Yes, without that the task is impossible. In my mind's eye, gaming companies employed or consulted with professional astronomers to put together their local star maps and deviations from what was accepted reality at that point was an intentional disregard of science in favor of setting and gameplay (the horror!). I think I'm coming to realize that that is not what game design is or was.
Story settings (including RPG, I think) are supposed to help tell us about ourselves in some way. The Zhodani are telepaths, allowing a society in which we can explore what happens when a government really is benevolent and has deep insight into you personally. If you're unhappy at work or can't find a girlfriend, the committee can visit and put you into helpful therapy or offer (or even force on you) help.
The varying tech level worlds, I had originally thought anyway, were allow the Travellers to explore society in many different levels of technical development, separated by space rather than by time, and allow them to see it from a viewpoint of technical superiority but perhaps not moral superiority.
It's unfortunate though that the meaning of tech level (per the other thread) doesn't really lend itself to that.
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