Am I deluded?

Good luck with your idea!
I personally think GO is the best game I have ever played, but there is always space for new abstract games.
Just take a look at the very cool and "timeless" games in the GIPF project:
http://www.gipf.com/
because the author, Kris Burm, started with a similar concept - to creates some simple new abstract classics, with satisfying bits to play with.
I think you will find something more modern that the games you cited, so I hope they will give you some inspiration.

I think what you are after is simplicity, high production value, and a battle of wits. I mean, there are some games with some nice production values out there, and then anniversary copies come out with even the wooden pieces you're speaking of, but in the case of Catan and Small World, there are just so many pieces that it lacks that sci-fi scene you're looking for. That's why chess, go, checkers, etc. are so good. Only 32 pieces in chess, so the producer can spend a lot of time on the pieces themselves. As for the characters playing it on the sci-fi world, let me flesh out that a little. These characters are usually the gurus or wise old men or ship captains or something that makes them very smart, and they are evenly matched. That's why these abstract games have identical sides except for who goes first. So you will need to keep your game in that respect the same. Thus it is a battle of wits. And all the games you mentioned are just that. Even checkers or backgammon are very deep despite their simple rules. Why you may not have enjoyed them as much is because the one who owns the nice board is usually the significantly better player having invested time and money into the game. And there is a huge gap between novices and masters. So what I think you're looking for is a bit of a contradiction: a game that challenges the mind deeply, and one where the novice can beat the master occasionally.
This is getting long-winded, but let me recommend two games that I think you will find interesting in your search for this elusive paradox.
1: Element. It came out a couple years ago, was nominated for a Mensa award, and is a great two player contest which could be constructed with a high production value. The retail copy, though it has a wooden board and glass pieces, only ran me $7 on ebay. It is a battle of wits, but there are four D6s involved which give a bit of luck, enough that a player who wins most of the time, does not necessarily win all of the time. My girlfriend and I battle it out all the time, and a game only takes about 15 minutes. I win more often, but she is very good too.
2: Thud. Almost every sci-fi or fantasy story DOES have a chess-like game. Out of all the ones I've seen (Star Trek Chess, Star Wars Chess, Cheops of Dune) the best one is definitely Thud from the Discworld. The game is themed with a Troll vs. Dwarf battle, but really is an abstract game that non-fans of the books could enjoy. It is interesting because it is non-symmetrical, so you have to develop a solid Troll game AND a solid dwarf game. Unfortunately, this game does have a steep strategy curve, and a master like myself never loses to a beginner or intermediate player, and I have yet to play anyone else I would consider a master, as obscure as the game is.