That may be because, at its root, space in Starfield is a new frontier. Outside of UC territory, more specifically outside the mostly safe confines of New Atlantis, it's just like a Far West setting. The "fiercely independent" Freestar Collective is openly Western-themed, but in general, the idea of the pioneer colonists braving the unknown away from government meddling is found everywhere. Of course, many of those endeavours end up badly, but hey, what can you do? And the gist of most Westerns is that them bookish, science types don't last long in the frontier. There's even a quest plotline in Akila City where a female scientist is treated with open contempt when she tries to improve the city's security systems against the deadly wildlife of the planet. I think the game also mirrors the hostility with which science is treated lately in our time. Unfortunately, it also falls in its own trap: it's easy to miss, but it's more or less implied that the climate crisis we're currently facing wasn't supported by a scientific consensus, even though it very clearly is. I might write a piece about this, now that I think about it.