Oh Yes Indeed

Because it's purpose wasn't originally to control things, but to prevent passengers and driver from being dashed (splashed) with mud. Probably originally a carriage term.
If you want to know how I find this stuff out -- Well, it doesn't show the etymology, but This might help.

I think it depends on the starship, too. The Enterprise is probably Automatic Trans; but an X-Wing has got to be Standard. And I'm willing to bet that though we didn't see it, Darth Vader had detail work and a loud muffler on his TIE fighter. Obi-Wan's ship in Episode II is probably a stick as well -- possibly, what with the outside-ring-thing, a bit like driving a car that switches back and forth into 4WD.

Couldn't even tell you on the podracers - probably depends on the driver's tastes.

My starships are all Standard.

I'll bet Captain Kirk would have loved to direct the enterprise from his dashboard. Probably an old T-Bird or a Camaro or something.

Which reminds me:
Why do spies insist on driving such cool cars? I mean, if I were just walking down the street and saw a car like that, I would say, "look, there goes a spy." They should make their modifications on more normal cars.
But, James Bond would never drive a 1985 Chevy Celebrity. Or even a mid-90's Nissan Sentra for that matter. Q might. But Q would probably drive an old Volvo Wagon. Wouldn't it bet great to have a Volvo Wagon that could fly, and shoot missiles, and drop Oil Slicks at the cars behind you?
I guess if your Volvo was old enough, you might get Oil Slicks.
Or, even better - an old Woody, a surfer's station wagon. No one would expect THAT to be a spy car.

Anyway...
And there'd be a lot less throwing-about of the crew if they had seatbelts. It makes sense to me.

Driver's Ed cars should be built with Passenger-Side ejection seats.