You can always restart within the game. Pack up and send your Colony ship elsewhere and start over. Change your name and start over if you wish. If you have built, bought with RL$ or accumulated anything it is not a problem to pack up and travel and have a new start.
Many within the game are ready to help you get used to it (especially if you join their alliance).
Also there is a feature to sign up for a "First Step" adviser or counselor or some such. No cost to you, a experienced player "volunteers" to be available and help you get started (for a few credits to them).
I enjoy it.
But don't listen to Girinhat- he is a pirate. Join an alliance oriented toward law and order and destroying pirates. SG-1, CHI, CORE, ROME... there are a few others.
But many players are within this world and most of what the pirate said was true.
Remember "Death to Pirates!"
Beyond pirates/ raider issues there are trade opportunities and interesting issues related to trading- some people enjoy trading valuable material, torpedoes, special items and such- taking their profits to get credits (for special ships), accumulate valuable building materials quicker or just to enjoy the trading. Some players primarily do economic things instead of building ships to destroy pirates... I don't really understand these people but there are many.
If you have additional questions from within the game send a message to "Wald" of SG-1... yes some of the alliance names have nothing to do with Star Trek. And our alliance does not have much to do with SG-1, except perhaps an orientation toward law and order- killing bad guys... of whom there are plenty in the game... such as Girinhat.