlefields are in space, spanning over several planets and are based on a totally different idea of warfare. - if we compared "military" today with "military" like 1 thousand years ago.... there d be huge differences. - yet - we don t complain... it is an import, cause that enables us to "understand" it.
then we have the pirates. - clearly - they are not even modern day pirates ( like somalian pirates ) - they are much more the stereotypical pirates of the carribean. - imports - and some players even focus very much on making such imports clear. - we accept it.
in defense of the CR. - they started as the BSG - a faction "inspired" by the battlestar. - but even then ( like 4.82 ) they tried to make themselves genuine to disco - tried much harder than many other factions to accomodate to freelancer discovery.
then they became the CR - adjusted their lore, their history so it would fit in.
today - i do not consider them "imports" at all anymore.
@AD:
i know you dislike zoner caps - but there really is a good deal of lore about the ships. - more than many other factions applied to their warships. - i just guess you know the entire lore of the ships when you comment on them. - if you find the lore of the ships insufficient to explain their existence ... that lore can be written in more detail.