You right. It just easiest way.That doesn't fix the problem with the rest of the game being too easy... that just makes it an easy griefer's paradise. That's like me saying "This jigsaw puzzle is so simple that it bores me" and you replying "Oh well how about if I keep punching you while you do it."
Look at 2 points.
1. When newbie coming in this game (if he has no right to mistake), he will and die, die, diea again. This is no fun. (even now they do kaboom inside stations
2. If you play fallout 2 first time it hardore, if you play N times it is not.
1 can be partially solved with more harsh places far away from populated systems.
Space rangers 2 as example is not so hardcore but has a lot of things you can do with very smart npcs. But ANY pve is sometime become boring, even if it hard to do (fallout 2).