There are a lot of very interesting little understood things going on at the sub atomic level which could potentially be harnessed for our own use.
“Spooky action at a distance” as Einstein called it or quantum entanglement has the potential of communicating instantaneously over billions of light years.
Obviously we aren’t going far right now but that’s what science is for. Its also possible that we simply haven’t stumbled across or conceived of something extremely simple
I recently re-read a story called (I think) "A path less travelled" that was linked off one of the SF pings here that had exactly that as it's main point. Extra-galactics never discovered atomics and advanced rocketry because they discovered the secret to anti-grav when they were at the level of matchlock/flintlock rifles. I really do think that a once the principle of a ZPM module is discovered, it will probably be something that will be incredibly simple and extremely obvious in hindsight. I got nothing to back that up with, but I believe we are meant, by our Creator, to travel to the stars to explore and experience His grandeur and the marvels He has created for us, because if not, mankind as a species will simply not survive. Even if you take the entire solar system into account, there is only a limited supply of resources, and we know that the sun has a limited lifespan.