The universe is indeed a large place, and in addition to the human race there are many others. A large number of strange mutations and alternative lifeforms are known to exist, some of which can even co-exist with the crew without breaking into a murderous rage.
Many of these races can be chosen by default during character creation, while others come about during the round, and some are extremely rare without admin intervention. Most have great perks and horrible downsides, and changing your race can have a notable effect on your average game under different circumstances.
Roundstart Races
These following races can be chosen to be played in the character creation menu, this means that you can expect to see them on a daily basis.
Humanity originated in the Sol system, and over the last five centuries has spread colonies across a wide swathe of space. They hold a wide range of forms and creeds.
While the central Sol government maintains control of its far-flung people, powerful corporate interests, rampant cyber and bio-augmentation and secretive factions make life on most human worlds tumultous at best.
A heavily reptilian species, Unathi (or 'Sinta as they call themselves) hail from the Uuosa-Eso system, roughly translating to 'burning mother'.
Coming from a harsh, radioactive desert planet, they mostly hold ideals of honesty, virtue, martial combat, and bravery above all else, frequently even their own lives. They prefer warmer temperatures than most species and their native tongue is a heavy hissing language called Sinta'Unathi.
Positronic intelligence really took off in the 26th century, and it is not uncommon to see independent, free-willed robots on many human stations, particularly in fringe systems where standards are slightly lax and public opinion less relevant to corporate operations.
IPCs (Integrated Positronic Chassis) are a loose category of self-willed robots with a humanoid form, generally self-owned after being 'born' into servitude; they are reliable and dedicated workers, albeit more than slightly inhuman in outlook and perspective.
An amphibious species, Skrell come from the star system known as Qerr'Vallis, which translates to 'Star of the royals' or 'Light of the Crown'.
Skrell are a highly advanced and logical race who live under the rule of the Qerr'Katish, a caste within their society that keeps the empire of the Skrell running smoothly. Skrell are herbivores on the whole and tend to be cooperative with the other species of the galaxy, although they rarely reveal the secrets of their empire to their allies.
Commonly referred to (erroneously) as 'plant people', the Dionaea are a strange space-dwelling collective species hailing from Epsilon Ursae Minoris. Each 'diona' is a cluster of numerous cat-sized organisms called nymphs; there is no effective upper limit to the number that can fuse in gestalt, and reports exist the Epsilon Ursae Minoris primary being ringed with a cloud of singing space-station-sized entities.
A species of large invertebrates who, after being discovered by a research company, were taught how to live and work with humans. Standing upwards of nine feet tall, these people have a tendency to terrify those who have not met them before and are rarely trusted by the average person. Even so, they do their jobs well and are thriving in this new environment.
The Vigil is a relatively loose association of machine-servitors, Adherents, built by an extinct culture. They are devoted to the memory of their long-dead Creators, whose home system and burgeoning stellar empire was scoured to bedrock by a solar flare. Physically, they are large, floating, squidlike machines that made of a crystalline composite.
The Vox are the broken remnants of a once-proud race, now reduced to little more than scavenging vermin who prey on isolated stations, ships, or planets to keep their own ancient ark ships alive. They are four to five feet tall, reptilian, beaked, tailed, and quilled; human crews often refer to them as 'shitbirds' for their violent and offensive nature, as well as their horrible smell.
Most humans will never meet a Vox raider, instead learning of this insular species through dealing with their traders and merchants; those that do rarely enjoy the experience.
