The idea that players can go home is relatively new in the scheme of things in Blazing Umbra. It also implies that not all characters need to be introduced via a Splice. The idea was floated by one of our staff members to have the station and surrounding area act as a kind of inter-dimensional trading hub, similar to how Deep Space 9 in Star Trek became a trading hub after the wormhole was discovered. There are also a number of other possibilities that can go along with this.
Coming and Going
We have nothing against characters using the Supergate to come and go as they please, within reason. It is said within the storyline that it is an incredibly resource intensive procedure to actually open the Supergate. Those in other realities wishing to do so, must use a specialized beacon to signal for the gate to be opened. This means that characters wishing to arrive through the Supergate would need some kind of escort or method for getting their hands on one of these beacons.
Certainly it can be considered that Solas Tempus / the Serenity Concord are doing active exploratory missions in conjunction with other powers. Again, this is analogous to the way things happened on Deep Space 9. This opens up the possibility of a new character meeting personnel from the Blazing Umbra reality and coming willingly through the gate.
Reason to Stay
As far as returning home is concerned, the main resistance to a method of doing this has been that characters splicing into this reality unwillingly would then instantly want to just return home and never come back. This is why we have put an arbitrary time restraint on a player being able to return home. This is currently set at about 9 months. Being arbitrary players can request that things be shortened, it is certainly possible that the science teams through the magic of storytelling find the proper settings to put into the gate to allow travel back home for a given character. The 9 month time limit is there to allow characters to play, become integrated into the story, and have a reason to in-character stay that isn't forced.
General Use
If it becomes advantageous to do so, we are open to the possibility of having settings that take place in other realities, at this time that seems like it could be premature. Should a player want to engage in a storyline that requires the gate to be used as some kind of exploration device - as we've said that this is happening anyway - players should feel free to use it for such.
Rescued from an Outgoing Splice
The use of the beacons provides a way for vessels to be rescued from other realities if they become stuck. As a way to make sure storylines are not made too short, it is understood that obtaining a lock for the first time on a particular reality can take time. The amount of time can vary, whatever the story needs it to be. Players and storytellers should keep this in mind when writing and have an idea about how long it might take if someone tries.