Barzagg's recent post reminded me, and I thought I'd troll a list out once again. Feel free to ignore!
C.J. Cherryh's "Pride of Chanur" series / "Downbelow Station" universe. Strange aliens with fun ways of communicating, activity mostly confined to stations (most planets don't like vistors), and hyperspace is very similar to how it works in EV.
David Weber's "Honor Harrington" series. You've got the big, complicated, multi-faceted war. You've got the gates and wormhole-equivalents. Making the wedges work would be tricky, tho. And the ships as drawn on the inside jacket are ugly.
James White's "Sector General" stories, particularly the Ambulance Ship set. So nice to have a plug where the intention is to save lives, not end them. And some really strange aliens, too.
Charles Sheffield's "Heritage Universe"; again with the nifty aliens, the cultures are well drawn and them Zardalu are the scariest thing on tentacles I've ever seen. Plus, you get to make all those wacko Builder artifacts.
James Blish's "Cities in Flight" Okay, maybe it's a one-trick pony, but I'd like to fly New York. I wouldn't take it into combat, tho.
James Schmidtz's "Worlds of the Hub" stories (Telzey Amberdon, "Witches of Karres," et al). The governmental structure is perfect for the independant adventurer, there are all sorts of strange worlds and stories, and I for one have no problem coming from a planet called "Nickledepain."
E.E. "Doc" Smith's "Lenseman" series. What more can be said? The stories that inspired the first video game (Space War). Inertialess drives would be a pain, but you got your ravening beams, your massive battle fleets, your space-black, indetectable speedsters...
Gordy Dickinson's tales of the "Hoka." No-one had better do it. I'm warning you now!
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"I know the stranger's name."
Turandot