It's only physics that affect it. Tech is not elaborated on too much, and what was elaborated on (the way their lightspeed travel works) is something I'm tossing out because I just don't like it. FTL travel will be the same as it was in the books, only we'll be the ones to discover it instead of some Portuguese guy in a prison, and the only tech involved is the ansible network, which is mostly physics and very little elaboration on why they work.

The FTL travel will be revealed via IC means, as that's what the plot revolves around.