For there to be only 1 deg of change in the position of a large object, like a distant nebulae, with 10 light years (ly) of difference between two observation points the large object only has to be 572.9 ly away. The closest Nebula to Earth is the Orion Nebula and we would have to travel almost 24 ly before it would move 1 deg in the sky. (if I messed up the math somewhere, let me know!)
So, it is actually not "wonky" at all for you to travel 10 light years and not have the background change significantly.
It is when you consider that jumping from Jita (The Forge) to Sobaseki (Lonetrek) is a 4.04 LY jump and that jump takes you from a position where you're close to but outside the large blue nebula (in Jita) to being directly inside of it (in Sobaseki). Crossing the entirety of The Forge is a 10 LY, 15-jump journey that does not cause this large blue nebula to change in apparent size one inch but a single 4 LY jump takes you visibly straight inside of it.
Wonky.
I don't know what point you were trying to make about the nebula when they are very,
very clearly objects that visibly change position depending upon your position in the cluster. Seriously, Dex,
what?
How dynamic do you want the system to be?
As dynamic as it is possible to make it.
Are you interested in the planets, moons, and man-made objects orbiting their star?
Yes. This has already been done by several games.
Do the "physics" of wormhole/gate technology require you to be pointed in a particular direction?
Given that in terms of art assets most gates appear to be designed with an aesthetic more along the lines of an "acceleration device" than a "gate" (the Minmatar System and Amarr Constellation gates being notable exceptions), I'd say yeah. In general it'd be a useful visual aid.