You can't get jumpgate access unfortunately, the game is fairly linear with that respect. As you progress, the jumpgates and holes may get locked behind you as you move about - stopping you from wandering off too far.
If you follow the storyline, after the first couple of missions it really picks up the pace though - so at that point you shouldn't really find a yearning to wander - it gets exciting.
Once the storyline is over, all gates are unlocked and you are free to travel the 50 odd systems without restrictions. If you wish to play open ended, you can utilise the "Open SP" mod - available in the downloads section (it may be best to use the search box at the top right of the main page, as there are 27 pages of non-logical downloads to search through otherwise!!!!! - just search for "Open SP" but without the quotes
).
As for getting an answer, you may wish to wait longer than 3 hours
Edited by - Chips on 4/28/2006 12:35:25 AM