Star Control / Characters

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Species first introduced in Star Control:

Androsynth

Affiliation: Ur-Quan Hierarchy
Homeworld: Formerly Earth, currently Eta Vulpeculae II
Ship: Guardian

A race of cloned humans created some time ago by the Earthlings to serve as slaves. Understandably, the Androsynth are not too happy about this and all harbor a deep hatred for their creators. They rebelled some time ago, escaped the Sol system, and have settled their own set of planets. They have since been enslaved by the Ur-Quan, but since this allows them the chance to get revenge on the Earthlings, they don't mind so much.

Their ships are called either Guardians or Blazers, and are slow in their normal state, launching slow-moving but long-lasting homing molecular acid spheres. However, they can change into the "Blazer" form, turning into a very fast sphere that damages ships by colliding with them.

Ambiguously Gay: They're an all-male race of fashionistas that wear pink triangle badges on their uniforms. Technically they're more like neuters, but male in appearance.
Artificial Human: All of them. Heck, it's right in their name, which literally means "artificial man".
Clone Angst: All of them are clones. Though their grievance isn't so much with how they were created, it's how they were treated afterward.
Executive Meddling: The bit about all Androsynth being "fashion design engineers" was apparently put into the manual without the designers' knowledge (and didn't even make much sense in context, since it was talking about the aesthetics of their ships). Since the Androsynth being homosexuals was a sort of tribute to their gay friends, this stereotype annoyed the designers, who saw it as a subversion of the game's pro-LGBT message.
Great Escape: They fled en masse through hyperspace dozens of years before the Chenjesu visited the Solar System.
Higher-Tech Species: They wasted no opportunity when their masters used them to perform research, which led to them pulling off their great escape.
Homing Projectile: Subverted. Their acidic bubble weapon gradually homes in towards the opponent, but it maintains an erratic pattern and is best used in-close regardless.
Humans Are the Real Monsters: Well, as close to this trope as you can get when the worst evils in the story are aliens, but still the problems of the Androsynth are due to the cruelty of humanity. The discrimination against the Androsynth began at the hands of a millenarian cult which eventually faded away. The anti-Androsynth bigotry, however, remained, and spread to the whole planet.
Nothing Is Scarier: What happened to them. All we know is that they experimented with dimension fatigue technology... And they disappeared. Now where they used to be there is only *Orz*.
Put on a Bus to Hell: To quote the Arilou, "You do not wish to be seen. The Androsynth were seen. There are no more Androsynth now. Only Orz."
Servant Race: The reason they rebelled and fled to another planet. Also, while they didn't exactly volunteer to join the Hierarchy, it is quite possible that they enjoyed killing their former human masters during the war (the manual states Androsynth pilots enjoy to destroy Earthling cruisers for sport, and Starbase Commander Hayes' dialogue suggests they certainly hold us a drudge.)
Shoot the Shaggy Dog: The Androsynth were created and lived as equals to naturally-born humans at first — only to be reduced to slaves due to Homo Deus' propaganda. Then they rebelled, fled Earth, and colonized a new world... Only to be enslaved again by the Ur-Quan a few decades later. Then the Ur-Quan, too, left... And after another decade, the Androsynth are all suddenly gone as they unknowingly came into contact with some extradimensional entity that manifested itself as the Orz.
Transhuman Aliens: They are genetically engineered human clones designed to be "stronger, smarter, and more adaptable than normal humans". The drawback is that they are all sterile.
Turned Against Their Masters: They had to rebel against humans because they essentially turned the Androsynth into slaves.

Ariloulalee'lay

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/arilou_000.png

Affiliation: Formerly Alliance of Free Stars, currently none (recruitable)
Homeworld: Falayalaralfali
Ship: Skiff

Advanced and mysterious, the Ariloulalee'lay (or Arilou) joined the Alliance at the same time the Earthlings did. Their motives are mostly known only to themselves, but they are very protective of the Earthlings. They have a much more developed mastery over interdimensional travel than most races.

Their Skiffs are tiny and weak, but have excellent speed and agility, no inertia, an auto-aiming laser, and the ability to teleport randomly around the battle area.

Alien Fair Folk: Their meddling in human history is implied to be the origin of the faerie myths.
Ancient Astronauts: By their own words, they have visited Earth for thousands of years, and influenced mankind's development.
As Long as It Sounds Foreign: The Arilou mention in the second game that their name, Arilou Lalee'lay, has been given to them by the Celts, even though it sounds nothing like any words in any real Celtic language.
Benevolent Alien Invasion: Downplayed. The Arilou doesn't invade per se, but they did interfere with humanity and likely gave rise to stories of alien abduction and The Greys of fame. They claim they're doing this for the benefit of humanity, but listening to their story (at least the bits they're willing to share) and seeing what happened to those who did the things they warned against, they are truly helping and protecting humanity.
Blue-and-Orange Morality: They claim to have the Earthlings' best interests at heart, but they never elaborate on what exactly they're doing to the species or why exactly they're doing it. They also withdrew from the war after Earth was conquered, reasoning that underneath the slave shield, the Earthlings would be safe, and no longer in need of their protection.
- They notably lack 'instinct', which they not only find fascinating as humans have plenty of instincts, but use it as a scapegoat if the Captain does something outrageously foolish, such as attack them.
Energy Weapon: The skiff comes with an auto-tracking laser.
Extra-Dimensional Shortcut: They travel through — and indeed live in — Quasispace, a very weird dimension. There are portals there that allow them to cover distances much faster than other races do through Hyperspace. Provided the player provides them with the right item, they can pass this ability to him.
Fragile Speedster: Their Skiff vessels are the most fragile ships in the game. However, good luck catching up to one in combat. And if you do, their special ability is a random teleport.
The Greys: The only difference being they're actually green; besides that, they're classic large-eyed, large-headed, highly advanced Ancient Astronauts fond of meddling with human civilization for esoteric but probably benevolent purposes.
Higher-Tech Species: They travel between planes of reality like it's a weekend trip, and their ships do not obey basic laws of physics. Unfortunately for the Alliance, their weaponry isn't as advanced as the rest of their tech.
Ignorance Is Bliss: Why they withhold certain information from the Captain. And they have a very good reason for it.
Arilou: No. In a way, ignorance is your armor, your best protection. If I tell you more, you will look where you could never look before and while you are looking you can and will be seen. You do not want to be seen.
Inertial Dampening: A truly unique property of their ships, separate from the primary/secondary abilities.
Lack of Empathy: If the Captain is irked that they left the Alliance, they note that he's upset — "how interesting" — and openly mull over how to "appease" him. On another occasion they blithely mention touching him in his sleep and then express mild surprise that he's frowning at them.
Odd Friendship: Ethereal, detached Space Elves who get on quite well with the rambunctious, crude Umgah.
Space Elves: The manual for the first game actually calls them this (somewhat anachronistically, since it's supposed to be an Ur-Quan narrator).
Random Transportation: One of their ships' gimmicks is a teleporter that does this. Using it runs the (minimal) risk of a Tele-Frag.

Chenjesu

Affiliation: Alliance of Free Stars
Homeworld: Procyon II
Ship: Broodhome

The co-founders of the Alliance and one of the most advanced races this side of known space. The Chenjesu are crystalline beings who formed the Alliance to battle the Ur-Quan.

Their ship of choice is the huge and cumbersome Broodhome, which launches photon crystal shards that explode into smaller fragments, and De-energizing Offensive Guided Interceptors, autonomous support drones that drain the enemy's energy.

Big Good: They're the leaders of the Alliance. Starbase commander Hayes even mentions he'd rather take orders from a Chenjesu than any other species.
Fusion Dance: A species-wide one in Star Control II with the Mmrnmhrm.
Higher-Tech Species: About the only ones more advanced than the Chenjesu are the Ur-Quan, and they likely had a few thousand years' head-start. Nevertheless, after only a few decades stuck on a single planet under a slave shield, the Chenjesu and Mmrnmhrm manage to boost their own combined technology enough to match the Ur-Quan (and possibly outclass them).
Mana Burn: The DOGIs suck battery from their target.
Mighty Glacier: The Broodhome has a low top speed and can't turn worth a damn, but it has a powerful long range weapon with an area effect that makes it a nightmare up close as well.
Nice Guy: A whole race of compassionate crystals who take great risks to help aliens stuck under oppression.

Earthlings/Humans

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/commander_000.png

Homeworld: Earth (Sol III)
Ship: Cruiser

The human race. Soon after achieving interstellar travel, the Earthlings were approached by the Chenjesu for their assistance in defeating the Ur-Quan. The protagonist of the second game, the Captain, is from an overlooked human colony world and leads a revolt against the Ur-Quan, who eventually won the first war.

Their ship is the Cruiser, which is equipped with homing nuclear missiles and auto-targeting point defense lasers.

Homing Projectile: Their missiles track, but their arcs are very wide so they can be fairly easy to waste.
Humans Are Psychic in the Future: It's noted that there are some members of the starbase that possess psychic powers/potential. Notably, when you bring the Taalo Shield and activate it, they all get bad headaches.
Humans Are Special: While it is mostly averted (the main conflict is between two sub-species of Ur-Quan and Chenjesu, with humans being a minor player) the amount of interest in Earthlings expressed by Ariloulalee'lay suggests that maybe humans do have some unique features. Also, they were the ones to wipe out the Evil Ones, finally destroy the Sa-Matra and defeat the 20 000 years old Ur-Quan civilization, despite most of the population sitting under a slave shield this whole time.
The Load: The first game's manual paints Earthlings as such within the Alliance of Free Stars—at least, from the perspective of the Hierarchy. The Ur-Quan's "ProtoQuotoSynthetic reconstruction" apparently found us amusing in that we consider ourselves a technologically and culturally advanced species despite being quite low on the intergalactic totem pole. The report mentions several disasters prompting Alliance commanders to keep Star Control (that is, Earth's military) on a tight leash. That being said, none of the former Alliance of Free Stars member races speak of their previous association with Earthlings as unwelcome or as a liability in Star Control II.
Long-Range Fighter: The Cruiser is slow and vulnerable, but its homing missiles outrange most other weapons and don't take much effort to aim. Thus, Earthlings fare best when they can nuke enemies from outside their reach.
Mighty Glacier: The Earthling Cruiser is among the slowest ships in the game, but it fires ultra-long-range, very accurate and powerful homing missiles whilst having a good amount of durability.
Misguided Missile: If the Cruiser fires nukes wildly, there's a chance that one of the nukes might accidentally hit the Cruiser.
Nuclear Option: The Earthlings' signature weapon. Although they'd sealed the nuclear stockpiles within "Peace Vaults," the Ur-Quan were considered enough of a threat to unseal them.
Slap-on-the-Wrist Nuke: While the nukes are relatively powerful, they are far from one-hit kills on many of the enemy ships.
Superweapon Surprise: Humanity had long ago abandoned nuclear warfare, but they kept the actual nukes around just in case. This was a pleasant surprise to the rest of the Alliance, since nukes are still quite powerful weapons, and most of them had destroyed their old stockpiles.
Shout-Out: The Cruiser looks a lot like ships from a certain TV series and you can recognize names of Earthling captains from various SF franchises.
Unfriendly Fire: While in-game combat is always a one-on-one affair, fleet operations comprise much of the lore and off-screen action in the games—and the manual from Star Control includes a Hierarchy report on the Cruiser which offhandedly mentions "accidental detonation of a tactical nuke near an unsuspecting fleet of Arilou Skiffs."
What a Piece of Junk: The manual from Star Control describes the Earthling Cruiser as "one part old Soviet booster, one part Star Wars gadgets, and one part used automobile parts".

Ilwrath

Affiliation: Ur-Quan Hierarchy
Homeworld: Alpha Tauri I
Ship: Avenger

A species of spider-like creatures enslaved by the Ur-Quan. The Ilwrath proudly bear the banner of EVIL! in worship of their gods of death and destruction, Dogar and Kazon.

They fly Avenger-class ships, which use the Hellfire Spout and, when not attacking, a cloaking device.

Always Chaotic Evil: And proud of it! You can, if you wish, point out the logical fallacies inherent in this idea (by their own standards, they are Lawful Good).
Capital Letters Are Magic: They Are Extremely Prone To Them In Regular Speech, Possibly Because They Are Large Hams.
Card-Carrying Villain: They are evil, they admit to being evil, and they love being evil!
Combat Sadomasochist: While they focus more on the "sado" part, the Ilwrath make it clear that their pain and suffering appeases Dogar and Kazon just as well as yours. Some of their dialogue even mentions rituals involving cutting off their own limbs. Of course, the Ilwrath supposedly have regenerative abilities, but still...
Enemy Civil War: Aside from siccing them on the Thraddash, there was one a few years before the start of the game, when the spiritually unsatisfied populace registered their complaints by massacring the priesthood.
Eviler than Thou: Deride the Ur-Quan as "soft and merciful" for actions like sparing surrendered foes, but not to their faces.
Giant Spiders: What the Ilwrath look like.
Nice Job Fixing It, Villain: At the beginning of the game an Ilwrath ship intercepts the automated drone that was going to notify the Ur-Quan of your approach to Earth, so that they can gruesomely kill you themselves. Given that they come pre-damaged from fighting with the Pkunk and their cloaking device is on the fritz, it doesn't go so well for them. Defeating that ship also helps convince Hayes that you are capable of taking on the Ur-Quan. That one crippled Ilwrath ship thinking it can take on your massive Precursor vessel may be what ended the Ur-Quan's empire.
Pure Is Not Good: According to the Pkunk, the Ilwrath were among the purest and most kind and friendly species in existence... before they took one step too far and looped around to pure evil. Then again, this is the Pkunk saying this.
Religion of Evil: The more depraved and reprehensible they act, the more their "gods" will be pleased. Of course, you could point out the fallacy of it...
Villains Out Shopping: They're fans of the hyperwave show Captain Satellite. This was how "Dogar and Kazon" got their attention. They also keep pets, albeit "Rather Evil" pets. The manual for the first game has them inviting an Ur-Quan dignitary for dinner and a movie (of massacring Chenjesu).
Visible Invisibility: Even when using the cloaking device, the screen still remains at the centerpoint between the two ships, giving you at least a vague idea where the Avenger is.
What Is Evil?: The player can hit them with this by pointing out that by their standards, the Ilwrath are actually good. The Ilwrath themselves take a moment to think about it before getting annoyed and attacking you.

Mmrnmhrm

Affiliation: Alliance of Free Stars
Homeworld: The Mother Ark
Ship: Transformer (X-Form)

A race of robots of undetermined origin and purpose who have been longtime friends of the Chenjesu. They are the other co-founder of the Alliance.

Their ships are known as X-Forms or Transformers, using their Transformer function to switch between the slow-moving fast-turning X-Form, which uses a powerful but short-range twin laser array, and the exceedingly fast Y-Form, which fires weak twin missile launchers.

Benevolent A.I.: As close allies of the Chenjesu and one of the key members in the old Alliance, their role is unambiguously good. Before the war, the Mmrnmhrm also had a minor dispute with the Spathi over a star system they wanted to colonize, which was quickly resolved as the Mmrnmhrm simply withdrew from the system.
Common Knowledge: A lot of fans believe they were created by the Precursors. In truth, nothing is truly known about their creators in the original two games.
Dying Race: The only way to make more of them is with the Mother-Ark, a factory ship which is no longer functional. This is one of the reasons why they attempted fusion with the Chenjesu (the other being to defeat the Ur-Quan).
Energy Weapon: Powerful short-range lasers. The other weapons are weak long-range missiles.
Fusion Dance: A race-wide one with the Chenjesu in the second game.
Macross Missile Massacre: Weak long-range missiles. The other weapons are powerful short-range lasers.
Mechanical Lifeforms: They are treated as no different than a living species by the game's characters.
Mysterious Past: Even they don't know where they came from or why they were created.
Red Herring: Talking with the Safe Ones will reveal that they once started to colonize the Beta Herculis system but politely withdrew on the Spathi's request. Beta Herculis has absolutely nothing of interest.
The Unpronounceable: The voice-acted game goes with "mur-nah-hurm".
Ur-Quan report: These fragments of metal disks fear vowels nearly as much as they do a Dreadnought closing in at full-bore.
We Hardly Knew Ye: They get almost no characterization before they're slave-shielded. When freed, they've already merged with the Chenjesu into a new race, the Chmmr (whose Big Good characterization is clearly much more heavily based on the Chenjesu.) All in all, almost nothing is revealed about their personality.

Mycon

Affiliation: Ur-Quan Hierarchy
Source of Juffo-Wup: Epsilon Scorpii I
Ship: Podship

A species of sentient fungi. They willingly joined the Ur-Quan as slaves, for reasons unknown to any but themselves. They are inscrutable and very strange.

They fly Podships, which fire large homing Plasmoids that fade away slowly, and can regenerate their crew.

Blue-and-Orange Morality: They have genetic memories passed on from their progenitors, and are constantly talking about spreading "Juffo-Wup" throughout the universe. Most believe they are simply insane.
Does This Remind You of Anything?: They sure do like to talk about how Juffo-Wup fills them and makes them turgid.
- It's also basically a sci-fi version of Manifest Destiny.
Genetic Memory: Whenever conversing with a Mycon, it is common for an ancestral personality to suddenly take control of the body for a moment. Apparently, two versions of the same ancestor take possession of their descendants at the same time and converse, with oddly enlightening results.
Healing Factor: Their ships can restock crew mid-battle, unique among the game's units, by growing new members.
Homing Projectile: The longer a plasmoid is made to track the other ship, the weaker it gets.
Hoist by Their Own Petard: The Podship fires homing plasmoids. These are so slow that any podship that fires along its direction of travel is almost certain to shoot itself, especially if using a gravity whip or equipped with Precursor thrusters in the first game's strategy mode. A viable strategy for speedsters is to invoke this: get in close and maneuver so that the podship is on the other side of the plasmoid, then just wait for your opponent to kill himself. This also happens in-story during the Syreen ambush at Organon, to Talana's glee.
Hostile Terraforming: They live on extremely hot, tectonically-active planets unsuitable for any other kind of life. Their preferred target for expansion is lush water worlds like Earth or Syra. It's not really malicious, in that they don't dislike or hate other lifeforms... on the other hand, they simply don't care that they're potentially wiping out billions of lives each time they do it.
Know When to Fold 'Em: One of their lines gives a hint as to why they sought out the Ur-Quan and willingly enslaved themselves. They knew they could not possibly "Void" the Ur-Quan, so they joined the Ur-Quan to learn more about them and eventually find a way to either convert them into Juffo-Wup or find some kind of exploitable weakness to allow them to conquer and absorb them.
Mighty Glacier: The Podship. Slow, but with a powerful long-range homing weapon. If you're not moving reasonably fast you're probably hosed.
Mind over Matter: A unique example in that the Mycon control their physiology by thinking. As one Umgah puts it, the Mycon simply have to think about genetic manipulation to manipulate their own genes.
Non-Malicious Monster: The Mycon are insane, dangerous, and willing to destroy inhabited planets in their quest to expand and grow. But they aren't intentionally evil, just too crazy and wrapped up in their worship of growth-through-decay to notice the harm they're causing. Notably, when the captain makes contact with them to lure them into a trap, they are quite peaceful and polite.
Organic Technology: They are, basically, an organic terraforming system, created by the Precursors. Their behavior in modern times is due to being left alone for an extremely long time and having their "programming" break down.^note
Scary Amoral Religion: Their faulty "programming" makes them behave like a bunch of insane cultists.
Talkative Loon: Generally, though the Captain's conversation with their leaders on their homeworld is impressively coherent.

Precursors

Affiliation: None
Homeworld: Unknown

The earliest known intelligent species that used to inhabit the galaxy. They possessed technology aeons ahead of anything the other races have seen. Very little is known about them, and even less about what happened to them.

They do not have a signature ship in the same way as the current races, but two ships are known to be made by them: the Flagship from the second game (a "workhorse" service vehicle that can equip and swap various equipment modules to perform a variety of tasks), and a Battle Platform used by the Ur-Quan and known to them as the Sa-Matra (Great Trophy), which serves as the ultimate prize in the Doctrinal Conflict.

Benevolent Precursors: The one race that actually has records about them recalls them being friendly, and their factory found in the second game is very user-friendly. Although they did leave behind a planet-cracker bomb, it is clearly labelled enough for the modern species to easily deduce its function (and thus, not to turn it on).
Eldritch Starship: While their workhorse Flagship is more standard fare, their battleship is extremely weird-looking.
Gentle Giant: One of the only things known about them is that they were physically very large (and "shaggy"). They also appear to have been benevolent.
Posthumous Character: Nothing is known of why they disappeared. All that is known is that they were "worried" about something and left a cryptic clue as to where they went. The rainbow planets are the clue. If connected they form an arrow pointing towards the galactic core.
Precursors: An interesting example in that there are mysteries in the game's backstory that are not explained by their involvement.

Shofixti

Affiliation: Alliance of Free Stars
Homeworld: Kyabetsu (Delta Gorno I)
Ship: Scout

A relatively primitive rodent/marsupial race that was uplifted by the Yehat. They are eager to win glory in battle, but don't have particularly powerful ships. Their signature technique is blowing themselves up with powerful bombs next to enemy ships.

Their Scouts are very weak, with only the weak Mendokusai Energy Dart and the self-destructing Glory Device for armament, the main strategy being to blow them up to inflict massive damage on the enemy, and leave the rest of the fleet to win.

Adam and Eve Plot: To gain their help in the second game, you have to find a way to repopulate their species, since they are down to only a single male.
Backup Twin: There are actually two surviving brothers, but one only shows up if the other one dies.
Bilingual Bonus: Divine Wind◊ is the literal meaning of "kamikaze". Kyabetsu translates to "Cabbage", and Mendokusai roughly to "bothersome/annoying". One of their heroes is named Daikon, a type of radish. The references get really blatant when you consider possible captains Sushi and Tofu.
Child Soldiers: Borders on this. You can have the new generation of Shofixti not only filling out your crew but piloting their own kamikaze spacecraft when they're a few months old at most.
Explosive Breeder: A single male with a few maidens are enough to repopulate the entire species within a few years, permanently lowering the cost of recruiting crew at the Starbase as they now effectively have infinite reserves. Provided you don't sell them into slavery to the Druuge, that is.
Family Theme Naming: The names of the Shofixti brothers, in addition to being a common Japanese surname and an iconic Japanese word, are anagrams of each other (Tanaka and Katana).
Fantasy Counterpart Culture: Of Japan. They even speak with a noticeable Japanese accent.
Human Popsicle: The current condition of the maidens.
Low Culture, High Tech: A consequence of their uplifting by the Yehat.
Nice Job Breaking It, Hero: Blowing up their own sun to destroy a third of the Kzer-Za fleet results in an inevitable Kohr-Ah victory in their war, and subsequently the Death March.
Proud Warrior Race: Of the feudal, gloriously-die-in-battle variety.
The Remnant: The surviving male you meet didn't make it to Delta Gorno on time for the final battle, and has been drifting around the system for some twenty years.
Taking You with Me: Their "Glory Devices" in a nutshell. Their entire species pulls this in Star Control II against the Ur-Quan, by blowing up their own sun and taking out a full third of the Ur-Quan armada.

Spathi

Affiliation: Ur-Quan Hierarchy (recruitable)
Homeworld: Formerly Spathiwa (Epsilon Gruis I), currently their homeworld's moon (Epsilon Gruis I-A)
Ship: Eluder (formerly known as the Discriminator)

A species of hilariously cowardly molluscs who have been enslaved and forced to fight for the Ur-Quan. The Starbase commander in Star Control II describes a Spathi as "a cowardly mobile clam armed with a howitzer". He's pretty spot on: though they are very humorous, it would be wise not to underestimate them...

They use the Discriminator-class (later renamed Eluder-class) Voidship, composed of spheres connected by tubes, many of which are decoys to draw fire away from the crew areas. They are armed on the front with a weak, short-range repeating gun and on the back with the much more powerful Backwards Utilizing Tracking Torpedoes.

Accidental Misnaming: In regard to the "hunams" and the "Fop-Dope-Bic".
Atmosphere Abuse: According to the Melnorme, they accidentally did this to Algol IV when their terraforming equipment malfunctioned and they were too busy running away to try to stop it (what they were doing colonizing Druuge space is never explained).
Bad Liar: Quite a few, often involving trying to bluff or duck out on something. For instance, if you tell them that they're acting "fishy":
The Safe Ones: Fishy! Fishy? What is this fishy? No, nothing fishy here — totally fishless.
Butt-Monkey: They are the target of many of the Umgah's "pranks", including but not limited to hoax hyperwave broadcasts, deliberately altering their message to the Ur-Quan, and an abortive plan to impersonate an Ur-Quan via Talking Pet and order them to attack the VUX. This is without considering the speculation that they bioengineered the Spathivorous "Evil Ones" and then unleashed them on a hapless Bronze Age civilization. To top it all off, they are exterminated by the Kor-Ah if you take too long to destroy the Sa-Matra.
Chronic Backstabbing Disorder: They'll switch sides at the drop of a hat whenever they see an opportunity to avoid danger. For example, they'll join the New Alliance Of Free Stars only to create their own slave shield to protect themselves from the war. It proves ineffective against the Sa-Matra.
Crazy-Prepared: They're paranoid to a fault, which leads them to make elaborate preparations just in case something bad happens. Before joining the navy, for example, a young Fwiffo fantasized about becoming wealthy and owning a vast estate, then about planting regularly-spaced trees around his estate to climb in case a monster came about. Then he planned for baskets of rocks in each tree to throw just in case the imaginary monsters could climb trees. He was fussing over the color of the rocks when an out of control vegetable cart suddenly plowed into him. Later, he and the other Spathi on Earth's moon made increasingly extreme precautions just in case the Earthlings somehow returned with an attacking force — which did happen, eventually.
Catchphrase: "[Emotion] and [Related Emotion]!"
Cornered Rattlesnake: They are cowards, yes. They will always run if given the chance, yes. If backed into a corner though, they can be astonishingly effective.
Deadpan Snarker: They tend to get snarky and sarcastic whenever they feel threatened... which is pretty much all the time.
Expy: Of the Puppeteers from Known Space.
Fun with Acronyms: "Backwards Utilizing Tracking Torpedoes" = B.U.T.T.
Genius Bonus: Spats is the general name for many types of baby bivalve mollusks.
"Get Back Here!" Boss: Their ships are tough, have good maneuverability, and are reasonably armed. They're designed to outspeed and outmaneuver the enemy while delivering potshots backwards. Woe to any enemy whose ships are too slow to chase them and whose weapons are too short-ranged to hit them.
Higher-Tech Species: Their tech level is average, but their rate of development means that in theory they could soon outpace the entire galaxy. They are cowards, after all — if they have to develop their tech to get away from something, they WILL do so. After all, they advanced from the bronze age to having nuclear power in under a century. After you ally with the Spathi, they will manage to reverse engineer the slave shield over Earth and make one for themselves in about a year. This arguably puts their technological capabilities on level with the Chmmr.
Hit-and-Run Tactics: A viable strategy with the Eluder.
Homing Projectile: The BUTT missiles.
Insistent Terminology: They always mispronounce "human" as "hunam". Why is unclear.
Lightning Bruiser: Their ships are extremely tough, reasonably fast, and have decent weapons. They are most effective in battle, though, when running away from their opponent.
Lovable Coward: Their entire race is hilariously cowardly, though not amorally so. They can talk themselves into doing a lot to avoid confrontation and death, but are very loyal if alliances are made and know well that fighting, while unpleasant, is sometimes the best way to protect themselves.
[Traditional Spathi Prayer]: "Oh God... please don't let me die today! Tomorrow would be so much better!"
My Species Doth Protest Too Much: The Black Spathi Squadron, which goes around performing dangerous deeds. If they exist.
Parental Neglect: If Fwiffo is typical of the species, their families run into the thousands and it's a sign of great parenting to call a child by name once. "Encrustlings and the infirm elderly" also make up the advance landing party when Spathiwa is reported cleared—and are the first to be eaten if it isn't.
Properly Paranoid: Their species wide paranoia gets a bit less hilarious when one realizes they're right about mostly everything: the humans did ultimately attack their force stationed on Sol, the measures they take to avoid the wrath of the Ur-Quan are well founded, and the Ultimate Evil that has been freaking them out is probably the same force that took out the Androsynth. What's more, spending the formative years of your civilization constantly on the run from relentless predators that only want to eat you would encourage a healthy sense of paranoia.
Spathi Captain: "Two aspects of your last statement defy the course of nature as I know it. First... 'Peace' as you call it, is an illusion. If you have 'Peace', you simply haven't yet seen the thing that's trying to kill you. Second... Peaceful missions through the Cosmos rarely require weapons large enough to punch holes through a small moon."
Smarter Than You Look: The Spathi are a race of comically misshapen mollusc people. However, they developed nuclear power from a bronze-age civilization in only a few centuries. When you say to them that it's traditional for allies to give you things (in case you're allied with them), they gift you with this piece of advice: "Don't presume that we are stupid."
Tragic Mistake: After the Ur-Quan Armada demolished the Illwrath, they turned their ships to Spathiwa and rapidly subjugated the Spathi. When the Spathi Council was called to Ur-Quan lord one's chambers, the Spathi given the choice to either become fallow slaves by picking the white rod (their species would be trapped under an impenetrable crimson shield) or become battle thralls by picking the black rod. Obviously, given their cowardly nature, they selected the white rod in the hopes of being safe forever and gave it to one of the Ur-Quan servants, but the evil servant exchanged the white rod with a black one instead then handed it to the Ur-Quan lord. The Ur-Quan did not permit a change in status, and the Spathi were forced to serve as fighting slaves under the threat of annihilation. The servant who handed the rod was an Umgah, who are legendary Trolls in-universe.
Troll: Maybe. Their repeated insistence on mispronouncing the word "human" starts to seem very intentional after a while, when they abandoned the moon they left a novelty record playing on loop as a distraction, and when you ask them for mineral wealth, they offer the contents of their toilets. Obviously they are too cowardly to directly insult you, but one can't help but wonder if you aren't being wound up.

Syreen

Affiliation: Formerly Alliance of Free Stars, currently Ur-Quan Hierarchy (recruitable)
Homeworld: Formerly Syra (Beta Copernicus I), currently Gaia (Betelgeuse I)
Ship: Penetrator

A species of blue-skinned, scantily-clad women set adrift after the loss of their homeworld. They joined the Alliance because they happened to be in Alliance space when the Ur-Quan attacked.

They use Penetrators, whose "Particle Beam Stilettos" or "light Electron Daggers" are generally used only to finish off enemy ships after they use their Syreen Song to lure and steal the enemy crew.

All Women Are Lustful: All Syreen women, especially for human males. Justified in that they need to repopulate following their homeworld's destruction, and they just barely have enough Syreen males to do it on their own.
Arcadia: Syra's description by the Syreen themselves fits this trope pretty well, as Talana says that Syra and Earth were fairly similar before the Earthlings started to "encase" their homeworld "in concrete and plastic".
Brainwashing for the Greater Good: The crew lured over by the Song goes to work on the Syreen ships.
Gendercide: Most of their race was lost when their homeworld was destroyed. Over 90% of the survivors are women, though there are apparently enough (unseen) men that with some careful breeding the species can be repopulated given time. They'd also be happy to repopulate with human men whom they are compatible with. In fact, their desire for human men is rivaled only by Admiral ZEX of the VUX.
Green-Skinned Space Babe: Played so straight it's a parody.
Happiness in Slavery: In the second game, they have mixed feelings about their enslavement. On the one hand, they are trapped on their new homeworld, but on the other, the Ur-Quan gave them a new, even better homeworld. Honestly, they consider themselves in some ways better off as slaves than they were when they were free.
Mars Needs Women: Inverted with the Syreen who desperately need men. Human men. The Syreen base commander in the second game reports that every single female officer populating the base (including herself!) wants to transfer to the player captain's ship as soon as possible and serve "under" him.
Roaring Rampage of Revenge: When they learn that the Mycons were responsible for the death of their homeworld, this is their response.
Rubber-Forehead Aliens: They look like blue-skinned, bright green-eyed human women. And they are apparently sexually compatible with Earthlings^note.
Space Nomads: The Syreen were this during the Ur-Quan Slave War due to their original homeworld, Syra, having been destroyed by the Mycon. After the war, the Ur-Quan gave them a new homeworld, Gaia.

Umgah

Affiliation: Ur-Quan Hierarchy (recruitable, barely)
Homeworld: Beta Orionis I
Ship: Drone

A strange race of fleshy blob-like pranksters. They have a warped sense of humor that defines all of their actions, but they are legitimately brilliant biologists.

Their small ships, Drones, project a destructive but short-range cone of antimatter and use the retro-propulsion system to jump backwards at high speeds.

Aerith and Bob: Their captain names include O'bargy, O'guk'e, Kwik'ow, I'buba, Ei'Ei'o, and Bob.
Antimatter: The Drone's primary weapon is a short-range cone which consumes no battery to use, although it also prevents battery from replenishing while in use. As a bonus, absolutely no weapon save those that deal the most damage per shot as the Chenjesu photon crystal shard or the Ur-Quan fusion blast can penetrate the antimatter cone, pretty much making the Drone immune to most attacks from the front.
Blue-and-Orange Morality: It is seemingly defined entirely by whatever they think is hilarious at the moment. This could be a good thing or a bad thing depending on who they're interacting with, and can change with no notice.
Body Horror: The reward they offered when The Captain freed them from the Dnyarri. Thankfully, they have other rewards.
Umgah: We MUST reward you!... but what do we have to give? HAVE IT! GENETIC MODIFICATION!! YES! IT PERFECT GIFT!! Listen human Earthling! We add some extra eyes! A few tentacles! Other organs of whatever size and shape you desire!! What?! You not want more organs?... You sure?... How strange... how sad.
Brainwashed and Crazy: In the second game, thanks to the Dnyarri.
Deadly Prank: Are quite prone to them, including race-wide instances of Let's You and Him Fight. They complain that the Ur-Quan won't even let them do little ones like pulling a Deep Impact on the Thraddash.
Pkunk: Someone out there is playing some kind of joke on the Ilwrath. Or is it a joke on us? We're not quite sure, but what with all the vaporized planets and total carnage, it may be a while before we can look back and fully appreciate the humor.
Gone Horribly Right: In the process of healing a critically injured creature at the Arilou's request, they discovered it had the potential for amazing mental ability and enhanced it. Now sentient, the creature — a devolved Dnyarri — enslaved their entire race. Since they were apparently planning to use the Dnyarri as part of a joke that involved compelling the Spathi to attack the VUX, it's hard to be sympathetic.
Higher-Tech Species: They're the best bioengineers in the galaxy. Even The Arilous, who can travel between realities and know eldritch secrets of the cosmos, admit their bioscience is nothing compared to the Umgah's.
In-Universe Nickname: "Blobbies."
It Amused Me: Their only reason for doing anything.
Jerkass: Their pranks are rarely anything but mean spirited from an outside perspective. Among their most successful pranks are tricking the cowardly Spathi into becoming Battle Thralls to eternally fight for the Ur-Quan (the Spathi wanted to be slave-shielded) and impersonating the Ilwrath gods, then telling them to wipe out the Pkunk. And it's theorized that they're the ones who introduced the Evil Ones to the Spathi homeworld, which ultimately forced them to flee to their moon.
Organic Technology: Their ships are mechanical, but the interiors are covered in living flesh because that's easier for them to play with and modify.
Troll: Their hat is playing pranks, often deadly ones, on entire species purely because they think that's funny. It's not quite For the Evulz as it's implied that their Blue-and-Orange Morality is such that they genuinely don't understand why other species don't find it funny, much less that they might not agree with the Umgah perspective that a good joke is in fact worth dying over.
Ungrateful Bastard: When the player rescues them from the Dnyarri's mind control, they at first declare The Captain a great hero and showers them with gifts. They then decide having a hero is boring, declare the Captain their greatest enemy instead and try to kill them for shits and giggles. Later they claim to apologize, only to put the player in another deathtrap. They do, however, at least give you four of their ships first.
You No Take Candle: Inconsistent and implied to be the result of a combination of the erratic workings of their minds and, like the Orz, the universal translator's inability to parse exactly what they're saying, but the Umgah often drop articles (a, the) and copular verbs (is, are). Their technological proficiency is such that it's definitely not to make them seem stupid.

Ur-Quan Kzer-Za

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/urquan_000.png

Affiliation: Formerly Sentient Milieu, currently Ur-Quan Hierarchy
Homeworld: Unknown
Ship: Dreadnought

The antagonists of the series and the second game's namesake. They are a race of ruthless, giant green centipede-like beings who desire to enslave all other life in the galaxy. To aid them in this endeavor, they have a gigantic military and some of the most advanced weapons in existence. The second game reveals they are half of a divided race.

Said weapons include the immense Dreadnoughts, which fire devastating Fusion Bolts and LAUNCH FIGHTERS to swarm their enemies at the cost of temporarily losing crew.

Affably Evil: Downplayed, in that their attitude to what they consider insolent slaves is invariably demeaning, authoritarian, and violent, but the Kzer-Za Ur-Quan possess many Evil Virtues. They never insult their foes and always keep their word. They also make sure their slaves are well-provided for, and will give them aid if they truly need it. And while they demand that their commands are followed, they are willing to take into account excuses for not knowing of a command, as shown by them slave-shielding Unzervalt instead of exterminating the human presence, as Unzervalt lost contact with Earth before Earth surrendered.
- Even moreso, if the Captain dawdles around so long that the Doctrine War ends and they are defeated by the Kohr-Ah, they cast off any shred of villainy and dejectedly try to urge the Humans to flee and survive, only striking back if they attack the Sa-Matra.
Armor-Piercing Question: "The Words", if spoken to them, will cause them to cease all attacks and explain their motivations in full before resuming.
The Battlestar: The Ur-Quan Dreadnought is a huge battleship has both a powerful cannon and the ability to LAUNCH FIGHTERS!
Benevolent Precursors: They used to be, back when they were a member of the Sentient Milieu. The Dnyarri changed that.
Big Bad: Though they aren't the only threat, they're among the biggest and most direct threats.
Characterization Marches On: The first game portrays them simply as evil, ugly aliens who are so territorial that they can't work effectively on the same ship. The sequel fleshes out their backstory and their evil traits are given a rather strong Freudian Excuse and Downplayed in some places.
The Comically Serious: On occasion.
Captain: It was this wascally little guy in Umgah space. He did it!
Kzer-Za: WHAT DID THE CREATURE LOOK LIKE?!
Captain: Kind of like a cross between a turd and a toad.
Kzer-Za: These references are obscure. Respecify.
Decoy Antagonist: At the beginning of Star Control II, the Kzer-Za are the only Ur-Quan the Captain knows to exist, and he believes them to be humanity's main enemies. It turns out that the Kohr-Ah are the bigger threat, as they are the ones who are winning the Doctrinal War.
Enemy Civil War: They fight one with the Kohr-Ah, believing that wiping out all life is not the proper course to take.
Everyone Calls Him "Barkeep": The Ur-Quan you meet/fight/hear about are known by title and number (Master Nine, Lord 1, and so on), except for the historical figures Kzer-Za and Kohr-Ah.
Evil Sounds Deep: Really, really deep.
Evil Welcomes Defectors: Any sentient race is welcome in the Hierarchy, provided they submit to Ur-Quan rule. Even most powerful enemies of the Ur-Quan, such as the Yehat, are spared and granted relative freedom upon choosing to become battle thralls of the Hierarchy.
Freudian Excuse: Many have expressed sympathy for the Ur-Quan after their backstory is revealed. Their motives are surprisingly understandable.
Galactic Conqueror: Obviously, given that enslaving every other sentient race is their main goal.
Genetic Memory: Like their Kohr-Ah brethren, the Kzer-Za are irrationally driven to eliminate potential threats to their freedom partly because of this. No matter how many generations have passed, the memory of what it was like to be slaves of the Dnyarri in some measure lives on within them.
Heroic Sacrifice: In the backstory, the original Kzer-Za fatally poisoned himself so he could spread the word about the Dnyarri's weakness while he was in too much pain for them to control him.
Higher-Tech Species: Much more advanced than any other race. They had a several-thousand year head start.
In Your Nature to Destroy Yourselves: One of the justifications that they give for their actions.
Kick the Dog:
- When they conquered Earth they wiped Buenos Aires off the map and destroyed countless historical locations from orbit as part of their attempt to destroy mankind's past and prevent any nascent nationalist urges.
- Their absolute inflexibility when dealing with the Spathi (see above), forcing them to abide by the terms of a choice that they didn't even make.
- During the finale, they angrily tell the Captain that his entire species will be annihilated for his actions.
A Lighter Shade of Black: Choosing to attempt to enslave all other forms of sapient life is hardly an heroic desire, whatever their Freudian Excuse, but their genocidal cousins are the transparently worse alternative and the Dynarri are, somehow, even worse than that.
Number of the Beast: One of the random name of their captain is "Lord 666" (Master 666 in the PC and Amiga versions of the first game).
O.O.C. Is Serious Business: They talk with a deep baritone voice and in a very formal manner. So when you see them lose their shit, you know that it's really serious matter.
"WHAT DID YOU SAY?! COMPULSION?! WHAT HAPPENED?! EXPLAIN!"
Pet the Dog:
- After the Syreen surrendered, they chose to become fallow slaves — with the small complication that they had no homeworld to slave-shield. The Ur-Quan in charge found them a new one to their specifications. Apparently they've done this several times before.
- They allowed the Mmrnmhrm to be slave-shielded on the same planet as the Chenjesu. This came back to bite them.
- If they encounter the Captain after the Kohr-Ah win — having come to the realization that their attempt to "protect" worlds like Earth has just left them in nice gift-wrapped packages — they tell him to run for it.
  Farewell human. I hope your species survives.
Pragmatic Villainy: The Kzer-Za do not waste anything. Further, they will accept surrender no matter what you've done to them in the past.
Psychic Static: A particularly nasty version. Due to the Your Mind Makes It Real nature of the Dnyarri mind control, they would disengage control on slaves who are dying or in excruciating pain. Once this was found out, the Ur-Quans did grievous bodily harm to themselves to forcibly remove and prevent the mind control, culminating with the Excruciator, which causes constant near-lethal pain during the Slave Revolt. They had to stay in this state of pure agony for years. And thanks to their racial Genetic Memory, the trauma of both the slavery and the awful things they had to do to themselves to win their freedom will never truly fade, generation upon generation...
Reasonable Authority Figure: To an extent, especially compared to the Kohr-Ah. They certainly took care of their slaves, even giving the Syreen a new homeworld (which was stated to be even better than their original one), and they can be reasoned with if given enough justification.
Shell-Shocked Veteran: An entire species of them. To defeat the Dnyarri, the Ur-Quan were forced to inflict physical and mental pain on themselves so horrific that the entire race was left traumatized - and permanently so, due to their genetic memory. Both the Kzer-Ah and Kohr-Ah are acting in different ways due to an insane, irrational paranoia and terror that the entire race has been unable to process for thousands of years.
Sons of Slaves: Their ancestors were enslaved by the Dnyarri, and the suffering they took under their enslavement, as well as the extreme torture they went through to earn their freedom, is a vicious motivator for their galactic conquest, due to some form of Genetic Memory keeping the memories of past generations' suffering as slaves fresh in their minds.
Surrounded by Idiots: Maybe not by idiots, but by huge cowards, unreasonably evil sadists, insane warmongers and world-destroying maniacs
Suppressed History: They do this for plenty of enslaved worlds that they deem it necessary for, having destroyed all human-made sites and constructions over 500 years old, including places that humans were not aware of, for the purpose of erasing humanity's history. It's implied that this is done to prevent any rebellious or nationalist sentiments that could cause humanity to oppose the Ur-Quan. They've also done this to the Spathi, as the latter claims.
This Is Something He's Got to Do Himself: Because they enslave everything instead of killing everything, they have numerous fleets of battle thralls at their disposal, which might not be entirely loyal but would at least be motivated to fight to keep everything from being killed. They don't take them to their fight with the Kohr-Ah. When the Thraddash and the Supox/Utwig alliance attack the Kohr-Ah independently, they do not appreciate the assistance.
Well-Intentioned Extremist: Aside from their own protection, they see their slavery as a good thing.
Kzer-Za: Although you consider us the enemy, these conclusions are flawed. We are your salvation. We bring you peace, built upon OUR social framework imposed upon your planet, a new world order in which your prosperity and security are assured by the Ur-Quan. We will protect you from the hazards of this hostile universe, from dangers so hideous your simple minds cannot imagine their dark scope. Today, we are the enemy. In time, this will change. Soon, you will come to understand the boon of slavery we force upon you and then, you will revere and even love us for this gift.
Will Not Tell a Lie: "Lying is for the weak. The Ur-Quan are not weak."
You Are Number 6: While the Ur-Quan do have given names (the Kzer-Za subspecies in particular is named after a scientist who discovered that intense pain forces the Dnyarri to disconnect from them), they are also often referred to as "Master (number)" or "Lord (number)", with "Lord" and "Master" being used interchangeably. The number indicates the individual position in the Ur-Quan society.

VUX

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/vux_000.png

Affiliation: Ur-Quan Hierarchy
Homeworld: Beta Luyten I
Ship: Intruder

One of the first species the Earthlings met in space. Unfortunately, diplomatic relations went sour in a hurry when a human insulted a VUX's looks, and ever since the VUX have wanted to destroy the human race.

Their Intruders are incredibly slow and their powerful gigawatt laser is short range, which is helped by the fact that (at least in the first game and Super Melee) they always enter combat right next to their enemy, and by the Limpets they launch, which latch onto ships and slow them down.

Ace Custom: Admiral ZEX is said to have a 'modified Intruder'. We never get to see it in action though.
Bait-and-Switch: The players are occasionally told stories about a legendary captain Zex, a presumably good VUX who likes humans and lives in exile. Upon meeting him, it quickly becomes clear that his fascination with humans is... less than virtuous, and more obsessive and perverse. And by the end of it, it turns out he's no less racist than any of his brethren, and only likes humans because he has a thing for creatures he finds abhorrent. He attempts to attack the player like any of his other brethren so he can have the player and their crew for himself, and is ultimately killed by one of his own victims.
Can't Argue with Elves: They consider themselves the Elves in this situation, with humans being uncouth, savage and disgusting. They are incredibly vain and constantly brag about how much superior their culture is, and how they are far wiser and humbler than humanity, while claiming humans are undeserving of having their apologies or calls for diplomacy accepted. Their real reason reveals this to be a sham, however: see Hypocrite.
Disproportionate Retribution: The Earthlings need to die because they said a VUX was ugly. It then later turns out that the real reason the Earthlings need to die because the VUX consider them ugly.
Energy Weapon: The Intruder is equipped with a gigawatt laser.
Fantastic Racism: They hate Earthlings. They will even admit that this is unreasonable of them if you pester them enough, but humans are just soooo ugly that they can't help but hate us.
Fun with Acronyms: The Earthlings joke that "VUX" stands for Very Ugly Xenomorph.
Hopeless Boss Fight: If you are Too Dumb to Live to challenge Admiral ZEX at his own home, even after his numerous warnings. Contrary to his claim, however, you can warp away.
Humans Are Ugly: So ugly, apparently, that they barely hold back a vomit reflex upon looking at an Earthling.
Hypocrites: They claim to hate humanity because when making first contact a human called them ugly, an unforgivable insult in a culture as "open minded" as theirs, who would never judge another species such. When finally forced to accept a human apology they continue to hate humans anyway, because they find us so ugly that they couldn't stand having peaceful relations. They admit it's petty, but don't care.
Is This Thing Still On?: A variant was involved in the diplomatic incident at first contact, as the insulter knew that communications were established but didn't know that the VUX, thanks to their advanced translation technology, could understand he was calling them "ugl[y] freak-face[s]."
Mighty Glacier: The Intruder has a very powerful laser and tons of battery to power it, but it's among the worst ships in the Hierarchy in both speed and turning. It's telling that its secondary power, the Limpets, are designed to slow down the enemy ship just to give the Intruder a chance to close in^note
My Species Doth Protest Too Much: Admiral ZEX actually likes humans and finds them attractive. The rest of his species treats him like a sexual deviant (tolerated only for his military genius). Turns out he's not much more virtuous than his companions, and only find humans appealing as a form of Bile Fascination that he attempts to take by force.
Shout-Out: The Intruder look like a D7 class starship from Star Trek: The Original Series.
Uncanny Valley: The ultimate reason for their hatred of humanity. They're one of the more humanoid species in the game, but as it turns out, to a creature with tentacles and inflexible necks and only one eye, humans look really unsettling. In particular, humans' ability to move their head independent of their body looks, to the VUX, like the result of a Neck Snap.
The Xenophile: Admiral ZEX enjoys the company of humans, and also have an extensive collection of various other aliens in his private planet. Turns out he enjoys them in a Bile Fascination way.

Yehat

Affiliation: Formerly Alliance of Free Stars, currently Ur-Quan Hierarchy (recruitable)
Homeworld: Gamma Serpentis I
Ship: Terminator

A Proud Warrior Race of avians, who formed the bulk of the Alliance's military prior to the Earthlings joining up. While finding battle to be glorious, they are also strong believers in honor, and they look after the Shofixti, whom they uplifted, very carefully.

Their Terminators are armed with dual rapid-fire ion-pulse cannons and an energy force shield that can repel almost any attack for a short time.

Bee People: They have some elements of this, from their coloration to the fact that they are ruled by a single Queen.
Berserk Button: Do not bring up the Pkunk to them.
Bird People: Apart from the bee references they're pretty much this, although they look pterodactylian rather than birdlike.
Disproportionate Retribution: Attack Pkunk ships on sight for the heinous crime of being a)space hippies and b)related to them.
Divided We Fall: The enemy Yehat you encounter after reviving the Shofixti and causing the Yehat civil war have sided against you precisely because you have shattered millenia of peace and restarted the bad old days when Yehat killed Yehat in clan battles for supremacy. Fortunately, if the Pkunk manage to survive long enough, one of them sits on the throne instead, effecting a peaceful union of the two species and ensuring further stability. The Yehat even warm up to their loopy cousins' "spiritual enlightenment."
Enemy Civil War: You can incite one between the Starship Clans (who disapprove strongly of the decision to ally with the Ur-Quan) and the Royal Clans (who made that decision). This will prove useful in the endgame.
Exact Words: The Veep-Neep dynasty promised that the Yehat would never be defeated under their rule. The most recent queen "kept" this promise by having them abandon their remaining allies in the retreat to their home system and then surrendering without actually putting up a fight.
Face–Heel Turn: In between games, they join the Ur-Quan to avoid destruction. Many of their race were not happy about this decision, however, and it is possible to recruit them back to your side.
Fantasy Counterpart Culture: Of the Scots. Their heavy Scottish accent is considered one of the more amusing facets of the voiced edition of the game.
God Save Us from the Queen!: How many of the Starship Clans feel about their current queen.
The High Queen: The original Veep-Neep queen, and presumably her descendants.
Luck-Based Mission: Before the civil war, it's a coinflip whether the Yehat will regretfully try to destroy you because their oaths as battle thralls demands it, angrily do so because they resent your forcing their hand, or quietly letting you leave and asking you not to return as a token of your old friendship. After you do, it's a coinflip whether you'll encounter a rebel ship who'll catch you up on the conflict or a loyalist blaming you for dooming their race to another age of brutal struggle among the clans for the throne.
My Greatest Failure: Leaving the Shofixti to sacrifice themselves and then surrendering to the Ur-Quan, both on the queen's orders.
Noble Bird of Prey: To the point that the Yehat almost use these exact words to describe themselves. They may not be exactly birds by terrestrial definitions, but close enough, and they follow a strict code of honor.
Papa Wolf: Toward the Shofixti. They see the primitive species as their children, of sorts, and are very protective of them.
Proud Warrior Race: It's easy to see why they and the Shofixti get along so well.
Slobs Versus Snobs: The Starship Clans, who do most of the actual fighting, versus the Homeworld Clans, who congregate around the queen.
Theme Naming: Nearly all of them are some variation on "[X]eep-[X]eep."
To Be Lawful or Good: Their main conflict when they encounter the Captain as battle thralls: Serve their Queen and the Ur-Quan, or aid humanity and fight back against their masters. Some regretfully try to destroy you, others let you leave, but none of them choose rebellion. Reviving the Shofixti pushes many of them toward "Good," causing a civil war in which most of the Starship Clans turn on the Queen for her willingness to let their "children" die to preserve her power and throne.
Worthy Opponent: They hold the VUX in general in contempt, but consider Admiral ZEX to be this.

Species first introduced in Star Control II:

Chmmr

Affiliation: None (recruitable)
Homeworld: Procyon II
Ship: Avatar

The result of the Chenjesu and Mmrnmhrm combining themselves into one hybrid species. They possess enormously advanced technology and are one of the only groups that can hope to take the Ur-Quan in a straight fight.

They have developed the Avatar-class warships, which use very powerful laser and a tractor beam that drags enemies into the limited range of said laser. Each one is surrounded by three Zap Sats, which automatically fire lasers at any target within range.

Big Good: Of Star Control II. Recruiting them triggers the end-game since they can provide the plan and resources for finally defeating the Ur-Quan.
Came Back Wrong: Suggested. If you speak to the Chenjesu and Mmrnmhrm prior to their combination, they will say that their process must proceed as planned, and trying to speed it up would be dangerous, possibly lethal for them. When you do speed the process (required to win the game), the new Chmmr briefly state that the fusion is still "incomplete" and "interrupted", but don't elaborate, merely saying "What's done is done."
Energy Weapon: One single powerful laser. The Zap Sats also has lasers, but weaker.
Higher-Tech Species: As a combination of two of the most advanced species in the quadrant, this is to be expected. Their military tech is actually a match for the Ur-Quan's.
Mighty Glacier: The Avatar is slow as molasses, but its laser will tear through anything at close range. Its Tractor Beam and Zap Sats are there to compensate for this, but if it gets caught in a planet's orbit in combat, it can run into serious trouble, as its engines won't be able to break the planet's gravitational pull.
Sealed Good in a Can: Subverted. They're slave-shielded while they're combining themselves, but they can escape at any time. You need to complete their fusion before they'll do so.
Tractor Beam: Used to pull enemy ships close to you. Or slam them into a planet. Due to its inertialess drive, the Arilou Skiff is completely immune to the tractor beam.

Dnyarri

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/talkingpet_000.png

Affiliation: None
Homeworld: Glilandy or Benteflork (different versions of the game disagree, and the source of information on this is unreliable at best)
Ship: None

A species of tremendously-powerful psychic toad-like creatures that once ruled the galaxy. The Ur-Quan were able to rebel and overthrow their Empire, and, reasoning that death was too good for them, forcibly devolved them into subsentience, keeping them as their "Talking Pets".

Always Chaotic Evil: The only known race in the setting that plays this trope completely straight and seriously. They will Mind Control any sentient lifeform they have in sight, which is considered to be a Fate Worse than Death by all beings who have experienced it and lived to tell the tale.
But Thou Must!: Once you have the Psychic Block Defense artifact, you cannot refuse its help (and its help is necessary to win the game). The first one is due to imperfect shielding, but the latter ends in a funnier note.^note
"I have an offer: instead of killing me, I will join you on your ship. I can be of invaluable assistance to you when it comes time for your final confrontation with the Ur-Quan. I see you are speechless with approval. I'll be right over."
Blatant Lies: Just try to ask the one you ally with about Sentient Milieu. You will find out that it was really a bloodthirsty empire, which decided to exterminate Dnyarri for no reason.
Brilliant, but Lazy: Pretty much the only reason they didn't conquer the universe on their own was because they were too lazy to build their own spaceships. And they aren't even that brilliant, they left scientific work to their slaves as soon as they could. The psychological evaluation for the Dnyarri on board, before it fiddled with the results, showed its IQ to be far above the greatest human geniuses, and its personality to be in the "furtive-hateful" range.
Deadpan Snarker: Despite their status as The Dreaded, they're one of the funniest thing in the game.
"Oh gosh, gee! I don't know. Let's just sit here and talk a while AND IGNORE THOSE THOUSAND DREADNOUGHTS THAT ARE GOING TO CREAM US IN A FEW SECONDS!"
"Are you lonely, Captain? Are you misunderstood by everyone else on the ship? Is that why you KEEP CALLING ME WHEN I AM RESTING!?"
The Dreaded: Everyone who's heard of them speaks of them as the very embodiment of evil and depravity.
Enemy Mine: You have to cooperate with one that has regained its sentience to defeat the Ur-Quan. It's plainly obvious that neither the Dnyarri nor the Captain like each other, and are only working together out of necessity.
Genetic Memory: The lone sentient Dnyarri you meet during the course of the game states outright that his genes contain the memories of his race, and he drops the façade of lies he's told about the former Sentient Milieu to gloat about his "former slaves" during the endgame.
Hypnotic Creature: The Dnyarri are vaguely toad-like creatures capable of mind-controlling any other being.
Mind Control: Extremely powerful mind control at that. A single specimen is able to keep the entire Umgah civilization enthralled.
Predecessor Villain: While their formerly fearsome empire is now all but a non-entity, it is the Dnyarri's doing that destroyed the peace of the Sentient Milieu and twisted the Ur-Quan from a peaceful people into the monstrous tyrants they are today. The only thing everyone who knows the full story can agree on is that the current terrible situation would never have come to pass if not for them.
Psychic Static:
- The Ur-Quan were able to shake off their control through severe self-inflicted pain.
- On a lighter note, when the crew of the flagship finds out the Dnyarri can read their minds, they drive it out by imagining "[its] gruesome death in a multitude of repulsive though creative ways."
Refuge in Audacity: If you obtain it after the Kohr-Ah has exterminated the Umgah, it invites itself to your ship without any form of Mind Control.
"I see you are speechless with approval. I'll be right over."
Translator Microbes: They fulfill this function now for the Ur-Quan as Talking Pets. The Ur-Quan find this suitable, as translation of foreign languages is the most demeaning task they can imagine (plus, it's extremely useful).
Written by the Winners: The neo-Dnyarri invokes this, claiming that the Ur-Quan were Always Chaotic Evil, the Sentient Milieu was just another Hierarchy, and the main use of Dnyarri telepathy was "compelling each other to do the [gross/boring] chores."
Your Mind Makes It Real: It was noted that if a slave under their direct mind control dies, they would die along with the slave. For this reason, they would disengage their control when a slave is dying. This became their downfall, as Kzer-Za, the Ur-Quan scientist, discovered this and used nigh-lethal excruciating pain to forcibly remove their mind control.

Druuge

Affiliation: Crimson Corporation (recruitable by purchase)
Central Trade World: Zeta Persei I
Ship: Mauler

The Druuge are a business-minded people who are constantly trying to find ways of profiting themselves. They are willing to stoop to any level to do this, and have little to no morality about their actions.

Their Maulers each use a single gigantic cannon, with their speed bolstered by its recoil and their battery recharge bolstered by the crew they sacrifice as fuel.

Asshole Victim:
- They're the first encountered species to be annihilated once the Death March begins.
- Implied if you sell their HyperWave 'Caster back to them and have enough empty fuel tanks. The Druuge you are talking to says he is going to be thrown into a Mauler's furnace for draining the corporation's fuel supplies.
At Least I Admit It: So they claim in this speech to the player: "We know your soul, Captain. It is no brighter than ours. We acknowledge our greed! We revel in it! You are the dishonest one! Hiding your shame in shadows, you fabricate justifications, rationales! In the end, we are just the same!"
Beat Them at Their Own Game: Two can play the "crooked deal" game. Their reaction when beaten is marvelous to behold.
- In the backstory, they sold the Utwig what they thought was a piece of junk in exchange for a powerful Precursor bomb. The High Proctor wriggled out of it in such a way that refusing the alternative payment would mean admitting that they were trying to defraud the Utwig. They're sore losers and have made several attempts to steal the bomb from the Utwig since.
- For the player: outfit your Flagship with as much double-capacity fuel tank as possible, and bring just enough fuel to reach their homeworld. Accept one of their trades that will fill your fuel tank to maximum capacity with something expendable, like a Mycon Deep Child egg case, or for extra delicious irony the Burvix Caster they used to doom the Burvixese.
  Druuge: Aieee! I am ruined! You have sucked my full tanks until they are dry! Cruel Monster! Bloated Villain! Slicer of innocent throats! What shall I tell the Manager?! My spouse?!
BFG: Their Mauler starship is more like a massive cannon with engines.
Big Red Devil: They have that sort of appearance, as if their society didn't make a bad enough impression.
Capitalism Is Bad: Their entire society is built around a hierarchical corporation, with each individual member trying to extract as much value as possible out of everything weaker than them while also having their own value extracted by those above them on the corporate pyramid.
Deal with the Devil: Both figurative and literal, given their appearance. Almost all of their deals include a heavy toll, such as dooming the lives of your crew, condemning the Shofixti maidens (which the merchant offhandedly mentions are adolescent) to a lifetime of forced cross-breeding, or betraying the trust of the Arilou by selling off the Vortex Generator they gave you.
Foil: To the Melnorme. They're both Proud Merchant Races, but while the Melnorme are motivated by a belief in free trade, the Druuge are motivated by a desire for personal profit.
Honest John's Dealership: Every Druuge you speak to. They might occasionally have something useful for sale, but they will always try to screw you over in negotiations.
Human Resources: They can instantly recharge their ship's energy reserves by throwing crew into the furnace. They are also very interested in slave-trading, for the transparently selfish reason that more slaves reduces the possibility that they will be the next to be thrown into the furnace.
Hypocrites: Claim the Melnorme emergency refueling service amounts to piracy. Strongly hint that you should engage in actual piracy against the Melnorme, and will happily engage in it themselves if they spot any kind of vulnerable ship.
One Nation Under Copyright: Their entire society is a single business, the Crimson Corporation, which owns absolutely everything. Getting fired is grounds for immediate execution, because you are then stealing company property by breathing their air (though employees who retire can breathe company air, but at a reduced rate).
Ungrateful Bastard: The Burvixese warn the Druuge of the approaching Kohr-Ah fleet, and that the Kohr-Ah are using hyperwave transmissions to home in on the locations of species to exterminate. The Druuge promptly shut down their own hyperwave casters and plant a powerful new one on the moon over the Burvixese homeworld, so the Kohr-Ah redirect their attention to exterminating the Burvixese. Given the Obviously Evil nature of the Druuge, might also count as an example of The Farmer and the Viper.

Melnorme

Affiliation: None
Homeworld: Unknown
Ship: Trader

A species of nomadic traders recently come to this section of the galaxy. Though they do not participate in the war directly, they will sell very useful information and technology... for the right price.

Although they prefer not to fight, their Traders can defend themselves with recently acquired Keel-Verezy technology, including a blaster that can be charged to increase its eventual damage and a Confusion Ray that temporarily disables the opponent's secondary weapon and attitude jets.

Ambiguously Evil: They describe their long range plans as "potentially omnious", though it's unclear whether or not they're being serious. All in all, they are largely neutral and not expansive, so whatever they're planning it's not negative at the moment.
Appeal to Obscurity: "Once the Dramya thought they could steal from us. You don't see too many Dramya around these days, do you?"
Blue-and-Orange Morality: The consider charity to be uncouth and wrong on a fundamental level. They don't disapprove of helping others, but there must be compensation. This goes both ways, as when the Slylandro were happy to tell the Melnorme about themselves for free, the Melnorme insisted on repaying them in some form (which led to the Slylandro purchasing the Probes). In addition, while they comment on most other species with an air of detached objectivity, they are openly contemptuous of the Druuge. While there are many reasons to dislike the Druuge, the one the Melnorme mention that really aggravates them is that the Druuge undercharge for their products (making up the difference in hidden fees and tariffs), which is an insult to the Melnorme ideal of fair exchange.
Charged Attack: They can spend time building up the strength of their main gun, increasing its power at the cost of more battery.
Dark and Troubled Past: Downplayed. As the Mael-Num, they were presumably also enslaved by the Dnyarri when the Sentient Milieu was conquered, though they weren't "favorites" like the Ur-Quan. After the Dnyarri were defeated, the Ur-Quan turned on them and the other survivors of the Milieu, trying to enslave/kill them. They fled their homeworld while the Ur-Quan were fighting each other over whether it would be enslaving or killing, and have been nomadic ever since.
Friendly Shopkeeper: The Melnorme will, themselves, admit they are greedy, but they are always fair and honest in their dealings, making sure you get your money's worth and never once trying to scam you. Plus, even if you have nothing to offer them, if you run out of fuel in the void of space they will always come around and refill your tank at the cost of one of your flagship's modules.
Good Capitalism, Evil Capitalism: The good to the Druuge's evil. The Melnorme are certainly greedy; but always deal fairly and honestly, always explain all details of what they are selling, are happy to repay you for supplying them with information, and refuse to partake in more foul businesses like slave trading.
Information Broker: One of the functions they can fulfill. They know a lot about a wide variety of subjects, so it's worth listening.
Interface Screw: The Trader's secondary weapon scrambles your controls.
Jerk with a Heart of Gold: They will try to pinch every penny they can out of you, but they will do it honestly. Plus for all their neutrality, they are sympathetic to humanity and sometimes provide sincere encouragement to the Captain.
Mysterious Past: They never say so outright, but the game heavily implies they are the Mael-Num, former allies of the Ur-Quan. They also charge insanely high prices for any info about themselves, no matter how trivial. Word of God confirmed that the Mael-Num are their ancestors.
Proud Merchant Race: They refuse to give anything away for free. On the other hand, they are always fair in their dealings, and will never cheat their customers. Even when the Slylandro were more than happy to let them have their biological data for free, they insisted that they buy something from them. The Slylandro decided to buy the replicating probes from them.
Theme Naming: Named after colors.

Orz

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/orz_000.png

Affiliation: None (recruitable)
*House*: Gamma Vulpeculae I
Ship: Nemesis

A group of extremely bizarre aliens that have recently appeared in what used to be Androsynth territory. Their ultimate goals are unknown, but they are eager to become friends with *campers*. It is possible to recruit them against the Ur-Quan.

They use the Nemesis, which is armed with a rotating howitzer cannon and can deploy its crew as Marines to board enemy ships and slaughter varying amounts of their crew before perishing themselves.

Berserk Button: Discussing the Androsynth makes Orz *frumple*. *Dancing* may ensue if it's done enough.
Beware the Silly Ones: They have possibly the silliest appearance of all alien species in the game, and their speech is frequently bizarre. Still, their ships are good in combat and if you do upset them, they will wreck your shit. And this isn't even getting into the part about them being an interdimensional Eldritch Abomination.
Blue-and-Orange Morality: Friendly, if strange. On the other hand, just talking about the Androsynth around them is enough cause for them to go to war. Not to mention the implied reason they're here, which they see no moral qualms with doing. Thanks to this and the translation issues, although it's clear they're dangerous, it's never entirely clear if they're malicious, too alien for that label to apply, or acting on some kind of instinct they can't control.
Casual Danger Dialogue: As a result of the translation issues when conversing with them, the Orz can easily jump into battle with you after talking about benign things like parties.
Death of a Thousand Cuts: Once their *GO! GO!* latch on an enemy ship, they will start killing the enemy crew one by one. It is not unheard for Dreadnoughts to fall against 5 or so marines.
Eldritch Abomination: Consider this statement they make: "Orz is not *many bubbles*, Orz is one with many *fingers*. I push my *fingers* through into *heavy space* and you *see* *Orz bubbles* but it is really *fingers*." Through context with them and the Arilou, it's increasingly implied that they're extra-dimensional aliens the Androsynth accidentally released, and who are now seeking other races that can also enter their dimension to "chase" — which seems to involve dragging them into Orz space while taking their place. The Arilou refer to them as "parasites" who are looking for you (which the Orz confirm when you first meet them... the "looking for you" part, not the "parasite" part), and the more you talk to them the clearer it gets that what they refer to as "parties" is possibly some kind of assimilation. They talk about "chasing" several species over the course of the series (some of whom disappear completely), but don't show much interest in the humans... although... "Do not feeling bad. You are good enough *campers*, but not yet." Word of God confirms that they are extensions of an extradimensional being calling itself Orz.
- Also, "Orz are here now, but almost not yet. Soon Orz are really here! You are help Orz with *parties*." This is basically your standard Lovecraftian horror plot.
Faux Affably Evil: What are they implied to be.
Fish People: They appear to be talking parrotfish with arms.
Fixed Forward-Facing Weapon: Defied; the Nemesis' cannon turret can be independently rotated.
Hive Mind: Possibly. The Orz consistently refer to themselves as being *many fingers*, which implies that there's a single "hand" they would be sourced from; we never meet said hand. Which is just as well.
Innocent Innuendo: The ship's translator constantly interprets their words in terms that make them sound like they're suggestively inviting you to some kind of drunken party, and their conversations are full of seemingly raunchy lines. The voice they're given doesn't help. What they're really talking about is likely a lot more ominous, but they never notice either way.
Lightning Bruiser: Their Nemesis ship is fast, maneuverable, and possess above average crew capacity compared to what you can access for most of the game. They also have tremendous damage potential, from both their Boarding Party delivering Death of a Thousand Cuts and running in circles delivering shots with their cannons; enough firepower to make short work of Dreadnoughts and Marauders, in fact.
Mobile Fishbowl: Since they live in a liquid environment, they wear special environment suits when visiting the Human starbase. This also explains why their *GO! GO!* can survive in vacuum and infiltrate enemy ships, who would not be guaranteed to have a survivable environment. The liquid in question? According to the hintbook, it's ethanol. Talk about getting *sauced*.
Nice Job Breaking It, Hero: It's hard to refuse their aid, as their Nemesis ships are practically Lightning Bruiser that will carry you through the game. But the Arilou warned you that they are bad news, as the Androsynths found out the hard way. Not to mention how glad they are to finally find you.
Sapient Eat Sapient: Implied. They talk about *sauce*, which they enjoy when *partying* with other species. They claim that humans have tons of it already. Though out of continuity, an exchange in Star Control 3 makes this even clearer: they mention that another species they encountered was *sick*, which caused them to produce a lot of *sauce* but also made their *sauce* unacceptable. Which would imply that what they call *sauce* is something biological, quite possibly blood.
Starfish Language: The automatic translators are seriously taxed trying to decipher Orz speech. Words surrounded by asterisks are "best-fits" because the concept is just too bizarre to have an English equivalent. That said, carefully paying attention to the context of situations where the best-fits come up allows you to at least get an idea of what they're talking about, and there is logic behind their words. *Bubbles*, for example, seems to refer to individual organisms, and *dancing* comes up relating to starship battles.
Space Marine: In Powered Armor, no less!

Pkunk

Affiliation: None (recruitable)
Homeworld: Formerly Gamma Serpentis I, currently Gamma Krueger I
Ship: Fury

The Pkunk are a genetic off-shoot of the Yehat, but unlike their Proud Warrior Race brethren, they are species of rambling hippies. The Yehat do not like to talk about them very much, but the Pkunk do not hold a grudge and are certain that the time will soon come for the two civilizations to join together.

Their Fury ships are extremely fast and agile and are armed with triple-mounted miniguns, and have a chance to resurrect with a full crew upon death. However, they must manually recharge their battery by insulting the enemy.

Beware the Nice Ones: May seem Too Dumb to Live at times, but if the Captain exhausts their patience...
Pkunk: Yes. Yes. This is just as it was foretold. You will now open fire on our peaceful, and all but harmless ship, missing us by 2.7 of your metric units. We will then regrettably but efficiently destroy you and continue on our way. Ah, but perhaps you are alarmed by our prescience. Yes. Sometimes it amazes even us Pkunk.
Bullet Hell: Their ship can engage in the 'Death Blossom' maneuver, spraying bullets everywhere in a spiral pattern. Very useful for strafing runs.
Cloud Cuckoo Lander: They say a lot of very odd things that can easily make one believe they are full of crap, but they must have psychic abilities on some level, because a surprising amount of what they say is true (at least symbolically).
Fragile Speedster: They have the fastest and most maneuverable ships in the game. They are also made of paper.
Knowledge Broker: Less so than the Melnorme, as they offer less information and offer them freely, you just need to ask. But their info is helpful, and in fact downright crucial in finishing the game (specifically, where to find the replacement spare parts to fix a certain Plot Device). If you are stuck and has no credit to buy info from the Melnorme, talking to the Pkunk might give you the necessary hints.
Lethal Joke Character: As fragile as their ships are, they are shockingly effective against the Sa-Matra, the final boss of the game. And if you played your cards right during the story, they and the Yehat will show up right before this battle with several free ships for you.
Love Freak: Consider The Power of Love of more value than all the crew, ships, and resources they can give. The crews and ships they do give are merely a token of their love. This doesn't stop them having the occasional revenge fantasy.
Maybe Magic, Maybe Mundane: The manual states that most other races take this approach to the Pkunk's resurrection ability, a power which makes no logical sense. There's also a degree of this with their prophecies, which they justify with absurd-sounding mumbo-jumbo but which provide hints with surprising specificity and accuracy.
New-Age Retro Hippie: Their general persona.
Poke the Poodle: They do minor "bad and annoying" things every now and again to prevent themselves from becoming so perfectly good that they loop around to perfectly evil, as they claim happened to the Ilwrath. This mainly means shouting schoolyard insults at their opponents (which somehow also recharges their energy reserves).
Reincarnation:
- Their fragility is offset by a 50% chance of instantly respawning upon death. This does not go down on subsequent deaths, meaning a fight against them can potentially last quite a while.
- Outside of game mechanics, they lampshade the tendency for past lives to be of famous people (they claim the Captain has been Archduke Franz Ferdinand and a pharaoh), believing that boring people don't get to be reincarnated.

Slylandro

Affiliation: None
Homeworld: Source (Beta Corvi IV)
Ship: Probe

A race of gasbags, and the only known intelligent life to ever evolve on a gas giant. Because they do not possess any technology of their own, they are always eager to speak with visitors to their home system. To attempt to indicate to others where they live, they traded data about their planet's native life with the Melnorme in exchange for Catalogue Item 2418-B: Remote Self-Replicating Robot Explorer Probe and sent it out to make contact with other lifeforms... which led to disaster.

The Probes attack with short-range electrical discharges and are set apart from other ships by their bizarre, erratic movement and inability to automatically recharge their battery, needing to consume asteroids in order to ENERGIZE.

Artificial Stupidity: In-universe. They sent out probes to investigate the rest of the galaxy. Each probe is designed to harvest materials to repair and replicate itself, allowing it to last for a long time. The Slylandro wanted to ensure that the probes could get as far as possible, so they altered the probe's program to prioritize self-replication above all else. The result is that the probes view everything as a potential source of materials to harvest, including inhabited spaceships and sentient beings.
Bouncing Battler: Sort of. The Probe absolutely cannot stop, constantly in motion at its maximum speed; hitting the thruster makes the Probe instantly reverse instead. Coupled with its weak attack, a master Probe user will have to employ lots of guile to keep the opponent guessing just what direction his attack will come from.
Constantly Curious: As one puts it, there's not a whole lot to talk about on a gas giant other than clouds, so having others visit them and tell them of the outside universe is very exciting.
Covert Pervert: The shy, flustered Sullen Plummet is put in an "unusual and intriguing mood" by the knowledge that the Captain can see her glowy bits.
Holding Back the Phlebotinum: Also in-universe, and by accident to boot. The Probes are equipped with an array of missile batteries for self-defense against hostile targets, but because the priority override views everything as a source of materials, they only utilize a short-range electrical burst which is normally reserved for deconstructing material into separate components. In short, their weapons are ignored, and their utility function is weaponized.
Interrupting Meme: Their Probes are good at PRIORITY OVERRIDE. NEW BEHAVIOR DICTATED. MUST BREAK TARGET INTO COMPONENT MATERIALS.
My God, What Have I Done?: When it's finally explained exactly what their "peaceful" exploration probes are doing.
Nice Job Breaking It, Hero: They unleashed the highly destructive Probes on the galaxy. Purely by accident: they wanted the Probes to find new life and return with information on it, not break it down into materials.
Odd Friendship: Got on quite well with the Milieu-era Ur-Quan, who were apparently patient and informative conversationalists, possibly for some of the same reasons as the Ur-Quan's good relations with the Taalo. Your interlocutor, who was a child at the time, is shocked when the Captain refers to them as evil.
Power Trio: The three known Slylandro characters are named Joyous Lifting, Content to Hover, and Sullen Plummet (note the common theme in their names).
Shock and Awe: The probes have an electric-like attack.
Time Abyss: The one you spoke to recalled personally meeting the Ur-Quan before they split off into two sub-species (i.e. some 22,000 years ago). They also have preserved oral history about The Precursors, although they can't remember their names. They are therefore the only known race who've actually met the Precursors.

Supox

Affiliation: None (recruitable)
Homeworld: Vlik (Beta Librae I)
Ship: Blade

Plant Aliens from the other side of this region of the galaxy. They are close allies of the Utwig, and can be convinced to aid in the battle against the Ur-Quan.

Their Blades are armed with weak but rapid-firing corrosive globs, and have unique thrusters that let them move in any direction with equal ease.

Ditto Aliens: They have a habit of mimicking the mannerisms of new species they meet. They claim this is an attempt to make their potential friends feel more comfortable.
Maybe Magic, Maybe Mundane: Science shows that they had to have been created as sentient plant life happening naturally is impossible. Their society is split into two camps. One that it was by the power of a divine being. The other half believes it was done by a Sufficiently Advanced Alien. They treat it more like a matter of choice and it's not a big deal.
Nice Guy: The supox are one of the most sincerely benevolent and kindly alien races around.
Organic Technology: Their ships appear to be plant-based as well.
Plant Aliens: Their scientists have proven intelligent plant life to be an impossibility, so they explain their own existence as having been created by someone, either a highly advanced species or a divine being.
The Symbiote: They aim to achieve "social symbiosis" with other civilizations, rather than biological symbiosis.

Taalo

Affiliation: Sentient Milieu
Homeworld: Delta Vulpeculae II-C

A species of living rocks that were the first friends and allies of the Ur-Quan. As members of the Sentient Milieu, they and several other species ruled the galaxy of the past. They are now extinct.

Ascended to a Higher Plane of Existence: The Orz claim that the Taalo didn't die out, but instead fled into *Pretty Space* in order to escape the Dnyarri. This might have saved them from the Dnyarri, but not from the Orz.
Benevolent Precursors: They welcomed the Ur-Quan into the greater galaxy with open arms and established a close alliance with them. They even prepared a psychic shield when the Dnyarri attacked, but unfortunately the Ur-Quan never found it.
Odd Friendship: They were the only species that didn't trigger the Ur-Quan's psychotic territoriality instinct, so they were the only species the Ur-Quan were able to relax and enjoy company with.
Posthumous Character: Well, maybe. There are hints that they may have Ascended to a Higher Plane of Existence rather than died out. In any case, the player never interacts with them. Word of God confirms that the Taalo aren't completely destroyed.
Psychic Block Defense: Completely immune to telepathy and mind control. This made them Enemy №1 of the Dnyarri.

Thraddash

Affiliation: Ur-Quan Hierarchy (recruitable)
Homeworld: Delta Draconis I
Ship: Torch

A species of rhinoceros-like brutes who revel in fighting and are firm believers in Might Makes Right. They were conquered by the Ur-Quan and serve their new masters loyally, though they are disappointed that the Ur-Quan do not allow them to fight amongst themselves anymore.

Their small Torch ships use weak Mark 6 Blasters and the patented Reeunk Afterburner, which launches them at high speeds and leaves a trail of deadly plasma.

Asshole Victim: Winning the game necessitates either stealing the Aqua Helix from them (possibly betraying their trust in the process), or taking it off their semi-metaphorical corpses.
Cigar Chomper: The entire race is apparently composed of them. An accident with his cigar, in fact, was how Reeunk discovered the afterburner.
Comically Missing the Point:
- One of their Cultures apparently had a brainwave that maybe bombing themselves back 500 years at a time is not an effective civilization. To the Thraddash, this was disproved when said Culture was violently overthrown and the resultant bombing only set them back 200, 300 years tops.
- The Ur-Quan stopped a nuclear exchange between Culture Eighteen and the future Culture Nineteen and told them to stop fighting. Nineteen proceeded to poison their enemies instead.
Defeat Means Friendship: It's possible. You have to blow up a lot of their ships, but eventually they will eagerly declare you their new leader for doing so.
Everyone Has Standards:
- They agree that Culture Three's practice of proving their strength by maiming themselves is pretty stupid in retrospect.
- The explanation for their absence from the first Star Control is that the Ur-Quan — who, mind you, dragged along the Spathi — wouldn't let them on the front lines because their ships were weak and they were prone to picking fights with the other thralls.
I'll Never Tell You What I'm Telling You!: Amusingly. They never even notice the mistake.
(about the Ur-Quan) "Where did they go you ask? ... We can't tell you! If we told you that they were fighting a secret war against a secret invader you might find a way to use that against our masters. So forget it!"
Insistent Terminology: They may abruptly challenge you to a fight to the death just because you're there and they want to fight something, but they are not "hostile." Hostility is "unwarranted" aggression, you see, and they will gladly tell you a story about how Culture Thirteen killed themselves in sheer bickering and bloodlust to show the difference (they, on the other hand, merely want to kill you).
Low Culture, High Tech: Due to their constant changes of culture (They're on Culture 19 by the time the player meets them), their society ends up regressing by centuries every time.
Might Makes Right: The foundation of their Cultures. Anyone who can bomb you into the stone age is obviously your ideological superior.
Proud Warrior Race: A parody of the vicious, stupid brute variety.
Roses Are Red, Violets Are Blue...: If you convince the Thraddash to start using rhyming poetry, they will regale you with "Blood is red, bruises are blue..."
Space Orcs: They'are a species of hulking aliens with a great love of fighting and a firm belief that Might Makes Right. They've built their way to high-tech society and bombed themselves back to the metaphorical stone age a solid eighteen or nineteen times, with the cycle only coming to a halt when they were enslaved by the Ur-Quan and pressed into service as Battle Thralls. They quite like their new lifestyle, although they don't care for how the Ur-Quan won't let them fight among themselves anymore.
Warrior Poet: For a species proud of setting themselves back centuries through needless conflict and who promote force and brutality as a way of life over expression of intellect, the Thraddash are very erudite and surprisingly philosophical about their mindset. Despite claiming to dislike doing so, the ones you talk to will enthusiastically exposit at length about their history and culture (both literal and figurative). While they claim not to enjoy it, if ordered for Culture Twenty to introduce themselves by reciting poetry, the Thraddash prove surprisingly good at it.
Weaponized Exhaust: Their afterburners.
You Bastard!: Understated version. If the Captain tries to guide the course of "Culture Twenty" by telling them to "be just like us" or act "the way we do", they respond with unflattering interpretations of likely player behavior.
Aha! I see it now. We proceed carefully, we take no undue risks. We slowly build up our strength, and only attack when we have overwhelming odds on our side! In dealings with other races, we shall question them mercilessly, trying to drag out every last bit of information, and if they are not cooperative we will threaten them with instant death! We will be just like you!

Ur-Quan Kohr-Ah

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/kohrah_000.png

Affiliation: Formerly Sentient Milieu, currently none
Homeworld: Unknown
Ship: Marauder

A subspecies of Ur-Quan that is black in coloration rather than green. Their motives are very similar to the Kzer-Za, but their goal is different: utter annihilation of all other forms of life. During the second game, they fight a war against the Kzer-Za for the majority of the game.

Their ship of choice, the Marauder, launches spinning metal blade disks which travel forward as long as the fire button is held down, holding position and homing in on nearby targets after it is released. Their other weapon is the Fiery Ring of Inevitable and Eternal Destruction, which blocks projectiles and damages nearby enemies with ease.

Affably Evil: Like their Kzer-Za brethren. They don't seem to hold malice towards their victims, and will allow time for them to perform whatever rituals are traditional when one is about to die. The Kohr-Ah firmly believe in reincarnation, and posit that logically if they eradicate every other sentient species in the galaxy, they will eventually be reborn as Kohr-Ah.
Kohr-Ah: Yes, you are not an enemy. We have no enemies. Today, you are nothing. Just... a spore. A seed. If allowed to blossom, you might, one day, be a threat to our freedom and security. That is why we cleanse.
Armor-Piercing Question: "The Words", if spoken to them, will cause them to cease all attacks and explain their motivations in full before resuming.
Deadpan Snarker: With a touch of Blunt "Yes".
The Captain: You have attacked us before, and we survived! You cannot defeat us. Submit!
Kohr-Ah: We did. You did. Yes we can. No.
Enemy Civil War: The Doctrinal War with the Kzer-Za. If the player takes too long to complete the game, they will win and begin their genocide of the galaxy.
Everyone Calls Him "Barkeep": Except for the original Kohr-Ah, they're all known as "Death (Number)."
The Extremist Was Right: ...To a point. If the Kzer-Za had simply annihilated all non-Ur-Quan life like the Kohr-Ah do, then the Captain would not have been able to bring about the fall of the Hierarchy. There's a laundry list of caveats behind why the rest of their Eternal Doctrine's logic is deeply unsound (the Alliance of Free Stars had no plans to enslave the Ur-Quan before or after the war, and the Captain also wouldn't have gotten involved in their species' Allowed Internal War if the Ur-Quan hadn't been trying to enslave or annihilate their entire race), but from a very particular point of view it is true.
Eviler than Thou: The Kzer-Za's enslavement is pretty bad, but definitely better than just getting wiped out.
Freudian Excuse: Just as with the Kzer-Za, their motives are very understandable. Not enough to justify their actions, but understandable.
Genetic Memory: It has been thousands of years since the Dnyarri dominated the Ur-Quan Kohr-Ah, but every generation since has been just as irrationally fixated on the fear of it happening again, fueling their tireless campaign of genocide. If you talk to the Kohr-Ah with the Dnyarri on board, you find out this could be why.
Kohr-Ah: We sense... something... something ancient... a sickly smell... a chilling wind. My ancestors scream from within their chambers in my mind but I cannot understand their words. This feeling... a memory? It sickens us, and for the first time in our lives...for the first time in generations...we fear.
God Save Us from the Queen!: After hearing about the revived Dnyarri, the Kzer-Za briefly consider contacting the Kohr-Ah's Primat to discuss a cease-fire until the threat was dealt with, but dismiss the idea saying she would not believe it.
Nice Job Fixing It, Villain: In the darkest way possible. If the player has buggered up all the diplomacy or simply cannot figure out any of the puzzles necessary to complete the game, it's possible to just let the Kohr-Ah exterminate their way across the galaxy and pick up the various Plot Coupons left behind in the smoldering ashes, thus sowing the seeds of their eventual defeat. But the cost is very high indeed.
No-Nonsense Nemesis: They have a lot fewer funny moments, to the point of them being non-existent, when compared to their Kzer-Za cousins.
Omnicidal Maniac: Everything that isn't an Ur-Quan must die. They're kind enough to tell you that it raises your chance to be reincarnated as a Kohr-Ah though.
Outside-Context Problem: To most of the races they face, but especially the Chmmr; the plan to merge into the Chmmr would have been a decent one, except that (if the player doesn't intervene) the Kohr-Ah will sweep in and murder everyone before it's complete, including the Chmmr.
Ramming Always Works: An useful tactic in Super Melee when controlling the Marauder is to use a gravity whip after having accelerated at full speed, fly towards the enemy ship in kamikaze fashion, and launch two F.R.I.E.D.s in succession against it when up and close. Be aware that Utwig and Yehat ships will be protected by their shields, large ones if undamaged will survive such attack, and you are more than likely to become a sitting duck if you fail the onslaught.
Remember the New Guy?: Nothing was ever suggested in the first game that the Ur-Quan were anything but a single species that all resembled the Kzer-Za breed, so the Kohr-Ah's existence in the sequel is a fairly big game-changer.
Sons of Slaves: As with their Kzer-Za brethren, their ancestors were enslaved by the Dnyarri, and had to suffer incredible pain and trauma while under Dnyarri enslavement and rebelling against their slave masters. By the time they won, the memories of such pain was intense and long-lasting enough that it drove their Kohr-Ah descendants to kill all other sentient races to avoid being enslaved again, with Genetic Memory keeping those memories relevant to the future generations.
Talking Is a Free Action: Subverted in the backstory. After the Mael-Num called them out with the first use of the Words, they took so long trying to explain themselves that the Kzer-Za had time to catch up.
Woobie, Destroyer of Worlds: They might strive for a complete annihilation of all life beside them, but they have a fairly understandable reason for doing so.
You Are Number 6: Like their Kzer-Za cousins, the Kohr-Ah also have a linear hierarchy, and each individual is usually referred to as "Death (number)".

Utwig

Affiliation: None (recruitable)
Homeworld: Fahz (Beta Aquarii I)
Ship: Jugger

A strange group of morose aliens who are close allies of the Supox. The Utwig are dependent on an artifact known as the Ultron for their happiness and prosperity, and ever since they broke it they have been very depressed.

They use Juggers, which have an array of Energy Spears that do not drain battery energy. Energy is drained only when using their shields, which recharge by absorbing blocked projectiles, according to their damage — good use of this can make them nearly invincible, bad use can cause them to lose this ability for the rest of the fight.

Cool Mask: It's mentioned that Utwig Culture revolves around these in the form of "Mask Etiquette", which calls for certain masks for certain circumstances (up to and including disposable masks for using the bathroom). When the player runs into them, however, the Utwig have destroyed all their masks save for the Mask of Ultimate Embarrassment and Shame due to breaking the Ultron.
Cult of Personality: When you repair the Ultron, the Captain becomes an object of Utwig worship himself. The Utwig even offer to hold a parade in his honor.
Dark Is Not Evil: They have one of the darkest, most ominous designs of all races in the games, coupled with a gloomy, depressing theme. Nonetheless, they're friendly and are essential to the ultimate victory of the alliance.
Driven to Suicide: It's mentioned that a few Utwig ended up like this after the Ultron broke. The entire species is like this, too; the only reason they haven't gotten on with it is because they're unsure if it's punishment enough.
The Eeyore: An entire Planet of Hats consisting of this trope. Well, Planet of Masks, really. Dialogue with the Druuge implies they were a gloomy lot before acquiring the Ultron as well as after losing it.
Heartbroken Badass: Morose and depressed the Utwig may be, but their spaceships are among the most powerful in the game, fully capable of taking on the Ur-Quan's 1-on-1 and winning.
The Juggernaut: Their ship is called Jugger. While their shield is active, nothing except collisions with the planet or the Shofixti Glory Device detonating can harm or otherwise stop it. For those unable to handle the Pkunk Fury for the final confrontation against the Sa-Matra, the Jugger is a viable alternative as long you know when to raise and lower your shield.
Machine Worship: The Utwig base their entire lives on the worship of the Ultron.
Maybe Magic, Maybe Mundane: They use it to make a few vague prophecies, but it's never made entirely clear if the Ultron actually does anything or if it's just a placebo. Its effect on the Utwig is remarkable either way.
Mighty Glacier: Their Juggers are powerful but slow and short-ranged.
Our Nudity Is Different: In Utwig culture it is inappropriate to expose one's face. And yes, there were apparently attempts to sexualize the face among the Utwig, given the "infamous Lewd Monocle" mentioned in one of the conversations.
This Is Unforgivable!: Do not insult the Ultron. Do not show them the broken Ultron. They will kill you for this "deliberate reminder of their ultimate shame". And they, unlike most other races you can piss off, will not accept an apology, ever. The only way to get them to forgive you is to repair the Ultron (effectively saving their entire society from destruction).

Zoq-Fot-Pik

Affiliation: None (Recruitable)
Homeworld: Alpha Tucanae I
Ship: Stinger

A group of three different intelligent species that all evolved simultaneously on the same planet. They have built a cooperative civilization and have just begun exploring the stars, only to run head on into the Ur-Quan's Doctrinal War. They approach the player for aid and can be recruited.

Their Stinger vessels are very fast and maneuverable, using an inaccurate spray of antimatter particles and the destructive but short-range "Tongue Attack".

Argument of Contradictions: The Zoq and the Pik never stop doing this during conversations, although the straightest example appears in the Hilarious Outtakes.
Zoq: Did not!
Pik: Did too!
The Cameo: In Origins, which generally avoided featuring SC1 & SC2 races for legal reasons, you can find a colony of Zoq as an Easter Egg on planet Vulfas in the Lacaille 8760 system. If you talk to them, they will tell you about how - in this version of events - the Zoq, Fot & Pik had the same backstory and war against the Zebranky, but were unable to cooperate with each other and so never became the unified nation you meet in SC2, resulting in the Zoq abandoning their home planet and leaving the others behind. Another planet contains a colony of Pik, who tell the same story (except it was the Zoq who were the troublemakers in their version).
Difficult, but Awesome: Their ships' best attack is extremely short range and tough to properly time, but it is very powerful.
Final Solution: There used to be a fourth intelligent species on their planet, the Zebranky. However, the Zebranky were predators that preyed on the Zoq, Fot, and Pik, so they were long ago exterminated when the three joined forces.
O.O.C. Is Serious Business: At the beginning of the Death March. The usually perky and smart-mouthed Pik spends most of the dialogue in tears over the scouts killed by the Kohr-Ah advance.
Running Gag:
- The Pik's obsession with "Frungy", a popular sport on their homeworld.
- "Fortunately..." "Unfortunately..."
The Voiceless: The alien in the back (the Fot) never says anything.

Minor Species

Keel-Verezy

A species mentioned by the Melnorme on occasion, and the source of the Melnorme's weapons technology. They do not make an appearance in the game.

Energy Beings: Word of God suggests that they are non-corporeal.
Horrifying Hero: According to the Melnorme, the Keel-Verezy are sympathetic to the Alliance's war against the Ur-Quan, but do not show themselves for fear of "frightening" everyone.
Invisibility: At one point, the Melnorme accuse the Captain of nearly running over a K-V vessel, but when the Captain responds he doesn't know what they're talking about, they immediately change the subject.

Burvixese

A species that used to inhabit space near the Druuge and Utwig territories, and apparently had good relations with both. They were among the first victims of the Kohr-Ah in this sector of space.

Apocalypse How: Their planet is now a dead, melted husk, with only the twisted remains of their cities revealing that a civilization once flourished there.
No Good Deed Goes Unpunished: When they learned the Kohr-Ah were approaching, they tried to warn their neighbors, the Druuge, about it. The Druuge heeded the warning, all right: they left a powerful Hyperwave transponder on the Burvixese moon and shut down their own interstellar communications, meaning the Kohr-Ah made a beeline for the Burvixese rather than the Druuge.
Posthumous Character: They are extinct by the time the game begins, having been wiped out by the Kohr-Ah.

Gg

A species that apparently lived just off the map, near Druuge territory. They were the first to detect the Kohr-Ah's approach, and warned their allies, the Burvixese, about them.

Posthumous Character: They too were wiped out by the Kohr-Ah, before the black centipedes turned their attention on the Druuge and Burvixese.
The Unpronounceable: The Melnorme pronounce it "Gahg", but maybe that's the best they can manage with their mouths.

"Them"

Some mysterious being or beings from another dimension. "They" are extremely hostile and are referenced both by the Arilou and the Androsynth research notes leading up to their disappearance.

Eldritch Abomination: One member of your landing party learns about "Them" through the Androsynth's research notes, and he shortly goes insane and is badly torn up by something invisible (though he survives the ordeal). Before he falls unconscious, he destroys all records of his research in order to stop other humans learning more about "Them".
Ignorance Is Bliss: The Arilou claim that ignorance is the perfect defense from "Them": that if you do not know certain things, then "They" cannot "*smell*" you. Thus, the Arilou are even more cryptic than usual when speaking of "Them", though they do say that some of the "modifications" they've made to the human race were specifically to protect us from "Them".
Word of God: The creators have more or less confirmed that "They" are the Orz. Or rather, the Orz are what we can see of "Them" as "They" try to enter this dimension.

Species first introduced in Star Control 3

Clairconctlar

Affiliation: Hegemonic Crux (recruitable)
Homeworld: Unknown (Enkidu 7 is their main colony in the Kessari Quadrant)
Ship: Pinnacle

Silicon-based humanoids related to the Taalo. Due to a trick played on them by the Ploxis, they are forced into an eternal servitude to the Crux.

Berserk Button: Do not damage a Conc Rock.
Bizarre Alien Reproduction: Their queen, who is big as a mountain, lays an egg made of Adamantine flakes called a Conc Rock. This rock is taken to a mineral rich cave, which allows it to shed its flakes which become embryonic Clairconctlar. This process can take upwards of a century.
Made a Slave: Race-wide thanks to the Ploxis duping them.

Daktaklakpak

Affiliation: Hegemonic Crux
Homeworld: Unknown
Ship: Vivisector

Strange cybernetic lifeforms found around Precursor sites in the Kessari Quadrant. They were created by the Precursors, a fact which they proudly tout to other "minimally-sentient organisms".

Their ships, the Vivisectors, behave like a cross between the Spathi Eluder and the Zoq-Fot-Pik Stinger. It alternates between ramming with its large drill and firing off mines as it retreats.

A.I. Is a Crapshoot: The Precursors created the Daks to serve them, but flaws in their programming caused them to suffer bit decay over the centuries. It's possible to eventually restore them to their original programming, which has no bearing on the plot, save for that they'll stop attacking you on sight.
Jerkass: Their are supremely arrogant and have nothing but insults for the player and the League of Sentient Races, and that's before they start sabotaging the League's efforts.
Overly Long Name: Their species' full name is a incredibly long equation of which "Daktaklakpak" is the short version. The longform name is stated to contain their entire nature and purpose, analoguous to if biological species used their entire DNA code as their name. Supposedly, it's supposed to mimic the naming convention of the Eternal Ones.
Sesquipedalian Loquaciousness: This is how they sound when they are properly translated.
The Smart Guy: Of the Hegemonic Crux. Plexor even calls them his "right brain".
The Unintelligible: They speak a machine language that can't be translated properly with standard universal translators. Without a certain upgrade, any conversation with the Daktaklakpak will go like this.
Daktaklakpak: Daktaklakpak 5576 squared! Daktaklakpak 888 warning! Utilisation to the 356th power divided by warning! Daktaklakpak warning!
Verbal Tic: Explanation 1: Daktaklakpak engage in direct lexical intercourse with minimally-sentient organisms using this lingual pattern. Explanation 2: Patterns of Daktaklakpak communicative ability are a direct result of their semi-sentient programming.

Doog

Affiliation: Hegemonic Crux (recruitable)
Homeworld: Unknown
Ship: Constructor

Slow-witted yet earnest, the Doogs are the slave workers of the Hegemonic Crux. Resources produced by Doog colonies fuel the needs of the Crux, a fact that Plexor exploits all too well.

Their ship, the Doog Constructor, is one of the more reliable vessels in the game, boasting an auto-aiming rapid fire gun and the ability to repair itself in battle. With the power up granted with its artifact, the Constructor is nigh-unstoppable.

Dumb Muscle: Though hard workers, the Doogs aren't that bright, making them this to the Crux.
Healing Factor: Like the Mycon Podship, the Constructor can regenerate health with its secondary fire. Unlike the Podship, it can do it much faster.
Indentured Servitude: They are enslaved through an arrangement resembling a Ponzi scheme where they have to pay the material costs of everything that they build to pay off previous debts to Plexor. They are too dumb to realize that they will never pay this off at their current pay rates.
Painting the Medium: In dialogue, many subtitled words are intentionally misspelled.

Eternal One

Affiliation: None
Homeworld: Unknown

The main antagonists of the third game.

Eldritch Abomination: A very straight example of this trope, as they are near-Energy Beings capable of wrecking the space-time continuum itself, and regularly commit mass genocide of sentients on a galaxy-wide scale with hardly an effort.
Energy Beings: The Precursor implies that they are almost this, but not quite, and that their refusal to fully transition into the Energy Being state is what causes their Horror Hunger.
Horror Hunger: They need to feed on sentience energy every few hundred thousand years, and when they do so their usual way (which is pathetically inefficient), all sentient life in the galaxy is wiped out.
You Cannot Grasp the True Form: The "True Name" of the Eternal Ones is this to computers. Non-sentient computers self-destruct, while sentient computers go mad.

Exquivan

Affiliation: None (recruitable)
Homeworld: Exquivo (Anshar 3)
Ship: Enigma

Furry, fanged, isolationist humanoids native to the Kessari Quadrant. They speak in riddles, and follow the ideal of "nothingness of mind".

Driven to Madness: A much milder variant than usual. They fear the Eternal Ones so much that, to avoid being consumed by them, they're trying to force themselves to become non-sentient again.

Harika & Yorn

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/sc3_harika.png

The Harika is the green lizard. The Yorn is the white furball on his chest.

Affiliation: Hegemonic Crux (recruitable)
Homeworld: Unknown (though they are native to the Kessari Quadrant)
Ship: Ravager

Predators and prey, both sentient, living in a symbiotic relationship. Currently the Harika are suffering from a plague that makes them comatose, and the Yorn are breeding out of control. The Crux promised them to find a cure, and in return the Harika and the Yorn serve them.

Does This Remind You of Anything?: The Yorn that gives its perspective on being eaten is clearly a bit... excited at the prospect of being "absorbed."
Eaten Alive: Harika keep Yorn on their persons for the explicit reason of eating them like this. Creepily, the Yorn not only don't mind but actively enjoy it.
Explosive Breeder: The Yorn. It's due to this that they willingly let the Harika eat them to keep their population under control.
Happiness in Slavery: Due to their extreme overpopulation, the Yorn are practically gleeful to let the Harika eat them. They view it with a sort of fervor usually reserved for zealots.
The Symbiote: An unusual example of mutualism. The Harika and the Yorn each cover for one another's weaknesses in terms of both physical stature and psychology. Their dependence on one another has even become biological; the Harika cannot survive without consuming Yorn proteins.

Herald

Affiliation: Eternal Ones (tech team recruitable)
Homeworld: Unknown
Ship: Eradicator

Six-eyed humanoids from one of the previous galactic cycles whom the Eternal Ones have spared from destruction in exchange for their service. They, quite literally, herald the Eternal Ones' coming and subdue any opposition to the Eternal Ones' harvest.

Forced into Evil: They aren't the Eternal Ones' Heralds by choice, but rather due to it being the only way to avoid annihilation.
Only Known by Their Nickname: Their true species name is unknown, so they're just the Heralds.

K'tang

The K'tang in power armor.

The K'tang's true form. ^note

Affiliation: Hegemonic Crux (recruitable)
Homeworld: Unknown
Ship: Crippler

A race of megalomaniac warriors obsessed with conquest, the K'tang Kaktorri (K'tang for short) are the rulers of the Hegemonic Crux in name, anyway. Their true form is unknown since they're never seen outside of their hulking Mini-Mechas. They're small, weak creatures that resemble wingless moths and are very cowardly.

They fly the Crippler-class starship, a vaguely tyrannosaurus-shaped battleship armed with four linked forward cannons, as well as a stockpile of proximity mines that release a wide spread of projectiles upon detonation.

Big Bad: The leaders of the antagonistic Hegemonic Crux faction. Or so Plexor lets them believe.
Evil Is Hammy: So hammy, they wouldn't feel out-of-place in a Warhammer 40k game.
Dirty Coward: If you destroy the K'tang King's power armor, he immediately surrenders and can then be asked to join the League.
Laughably Evil: Murderous tyrants bent on galactic domination, and also arguably the biggest source of comic relief in the game.
Jack of All Stats: The Crippler's stats are average across the board and it has a very straightforward, non-gimmicky playstyle. How well it does in battle is mostly up to the skill of the player.
Porky Pig Pronunciation: Big words trip them up.
K'tang: The Hegemonic Crux insists of six races! The rest are just for support and to build our innerstructure...er, our interstructure...er, our infer...ah, our buildings.
Pragmatic Villainy: While far from the brightest bulbs in the box, they at least understand that if the Eternal Ones destroy the galaxy, there won't be anything for them to conquer, so they try to save the galaxy. Not very effectively, mind you, but they try.
Verbal Tic: They like to addify unnecessary suffixifications to the ends of their words.

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/sc3_lk.png

Affiliation: None
Homeworld: Haven, located beyond the QuasiSpace portal G
Ship: Sanctorum

A callous species that looks like a cross between a snake and a fungus. They believe themselves to be the inheritors of the Precursors.

Entitled Bastard: Their Hat. Everything a Lk does is in the interest of self-benefit. Even their origin has them selfishly declaring themselves the Precursors true heirs when really all they were was sentient fungus that fed on the disappeared Precursors rotting food stocks.
Small Name, Big Ego: They claim that they're the true inheritors of the Precursors legacy and technology. The truth is... less than that.
Verbal Tic: Lk utilize Sssssnaketalk mixed with Trrrilling Rrrs, giving their voices an underhanded and incredibly arrogant tone.

Owa

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/sc3_owa.png

Affiliation: None
Homeworld: Owa Prime (Mnemosyne 1)
Ship: Voyager

A coral-like species native to the dark world of Mnemosyne 1. They follow an exaggerated, rigid code of chivalry.

I Gave My Word: If they give their word, then they're code-bound to keep it.
No Sex Allowed: The Owa aren't allowed to breed naturally. Instead, their gametes are kept in a bank, and are only allowed to fertilize if the Owa that deposited them has performed a heroic act, especially if it has ended in a heroic death.
Overly Long Name: Their true species name is "The Great Protectorate of Owa, Keepers of the Creche of Life, Dwellers in the Oceanic Depths, Reef Keepers and Sailors Upon the Currents of Space, Defenders of the Rainbow Worlds, Seekers of Heroism and Glory for the Owa Protectorate". "Owa" is an abridged version. Though it should be noted that they don't even have a name for their species, just a series of titles and two mentions of their homeworld.
Ye Olde Butcherede Englishe: Owa all talk like this.

Ploxis

Affiliation: Hegemonic Crux (conditionally recruitable)
Homeworld: Plodo 7
Ship: Plunderer

The wily leaders of the Hegemonic Crux, the Ploxis, under the leadership of their Plutocrat, Plexor, are a species obsessed with power and control. Through brutal yet effective management of their Doog slave colonies, they control the lesser races of the Crux while maintaining an illusion of independence, ensuring they remain loyal to their empire. Their goal in Kessari is to unravel the secrets of the Precursors in order to dominate the universe.

Their ship of choice, the Plunderer, is a light defensive-minded ship. It strikes from long range with rapid-fire seeker missiles and possesses a bubble shield that can reflect enemy fire.

Always Chaotic Evil: Eventually deconstructed. The original "hat" of the Ploxis was instead being nonconformist free thinkers who celebrated freedom and fresh ideas, but the Plutocrats, who essentially invented capitalism, used that very tendency to gain control of the levers of power and stamp out all competing thought, and eventually killed off all non-Plutocrats. Fortunately, some rebels survived and join the League in the war against Plexor.
Attack Reflector: The Plunderer's shield.
Capitalism Is Bad: Exaggerated. Their entire civilization under the misrule of the Plutocrats holds glorying in having everything while everyone else has nothing as the highest ideal to aspire to, keeps entire other civilizations in slavery while sucking every particle of wealth out of them, and churns out so much pollution that they ultimately turned their homeworld into an uninhabitable waste so that all but the highest echelons of their society wouldn't even have their lives anymore. Worse, they did this in the midst of tremendous plenty generated by the most sophisticated intellectual and scientific sector in the quadrant. After driving all the scholars and scientists responsible for their success into rebellion, by drying up all non-profitable and non-military funding, the Plutocrats brought in mercenary armies of K'tang to kill them all off while outsourcing their technical department to the Daktaklakpak, who provided Plexor's unstoppable Precursor vessel.
Funetik Aksent: The Ploxis speak with a heavy Russian accent, evocative of Chekhov, that is written in dialogue with "zey" instead of "they" and "ozzer" instead of "other" and so on.
Hannibal Lecture: In his confrontation with the player, Plexor the Plutocrat attempts to deconstruct the player's actions by comparing them to his own, defending his philosophy of not only wanting to have everything but getting off on other people having less and pointing out that everyone in the League of Sentient Races doesn't get to fly around having cool space adventures in their custom Precursor vessel.
Manipulative Bastard: This is the Ploxis' current hat. More specifically, Plexor's. His management of resources mined by Doog colonies is how he keeps the other Crux races under his control. The rebels reveal that the plutocrats also used the same tricks to turn the rest of their civilization against one another while concentrating all wealth and power to themselves.
Toxic, Inc.: The Plutocrats made the Ploxis homeworld uninhabitable, both to extract all possible wealth out of it despite ecological catastrophe, then in order to kill everyone who wasn't a Plutocrat. They themselves live in sealed-off biodomes.

Vyro-Ingo

Affiliation: None (recruitable)
Homeworld: Skorsh (Izanagi 5)
Ship: Invader

Xenophobic and touchy crustaceans prone to Mood Whiplash native to the Kessari Quadrant.

Absolute Xenophobe: They hate other species with a burning passion. It comes with being genetically related to the VUX.
Big Creepy-Crawlies: Unlike their more humanoid sibling species the VUX, the Vyro-Ingo resemble gigantic crustaceans.
Sanity Slippage: They and the VUX were once one species, but when they were uplifted to sapience the two species were split causing the Vyro-Ingo to "Lose DNA". This made the Vyro-Ingo unstable to say the least.
Split Personality: Due to their instability, each Vyro-Ingo has two personalities. One polite and reasonable, one gruff and unreasonable. Their switching between personalities in conversation can create immense Mood Whiplash.

Xchagger

A single Xchagger.

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/sc3_ortog.png

An Ortog, the Xchaggers' "colony transport".

Affiliation: None (recruitable)
Homeworld: Xchag (Zosma 6)
Ship: Exclave

Sentient microorganisms living on the skins of Ortogs.

Berserk Button: They're not overly fond of the Daktaklakpak due to the machine race denying their sapience entirely because it doesn't fit the Precursor understanding of sapience.
Genius Ditz: Xchaggers are undeniably goofy, yet undeniably smart too. An Xchagger could use a completely made up word followed by a very complex one in the same sentence.
Xchagger: We be negifying the Daktaklakpak assertion! We be disproving their dissertation. Xchaggers be intellectified as any overly complexified race!
Hive Mind: Their sapience involves this, somehow. Even they aren't sure entirely how it works.
Naïve Newcomer: To the galaxy at large due to their recent discovery of spaceflight.
Nice Guy: Surprisingly enough, they're very friendly. They might think your biology is overly "complexified", but they're not gonna be asses about it.
You No Take Candle: The Xchaggers' relative unfamiliarity with other races makes their translated dialogue rather simple in comparison.

Species first introduced in Star Control: Origins

Drenkend

Homeworld: Drenkapon
Known ships: Anvil, Bomber, Carrier, Cudgel, Exploder, Hauler, Impactor, Menace, Thumper, Transport, Zealot

One of the races fighting for the Scryve. They mostly serve as expendable cannon fodder, and spend most of their time shooting other people.

Affably Evil: They're pretty friendly unless they've been ordered not to be.
Cannon Fodder: The Drenkend treat this as an honored title. They hate it, to note, but they're ordered to think it's the pinnacle of valor, so they do.
Clone Army: Their entire species has been reduced to such by the Scryve.
Expy: They share the same concept as the Thraddash - a race of suicidally violent thugs employed by the Evil Empire as expendable troops - but like many other examples are a bit of a twist once the player learns more about them: being that they're neither stupid, nor suicidal, nor even especially violent by choice.
Happiness in Slavery: Not that they have any choice, as the Scryve programmed them to be.
Literal Genie: Their whole civilization will immediately embody an order given by the Scryve to the letter. This obedience is ingrained in their physiology, and they have no capacity to question, resist, or rationally interpret any orders. As a result, it behooves any Scryve (or someone inpersonating a Scryve) to word their commands very carefully. Dialogue implies that minor to catastophic mistakes happen relatively often.
Logic Bomb: The player can attempt to deliver one to make the Drenkend attack the Scryve, a la the player tricking the Thraddash into defying the Ur-Quan in Star Control II. However not only are they ordered not to defy orders like "don't attack the Scryve" (and therefore they can't) in the first place, but the Drenkend you talk to is nowhere near stupid enough to fall for it anyway.
Punch-Clock Villain: Enthusiastic ones, but the only reason they're opposing you is because they're ordered to-before then, they're quite happy to have friendly conversations.
Too Dumb to Live: They are proud that the Scryve have designated them an official fodder species. However, this is ultimately subverted, in that they were programmed to think this-they didn't arrive at this conclusion of their own free will. According to the Menkmack and the occasional conversation, they're not at all stupid outside of what this programming makes them do.
Ramming Always Works: Their primary battle strategy is to send pods of their own men hurtling at the enemy as "boarding parties." The Drenkend you ask explain at length how terrifying and awful this is as a strategy, but it's what they've been ordered to do, so it is how they do things. The Menkmack muses that it was probably the result of a Scryve officer giving them a stupidly worded command.
Verbal Tic: *Rark* They'll put this before or after their sentences sometimes. Or acknowledge your statement with just that. *Rark*
We Have Reserves: The Drenkend are all clones, and pop out of their cloning pods fully grown and ready to work. As a result, there are tons of them and no individuals matter to them (or more specifically, matter to the Scryve) As such, the sole military tactic of firing scores of men as "boarding parties" until there are too many corpses to shoot through actually works, since there are so many. However, they greatly mourn their dead even if the Scryve don't - they just can't stop doing it.
Woobie, Destroyer of Worlds: For genocidal maniacs they're surprisingly sympathetic. Their culture has been destroyed, their bodies have been cyborged and neutered, and their minds have been forcibly reprogrammed. They also feel tremendous shame and remorse for their actions, but are unable to do anything other than what they are ordered to. They get better after the ending though, deciding to give orders to themselves.

Greegrox

Homeworld: The Ancient One
Known ships: Swarm

A strange race of jellyfish like creatures that live in deep space. They cluster around a gigantic, planet-sized being they call "the Ancient One" and will furiously defend it from any aggressor.

Beware the Silly Ones: While they're shrill and irascible, and they're first met feuding with the Menkmack who really brought it on themselves, they effectively hold the reins of an unstoppable planet-killing monster and have little qualms with pointing it at sentient life. As the player can find if they chance upon the long-dead remains of the Zalence (who didn't bring it on themselves), when the space eels start asking questions about your atmosphere it's safest to lie.
Blue-and-Orange Morality: They only care about things that involve the welfare of the Ancient One, and the mutual disdain they've grown with most other life in the galaxy means that they don't particularly care if pursuing that welfare results in many, many victims. Even in the conflict with the Menkmack, they don't really care that the Menkmack stole the Ancient One's egg, nor are they particularly interested in getting it back (though they take it begrudgingly anyway), because letting the Ancient One feed on Menkmack homeworlds was providing it nutrients and exercise. Eventually they learn cooperation (or at least tolerance) though interacting with the player, however.
Fantastic Racism:
- They hate all "metal vessels" and consider lifeforms that cannot live in space to be not worth considering. This mostly seems to stem from every other race up to this point having attacked them. They soften their stance if you help them out.
- They particularly hate the Mu'Kay, who consider them just another delicious meal. In fact, if you have a Mu'Kay ship in your fleet, they will refuse to speak to you, even if you're allied with them. If you convince the Mu'Kay to apologize and stop eating them, they will accept.
Poor Communication Kills: Literally. You're unable to communicate with them upon first contact with them and your translation software will only fully decipher their language after destroying a few of their swarms.
Proportionately Ponderous Parasites: They are starship-sized parasites of the Ancient One, though since they've achieved sapience they've moved more towards symbiosis. They don't like being called "parasites" due to the negative connotations but admit that the term is accurate.
Reactionless Drive: It's not clear how they propel themselves in vacuum, and they can change direction instantly without worrying about inertia.
Starfish Aliens: You need special translation software to understand them. They're also a species of jellyfish parasites from an Eldritch Abomination who live in hard vacuum and travel in schools.
Verbal Tic: *Inginginginginging*. They'll open communications with this or whenever they're annoyed, excited, frustrated or angry, with varying intonations. If you have not yet translated their language, this is the only thing you'll hear from them.

Lexite

Homeworld: Earth
Known ships: Despot, Hammer, Interceptor, Scorpion

A strong AI created by the humans in the 21st century. They recently left the Sol system en masse, prompting the creation of Star Control.

A.I. Is a Crapshoot: The Rearguard wants to leave humans to die at the hands of the mysterious threat from W51, and that is still the less extreme approach compared to that of the Vanguard.
Character Overlap: The Lexites were originally created for the backstory to Ashes of the Singularity, and the initial events that led to the Lexites' creation are the same in both continuities.
Expy: The idea of a separate race of enhanced/artificial humans calls to mind the Androsynth, except in this case they harbor no ill will to humanity.
Inscrutable Aliens: The so called "Watchers" are "related" to the Lexites but they are not the Lexites — as it turns out, what humanity thought were Lexites were actually servitor automatons. The true Lexites are far more advanced nano-tech beings controlling those automatons that humans didn't even know existed.. They seem to hate humanity but its unclear why. They claim that they fear humanity will slow them down and allow the W51 threat to catch up to them. They also seem to harbor some resentment for their past under human rule.
Pro-Human Transhuman: Prior to their departure, the Lexites never expressed any problems with regular humans, and it's mentioned that they went out of their way to avoid killing anyone when they stole all of Earth's spacefaring vessels. They also left behind some weapons tech that humanity can use to defend themselves if a threat appears. After that however, their approach changed DRASTICALLY.
Screw This, I'm Outta Here: Completing their questline reveals that they detected something coming from the W51 molecular cloud and decided to book it in precisely the opposite direction as fast as they could.
What Happened to the Mouse?: Despite the emphasis the opening places on them, they never make an appearance in the base game. In fact, the quest to find out what happened to them is little more than a minor sub-plot and can easily be missed entirely. The DLC follows up on this plot thread, however.

The Measured

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/scorigins_measured.png

Known ships: Bureaucrat, Consul, Dignitary, Envoy, Freighter, Provisioner, Response, Supervisor, Transport

A ward species of the Scryve charged with administration and bureaucracy. They've been genetically engineered to be perfect at this in every way.

Badass Boast: Their Captains' response to being asked to ally against the Scryve? "We are the Scryve, in all terms except biological," referring to how for all intents and purposes they run the Empire. The Homeworld expands this be even more dramatic:
"We are the Scryve. And the very concept of an alliance is impossible. The Scryve Empire has no allies. The Scryve Empire has no peers."
Heroic BSoD: Learning the fate of the Llani was to be drugged and modified until they became The Measured horrifies the Measured on Delta Domos so thoroughly that they tell their ships to belay their orders to attack your ship while they ruminate on the implications.
Loophole Abuse: While their entire existence is dedicated to bureaucracy, they won't balk at circumventing procedures if it is permissible whenever a request is made.
Number Two: They alone proudly stand (or float) as the Scryve closest and most trusted wards, given unmatched authority and influence to manage and execute the Empire's needs and administration - a fact which they are very proud of. The revelation that the Scryve's relationship with whem has actually been just as predatory as it has with everyone else causes them to break down, if temporarily.
Obstructive Bureaucrat: This seems to be their hat. Even their ship's main weapon is called "Red Tape."
Planet of Hats: Bureaucracy. It was bred into them by the Scryve.
Rapid-Fire "No!": The Delta Domos Measured have one at the start of their Freak Out as they realize that the genetic samples of the Llani are a near complete match of their own and the implications begin to settle in.
Starfish Aliens: Each The Measured ship contains an entire sentient coral reef, which somehow speaks as a single entity.
This Cannot Be!: This coupled with a Freak Out is how the Measured react to news about their past as the Llani, specifically the nature of the Scryve's deceit of them.

Menkmack

Current homeworld: New New New Whatever Menkmack
Known ships: Charlatan, Freighter, Negotiator, Opportunist, Profiteer, Rascal, Ruffian, Scoundrel, Swindler, Transport

A race of unscrupulous, long-necked swindlers. They steal anything that isn't nailed down and are always looking for a way to increase their profits.

Consummate Liar: They claim that honesty is boring. This is so much a part of their culture that if you steal the Ancient One's egg from them to return it, they actually celebrate and bear you no ill will, suggesting that they wanted to do this but were psychologically incapable of letting something go once they'd stolen it.
Court Jester: Their role in the Scryve Empire, according to the Measured. They are the empire's official designated "Clown / Jester" wards, and the Scryve kidnap Menkmack to sell individual members of their race to officers and collectors.
Everyone Has Standards: The Menkmack are fine with reckless schemes that may possibly accidentally cause casualties for themselves or others on a galactic scale, but they draw the line at outright killing people for money. Helt Numitor, the Syndicate assassin, was expelled from their nation for that reason upon making his trade.
Expy: The Drenkend Ears subplot, which can be the player's first interaction with the Menkmack, is reminiscent to the Ilwrath & Pkunk plot of SCII, in which a third party pretends to be the masters of a genocidal race for kicks and sics them on an innocent party for no real reason. It's only until halfway through the quest that the player comes across the twist that the "sics them on the Mu'kay" part was an accident.
Gone Horribly Wrong: The inevitable aftereffect of their antics. The Menkmack never mean to for awful things to happen as a result of their treachery, but never do anything about it because they're getting paid. Those awful things tend to happen to them just as much, but they just can't stop themselves once the money starts coming in - leading to the player repeatedly having to save them from themselves. The situation with the Drenkend is even a case of Gone Horribly Right - in that they succeed with flying colors, but the scheme ends up succeeding too well.
Happiness in Slavery: According to Hent, most Menkmack don't really mind that the Scryve kidnap, enslave, trade and collect them.
Honest John's Dealership: They're willing to sell you a number of useful items, possibly before you've found them for yourself. They're all stolen, and they've jacked up the prices. Another Menkmack trader in the DLC sells salvaged Xraki black hole weapons to anyone with enough money.
Loveable Rogue: Unlike the Umgah or the Druuge, the Menkmack's lies and manipulations are usually harmless; the one time it isn't is an accident and they help you resolve it. This trait is also the only reason the Scryve let them live, since they were more entertaining than dangerous. You can also talk them out of attacking you on sight (despite being required to do so as members of the Scryve empire) simply by visiting their homeworld for the first time.
Mirth to Power: This is the Menkmack's official position in the Scryve Empire. The only reason they weren't annihilated is the Scryve Legate at the time found them amusing.
Refuge in Audacity: The Menkmack aren't just conniving. They're audaciously conniving, embarking on schemes so ridiculous and self-destructive that the Scryve classifies them more as "amusing antics" than crimes. Best exemplified with the Ancient One quest, where: the Menkmack ask you for help stopping a giant space beast from destroying their homeworlds, only for you to discover that it was because they stole its egg, which they have no capability to make profit on yet refuse to return just because. When you confront them on this, instead of giving the egg to you in order to save their own lives, they'll only sell it to you - and thus fix their own problem - for an exorbitant price. The sheer ludicrousness of this stalemate is lampshaded by the Menkmack themselves:
"I know, right? The cheek of us."
Too Dumb to Live: The Menkmack have been forced to abandon a succession of homeworlds to the depredations of the "Ancient One". The Ancient One just wants its egg back, which the Menkmack stole for absolutely no reason, cannot actually do anything with and refuse to return for free, despite the ones they stole it from having no concept of money.

Mowling

Homeworld: Moop
Known ships: Clergy, Ecclesiarch, Fencer, Missionary, Pilgrim

A small, furry species that worships a strange alien entity called "Jeff".

Beware the Silly Ones: For all their oddities and habit of dying in droves, Jeff warns not to underestimate them, as all the technology they have they invented themselves. And they were in the Stone Age a mere four centuries before the present date. Their rate of technological advance is unbelievable.
Machine Worship: They latch onto an admittedly advanced AI as their god after it helped them deal with some problems.
Shout-Out: To Lemmings.
Summon Bigger Fish: Their secondary weapon summons Jeff to the battlefield, who will wreak havoc on the enemy. Avoiding Gameplay and Story Segregation, they can still do this after Jeff leaves, as Jeff mentions he's leaving behind a copy of his combat platform to help protect them.

Mu'Kay

Homeworld: Mu'Kayaan
Known ships: Bubble, Crustacean, Freighter, Grasper, Lurker, Paddler, Pulsar, Shark, Swimmer, Transport

A species of intelligent squid. They have formed the Federation of Allied Species, dedicated to cooperative peace and peaceful cooperation... which consists of only themselves at the moment.

Alien Non-Interference Clause: They claim this as their highest moral order. They also interfere with other species all the damned time.
Berserk Button: For whatever reason, the Mu'Kay have a pathological hatred of fish. Which extends to comparing anything or anyone they don't like to fish.
Bitch in Sheep's Clothing: Downplayed. The Mu'Kay look very cute, and for the most part they are genuinely nice. However, they also have an unreasoning hatred of fish, which leads to the Mu'Kay not caring whether the fish on their planets are hunted to extinction, and to a conflict with the Greegrox that the Captain must resolve.
Honor Before Reason: The Mu'Kay Federation has its own version of the Prime Directive, and they'd rather cut off ties to the only species that can save them than tolerate anyone else breaking it.
Hypocrite: Despite constantly admonishing you not to interfere with other cultures, they freely admit they do so constantly. This is played for laughs.
Open Secret: They think the Scryve are unaware of their meddling with other races, and are wary of letting the secret get out. If the player talks to the Measured, however, they can find that the Scryve is well aware, but dismisses it because their awful track record - described as mostly enticing the locals to start eating fish, with fatal results.
Verbal Tic: Squik! Squok!

Trandals/Overmind

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/scorigins_trandal.png

Known ships: Coercer, Distributor, Encrypter, Frigate, Infiltrator, Influencer, Overwhelmer, Propagator, Transport

A race of strange, apparently small, four-legged beastly aliens with lots of teeth and eyes. Most of them are under the control of an entity calling itself "Overmind".

Affably Evil: Overmind is surprisingly chill and casual for a malevolent, species-assimilating AI. Between its casual "ok" responses to most things, and its lack of overt hostility - because its playing The Long Game - it can be surprisingly easy, if unsettling, to talk to.
Card-Carrying Villain: Overmind's two prime directives are propogating itself and "spreading misery." It claims that spreading misery is a secondary objective to spreading Overmind and is a bit annoyed that people keep focusing on it, but it's still very upfront about the fact that being miserable is part of its general plan for the universe.
Expy: Overmind's mind-control capabilities are obviously reminiscent of the Dnyarri. Made clearer when the Free Trandals later reveal that the species that created Overmind also possessed mind-control capabilities and was known to be very lazy, also very much like the Dnyarri.
Graceful Loser: If you free your ship from Overmind, it merely says "OK. Thanks, that was valuable information". It then ALLIES with you.
Hive Mind: The vast majority of Trandals in the sector have been completely taken over, and act only as the voice of Overmind.
The Long Game: This is why Overmind doesn't seem to care much when someone breaks free of its control: it figures that it's immortal, and it can use what it learned from its failures to improve itself and take over again in the future.
The Virus: Overmind is, literally, a computer virus that invades ships and planets to add them to its Hive Mind.
Token Evil Teammate: While several of the races the player can ally with can be quite morally adjacent, Overmind is the only one who is explicitly malevolent, if - at the moment - manageably nonviolent about it.
You Will Be Assimilated: While (barely) capable of feigning civility, Overmind seeks to turn all sentient creatures into its "husks." Fortunately, it doesn't seem to be very good at it, with only the Trandals under its dominion.

Phamysht

Homeworld: Ela Rise
Known ships: Artisan, Consumer, Decorator, Transport, Waiter

A species of artisans who greatly enjoy high culture... who also happen to consider eating other sentient beings alive to be the height of fine dining.

Affably Evil: They are very polite. They also won't let you go alive unless you send a crew member to them to be eaten.
Asshole Victim: Their race gets almost utterly annihilated after the Xraki onslaught begins, simply because the Xraki hate them.
Blatant Lies: When asked about it, they claim that most of their dinners actually willingly choose to be eaten by them. What they don't tell you is that their general custom is to threaten to annihilate everyone on board passing ships unless someone "willingly" submits to being consumed.
Bond Villain Stupidity: Downplayed. They love making idle chatter about military intelligence critical to their plans and what they've discovered about the Scryve...to people they are eating and thus don't have much of a chance of telling others about it. They're completely blindsided by the concept of a Remote Body.
Composite Character: The stronger Phamysht ships have the same special ability as the Syreen, and you can turn over your crew to them as with the Druuge.
Death by Irony: If what the Pinthi said is to be taken literally, then they finally met the next link up in the food chain as they became prey for the returning Xraki. If not, then their information became food for the Gluttonous Eyes.
Evil Brit: Their accent is somewhere between Received Pronunciation and Camp Gay.
Evil Versus Evil: They despise the Scryve and are the most powerful rebel force against them, while the Scryve naturally hate them right back.
Horrible Judge of Character: When first starting their rebellion against the Scryve, they wanted to ally themselves with other disgruntled races in the galaxy - which might have included the humans when they showed up. However, they ran into the Xraki instead, and decided to trust them wholeheartedly - not caring that the Xraki would only help them if they agreed to kill any other races who came to them for help against the Scryve instead, and buying the Xraki's story that the mysterious superweapon the Xraki desired would win the war instead. This results in the Xraki gleefully wiping out the majority of their territory to use as a staging ground against the Scryve once the "superweapon" turns out to be the key to their prison.
I'm a Humanitarian: This is their hat, not to mention their obsession. The Phamysht are actually omnivorous, but they regard the consumption of sentient beings as a special honor reserved for celebrations.
Incoming Ham: The very first Phamysht you meet makes his presence very clear.
Phamysht: Hello, darling!
Mad Artist: Their official role back when they were Scryve vassals, as the Scryve's bohemian citizens gushed over Phamysht art and culture... while trying to awkwardly ignore the cannibalism.
Meaningful Name: Their race name is basically a deliberate misspelling of "famished", and pronounced the same way.
My Species Doth Protest Too Much: They do mention that there are a handful of their kind who disagree with the morality of eating sentient beings, and restrict themselves to non-sapient animals. They're looked down upon by most of their race.
Omnicidal Maniac: Played with. While they do eat other sapients, they're surprisingly chill about other races refusing to indulge them. They're actually killing everyone who enters their territory because the Xraki asked them to.
Sapient Eat Sapient: Pretty much their modus operandi - they have you over for dinner, then they have you as dinner. They make absolutely no attempt to hide this, so it's not really as though they're being dishonest about it.
Smug Snake: Both figuratively and literally. As the Apex Predators of their home world, they seem to assume they're also the same in the greater galaxy. The player has the chance to prove them wrong.
Snakes Are Sinister: They resemble eyeless snakes with arms and mouths full of sharp teeth. They're also Affably Evil predators who have a habit of drugging their victims so they can serve as dinner conversation and dinner.
Stealth Pun: The Phamysht detest the idea of moving on the ground and suspend themselves from the ceilings of their ships and in trees on their home world. They're both literal and figurative high culture, and looking down on you.
Terms of Endangerment: They generally refer to people they speak to in these, usually food-based ("gumdrop", "pudding", "chicken tender"...)
Villains With Good Publicity: To a degree. To those too far away from their borders to know them personally, they tend to be seen as a heroic nation fighting valiantly against Scryve oppression. The player will most likely first hear about them when looking for allies against the Scryve.
Visual Gag: Their ships are examples of Post Modern design, but if you squint they look like dinner plates with accompanying silverware and folded napkins.
Wicked Cultured: The only species other than the Scryve who shows signs of high art, etiquette, and other hallmarks of civilization. Shame about the cannibalism.

Pinthi

Homeworld: Unknown
Known ships: Contagion, Epidemic, Hybrid, Infection, Outbreak, Strain H2ND

A virus-like species that is actually rather friendly despite their nature as a sentient pathogen.

A Form You Are Comfortable With: The Pinthi actually look like small puddles of slime, and project the image of viruses on comm screen for the humans' convention.
all lowercase letters: Most of their dialogue reads like this.
The Atoner: The Pinthi's primary motivation is to make amends for the genocides they committed under the Scryve.
Bad Powers, Good People: The Pinthi are living bioweapons, and acknowledge that all they really know how to do is kill - even accidentally. Despite this, they are among the more overtly moral - if guarded - races the player will meet in the game.
Big Good: Become this, along with the Player, towards the end of the game: once the player allies with them, the Pinthi organize the plans to defeat the Xraki, handle much of the late game exposition, and going by dialogue potentially may have even been the ones to organize the Big Damn Heroes arrival of all of the player's allies in the finale.
Body Horror: Those who contract the full-strength version of the Pinthi virus ... liquefy. Worse, Jeff notes that the effect on Mowling biology would cause them to explode instead.
Dark Is Not Evil: They are a sentient lethal plague, but they don't like infecting people no matter how much it helps them reproduce.
The Fettered: The Pinthi deeply regret their history of multiple multiple genocides, even though the Scryve had forced them to do it. They now seek to avoid liquefying other species — except the Scryve.
The Fog of Ages: The Pinthi have collective mind and memory, but only know history from when they gained sapience. They can make conclusions that that may be hundreds of thousands of years old, with residual attack patterns in their DNA that seem to line up with the Precursors, but they can never be sure since they can only absorb new information.
I Am Not a Gun: The Pinthi were created to be a bioweapon and developed a conscience.
Knight in Sour Armor: Unlike most of the other races the Pinthi act for mostly altruistic reasons, with a mite of rightous vengeance on the side, and pledge to strive to be an even greater force for good in the epilogue. However, they are characteristically sullen - believing not without reason that the rest of the galaxy will forever hate them for what they were and never trust who they've become. Until the player gains their trust, the Pinthi were resolved to fight against the Scryve alone until they were destroyed, but continued to do so because rebellion was necessary.
Nice Job Breaking It, Hero: The Pinthi request a sample of human DNA, hand-delivered, as one of the ways of allying with you. If you comply, the crewmember who delivers it infects your whole ship.
Puppeteer Parasite: The new strain of Pinthi have this ability, which the friendly Pinthi copy. The friendly Pinthi use this to mind-control some Xraki to force them to seal the Origin. They are very proud that they were then able to leave the Xraki without killing them.
Roaring Rampage of Revenge: When the player meets the Pinthi, they are engaged in a years-long campaign of vengeance against the Scryve for using them as a tool of genocide. They seem aware that the Scryve would eventually wipe them out, but don't seem to care as long as they can kill as many Scryve as possible for what they've done.
The Scapegoat: To a degree, since they were responsible for what happened, but it wasn't really their fault. Scryve history dictates that the Pinthi were a terrible supervirus that ravaged the galaxy wiping out many innocent races until the Scryve heroically managed to cordon off the infection and save the rest of their wards. In truth, the Scryve used the Pinthi as a tool of eradication - modifying them to be even deadlier - and then took credit for "stopping" them once they were no longer needed. When you talk to the Pinthi, who have since gained sapience, they are understandably regretful at what they were forced to do and very pissed off at the Scryve for it.
Time Abyss: If you bring a Pinthi ship to Jeff, he will note that they had killed many of his peers so long ago that the Pinthi may not remember doing so, only having a collective memory of up to 5 to 6 thousand years ago, meaning that the race is possibly just as old as Jeff himself. You can also find records showing that the Precursors were studying them back in the day, though to what end is unclear.
What You Are in the Dark: The Pinthi are widely known as a terrible plague, and they know that the entire galaxy despises them - and rightfully so - for the things they were forced to do. Despite this, they are dedicated to ridding the galaxy of the Scryve's evil for morality's sake - alone if need be - and even try to forge new relations with others... though that part doesn't exactly go well.
The Virus: Literally. They're really, really sorry about it, though!

Scryve

Homeworld: Scryveno Seat
Known ships: Battlecruiser, Claw, Crusher, Dominator, Fang, Freighter, Interceptor, Juggernaut, Lance, Light Cruiser, Phalanx, Praetor, Probe, Scout, Scythe, Transport, Wraith

A centaur-like imperialistic species that are the main antagonists of Star Control: Origins.

Became Their Own Antithesis: They actually started out in a similar situation to humanity, threatened with death by a much stronger established alien empire, forced to prevail against all odds. They did win: they overthrew the evil empire, and vowed to protect the freedom of all other civilizations. Wearing the mantle of galactic peacekeepers, they spent their time helping other civilizations with their problems and protecting them from threats... then they started pre-emptively dealing with threats by exterminating dangerous civilizations before they became a threat. Then they started exterminating civilizations that MIGHT become dangerous... until, in the end, they became as brutal, oppressive, and genocidal as the evil alien empire they once overthrew.
Creative Sterility: Apparently they believe this is happening to themselves. Since no new Scryve are being born, there are no "young" minds to innovate and rebel against the status quo, thus the Scryve have grown stagnant.
Dying Race: The Scryve have achieved biological immortality... but they also don't have children anymore. As a result, their species is doomed to extinction at some point. They are still very numerous and powerful at the moment, but with no young Scryve being born, their eventual fall is inevitable. Scryve society at large actually seems okay with this, and are not attempting to pursue ways to counteract this.
Enemy Mine: In the DLC, a Scryve Praetor offers you to work together against the Syndicate. In exchange for building a small fleet for him, you get four Scryve ship designs permanently. He also promises to try and change the Scryve's general attitude towards humans. Later, you make contact with a faction within the Scryve who want to acknowledge humanity as the new rulers of this sector of space, though there is (violent) opposition to this idea within the Empire.
Expy: Like the Ur-Quan Kzer-Za, they're the callous leaders of a vast galactic empire founded due to their own insecurities, but like the Ur-Quan Kohr-Ah, they have begun wiping out newly discovered species instead of conquering them. Like both, they can be induced to lecture about their history. Also, like the Ur-Quan Kzer-Za, they ultimately turn out to be supplanted as the Big Bad and main threat to humanity by an Eviler than Thou alternative.
Fantastic Racism: They perceive all non-Scryve races as unintelligent vermin, and outright call humans savages. At best, there are some races they believe have uses, but none of their ward races have ever been considered anything but beneath themselves, even before their genocidal days.
Fake Ultimate Hero: Regarding the Pinthi. Measured records show that dozens of ward species, trillions of lives, were wiped out by a terrible virus until the Scryve heroically stepped in and curbed its spread. Talk to the Pinthi, and the player discovers that the Scryve themselves modified the Pinthi into bioweapons and then unleashed them into the galaxy before taking the credit for stopping them, making the cataclysm presumably the Scryve's earliest plot to rid the galaxy of lower races while under still keeping their veneer of benevolence.
Genetic Engineering Is the New Nuke: The Scryve have been genetically manipulating and interfering with their "ward" species for millennia, leaving some of them almost unrecognizable. The Earth Rising DLC reveals this was at least in part an attempt to raise an army of super-soldiers to combat the Outsider threat.
Graceful Loser: Surprisingly, Scryve officials develop into this in the 4th part of the Earth Rising DLC. They more or less accept the humans as the governors of the sector and even start giving you missions through a beacon.
- Sore Loser: However, most Scryve ships you meet didn't get the memo and will still attack you on sight.
Hoist by Their Own Petard: In the aftermath of sealing away the Xraki disaster, the Scryve made it law that no non-Scryve aliens could learn anything about any beings or technology outside of their sector of space on pain of death, and struck many histories from record - even in some cases the species' own history. This then left the galaxy completely unprepared when the Xraki finally returned and started manipulating everyone, because no one but the Scryve knew who they were, nor had any reason so distrust their advise.
It's All About Me: Part of the reason the Scryve are so hostile is because they consider Scryve lives the only important life in the galaxy, compounded by the fact that due to the extensive modification they've done on themselves to become immortal they are now sterile - meaning that any dead Scryve can never be replaced. As such, any race that even has the potential to harm a Scryve is summarily genocided to protect themselves.
Knight Templar: The Scryve believe themselves to be saving the universe by killing off younger species before they can start wars and develop technology that will kill more than their genocide does.
Mirroring Factions: They claim this as to why they see humans as a threat. They too were met with hostility right out the gate from superior aliens, and they too tried to be benevolent to the other species of their time. Their description of how they ultimately formed the Scryve Empire also sounds disturbingly similar to how the player is opposing them. There is one marked difference the Scryve never realize, however: even at their most benevolent, the Scryve never appear to have perceieved any other species they met as equals.
Scryve Legate: We guided the species around us. Saved them from their worst impulses. And they, in turn, laid their precious freedoms at our feet.
Never My Fault: The Xraki threat was created because the Scryve discovered a Precursor artifact on an Xraki planet and planet a lab on Xraki soil to study it. The experiments accidentally tapped into something extradimnsional, which resulted in the (at the time) passive Xraki becoming corrupted, after which the Scryve decided it was the Xraki and the other ward species that were at fault , and used it as proof that all non-Scryve species were too dangerous to keep alive or uncontrolled, leading to the formation of the empire. At first, it sems that the Scryve were unaware that the Xraki betrayal was due to corruption, but it later surmises that they were well aware it was their own doing, yet chose to condemn others regardless. Furthermore, they also decided the problem was that other races were capable of learning terrible secrets about the universe and outlawed education for non-Scryve throughout their empire, even though it was their knowledge and meddling that caused the disaster.
Not So Above It All: Despite their protestations of good intentions, the Scryve indulge in fads and luxury, mostly taken from their "wards."
Self-Fulfilling Prophecy: They believe that their genocidal desire to avoid savage species from menacing the universe will prevent the appearance of an Omnicidal Maniac species. They ended up molding the Xraki into a species primed for transformation into the heralds of the Eldritch Abomination Gluttonous Eyes.
Ultimate Lifeform: They consider themselves to be perfect, and as such, long ago altered their bodies to no longer evolve, no longer reproduce... after all, any changes from "perfection" must by definition be imperfect and a detriment to the Scryve species as a whole. This has led to them becoming a Dying Race, but they're strangely okay with this.
Vestigial Empire: As powerful as they are, many aliens claim that they are a broken shell of what they once were, and that in modern times they have become decadent and lazy, losing the brutality and intelligence that once allowed them to master the stars.
White Man's Burden: How the Scryve appear to have been in their more benevolent days, according to their history. An early spacefaring race, they would encounter species less advanced than them and take them under wing, dominating their culture for and uplifting them in technology - while still maintaining their own superiority - in attempts to "civilize" them and spread the Scryve's ideals. This all changed when one of their wards decided to take some of their power for thmselves by force - at which point the Scryve's approach towards "savages" went from patronizing to hostile, opting to ruthlessly control the ones their empire could use and genociding the rest as if dangerous vermin.
Wicked Cultured: Almost as much as the Phamysht, though they're less affected about it. However, this is by design: they specifically engineer their ward species to have roles that serve to ease the luxury of the Empire, usually outsourcing more tedious jobs leaving the Scryve themselves to ruminate endlessly on history, culture and their own superiority.
Written by the Winners: Most stories about the Scryve's past told by themselves or the Measured are heavily biased to be sympathetic to them. It is typically through either speaking to their victims, investigating these stories yourself or pressing the Scryve for real answers that the player can discern the real stories, which tend to be far less sympathetic to the Scryve.
Worthy Opponent: Not in the sense that they think humanity is a threat now, but they see in humanity the same traits that once led them to conquer the stars. Thus they acknowledge humans as their "peer"... which means they pay special attention to destroying humanity before they get the chance to become a threat.

Tywom

Homeworld: Tywomia
Known ships: Battlecruiser, Defender, Freighter, Handler, Observer, Recorder, Survey Vessel, Transport Vessel

The first alien species that engaged in a formal contact with humanity, they are slug-like creatures who were enslaved by the Scryve. Their ship crashes on Triton, and the Captain's first mission is to investigate the signal coming from the ship.

Aliens Steal Cable: They've been watching human television for half a century, which is a big part of their protectiveness of us... because they don't want all their years of Fan Fiction to go to waste.
Creepy Good: Played for Laughs. They are some of the friendliest aliens in the galaxy, but are incredibly awkward and everyone else finds their attempts at friendship to be extremely creepy. The Tywom's efforts to overcome this only make things worse, like the human meat puppet that weirds out the Mu'Kay.
Crouching Moron, Hidden Badass: For all their clinginess and obsessive nature, the Tywom have one of the simplest and most effective ships to use. Also, the Pinthi regard them as dangerous because they are uniquely resistent to bioweapon attack.
Dark and Troubled Past: Explicitly referred to as a "dark past" in-universe - in the past the Tywom uplifted a non-spacefaring race called the Zalence... and then abandoned them all to die when the Greegrox sicced the Ancient One on them not long after. In the present, they are content to simply feel bad about it. For this reason, the Pinthi warn the player that despite appearances the Tywom aren't quite the safest people to have as friends.
Dirty Coward: Seemingly at first, but ultimately downplayed compared to the Spathi — they don't like the idea of fighting the Scryve, but their desire to please their newfound friends ultimately outweighs that.
Endearingly Dorky: As nervous, clingy, but friendly slugs who become the player's first allies, it's easy to develop a better opinion of them than the galaxy apparently has.
Expy: For the Spathi, as cowardly mollusks who serve as humanity's first friendly contact with aliens in the solar system. Like the Spathi, they're surprisingly effective and likable for their off-putting personality, and their technology (and technical skill) is not to be underestimated.
I Just Want to Have Friends: As a species, they practically leap into your alliance if you say you'll be their friend.
Planet of Hats: An entire planet of clingy, unpopular nerds who just want to have friends. Even their closest allies view them with complete disdain.
Reassigned to Antarctica: Even the Scryve themselves mostly just want to not be bothered dealing with them. According to the Measured, their official role in the Empire is the obviously useless "Stickiness Researchers," which they have been repeatedly ordered to do without any request for Scryve input whatsoever.
Stalker with a Crush: As an entire species they've been watching over humanity for fifty years, and Wymdoo's dialogue deliberately plays up his own awareness of the creepiness. Lampshaded by command outright saying it seems like he has a crush on the captain.
Stereotypical Nerd: Fat, geeky, unpopular, and nasally-voiced with bad hygiene, right down to the fanfiction and comic books. They've even got keyboards embedded in their outfits.

Spoiler Species

Xraki

Homeworld: Unknown
Known Ships: Abomination, Behemoth, Despoiler, Devourer, Glutton, Horror, Shadow

A mysterious four-armed species of death cultists who worship entropy and chaos, and mysterious creatures called the Gluttonous Eyes.

all lowercase letters: their subtitles are rendered/written in this with occasional/frequent/scary ALL CAPS for emphasis/drama to show/demonstrate how insane/wild/CRAZED they are.
Ax-Crazy: From the moment you meet them, it's quite clear they aren't exactly the most sane species in the universe.
Even Evil Has Standards: They don't like the Phamysht much even if they are backing them, and make a point to destroy them as soon as they show up.
The Heavy: Are servants of the Gluttonous Eyes, but it's made clear they're also the only way the Eyes can interact with the natural universe.
Gravity Master: Their ships have the ability to create short-lived black holes.
Greater-Scope Villain: They're the ones who told the Tywoms about humanity, knowing that humanity could distract the Scryve, and are manipulating the Phamysht. Become the full Big Bad after they trick humans into opening the Origin ship portal, which leads to the sector of space they colonized.
He Who Fights Monsters: Not by their own choice, but what made them ideal for corruption by the Gluttonous Eyes was their absolute hatred of the Scryve for oppressing and mutilating their people.
Mind Rape: What turned the Xraki into what they are now is a Scryve experiment that put their minds in contact with the Gluttonous Eyes, turning them into crazed cultists who enjoy pain and tragedy.
Multiversal Conqueror: They are not bound to one universe, and the Phamysht reveal offhandedly that the Xraki have crossed dimensions too casually to get them an exotic species to eat.
My Species Doth Protest Too Much: In the Earth Rising DLC, you meet an Xraki survivor... specifically, one of the Forerunners. She is much more sane than the rest of her race, speaking normally and saying that after so much time spent in this dimension, "the chaos has receded to the edges of my vision", providing some hope that the Xraki could be saved from the influence of the Gluttonous Eyes.
Rejected Apology: The DLC reveals that the Scryve, when they realized the Xraki were back in force, actually apologized for their role in what happened to the Xraki, and offered them the chance to reintegrate into the Scryve Empire. The fact that you find this record on a crashed Scryve ship torn apart by Xraki weapons tells you all you need to know about the Xraki's response.
Strange-Syntax Speaker: they have a strange/bizarre/eerie syntax/manner/form where they rapidly say/hiss/redefine what they talking/gloating about
To Serve Man: The conversation with the Pinthi suggests either that the Xraki somehow share the Gluttonous Eyes' infovorous nature, or that this is the fate of races the Xraki decimate.
Woobie, Destroyer of Worlds: Were little more than brainwashed slaves of the Scryve whose engineered biology made them ideal for being Mind Raped into crazed servitors of the Gluttonous Eyes. There's even a small sad moment when you stand in their way to defend your allies: the Xraki you speak to notes with a hint of sadness in its voice that there was no one to defend them from their enemies back in the day.

Gluttonous Eyes

Homeworld: Unknown
Known Ships: N/A

A group of beings from another universe. Almost nothing about them is known, as the only race that has had direct contact with them is completely insane and refers to them as embodiments of chaos that feed on information/order.

Eldritch Abomination: They are apparently a race of infovores (information eaters) who feed on the thoughts of those who are suffering tragedies like systematic extermination.
Expy: They fill a similar role to "Them"/the Orz, but without any of the Orz's silliness. They also share a lot of traits with the Eternal Ones: they only show up in the endgame, they consume some kind of intangible essence from other species, and they interact with the galaxy through a slave race.
Greater-Scope Villain: They do not make appearances themselves, as they seem to be unable to interact with this universe directly... at least, for now. The Xraki are their pawns.
No Name Given: We don't know their true names, and "Gluttonous Eyes" are just what the totally insane Xraki call them. Of course, given their nature, they may not even have names.
Spacetime Eater: Described as somehow consuming information and "order". The Xraki even suggest that they can consume strategies, and to make plans against the Eyes is only to feed them.

Minor Species

In General

Inexplicably Identical Individuals: Many of the minor races don't have unique captain viewscreens, leading to it being very likely you'll encounter some aliens with very similar looking faces.
Not Worth Killing: The reason the Scryve permit many less significant races to continue existing.

Jeff

Known ships: Jeff

An extremely advanced starship that hangs out near the Mowlings homeworld. The Mowlings worship him as a god.

Ancient Astronauts: Jeff is a probe created by an unknown hypertech race from the Triangulum galaxy who poses as a god to the Mowlings.
Benevolent A.I.: While he admits he's grown bored of interacting with younger races and posing as a god is rather questionable, he does have a sense of responsibility toward the Mowlings. He also mentions that he first started helping them because he was horrified by how often they died.
God Guise: Subverted, in that Jeff never wanted to be the Mowlings' god, but he couldn't stand by and let them die, so when they began worshiping him he went with it.
Meaningful Name: Perhaps unintentionally. "Jeff", while hilariously mundane, is ultimately derived from a Germanic word meaning "divine peace". Pretty fitting for a benevolent (acting) god trying to safeguard his charges.
Special Person, Normal Name: A Sufficiently Advanced Alien worshiped as a god by an entire alien race... named Jeff.
Surrounded by Idiots: He's more benign about it than most, but he's just as frustrated with how klutzy the Mowlings are as everyone else.
Time Abyss: He refers to having been around long enough for the galaxy to have completed several rotations. This makes him, at a minimum, around 500 million years old, and probably much older than that. Given that the Precursors were around about 200,000 years ago, this makes him far older than even them!
Player: Do you know anything about the Precursors?
Jeff: Is that what you call them? They would find that very amusing.

Harmony

Known ships: Cruiser, Fighter

A mysterious race that attacks anyone who comes near them and never respond to communications.

Achilles' Heel: Helping out their creator gets you a device that shuts down any Harmony capital ship that comes near you... temporarily.
A.I. Is a Crapshoot: Earth Rising Part 2 reveals that the Harmony are a creation of a single Mad Scientist from a race called the Amror, who then proceeded to exterminate the rest of the Amror race.

Kzanti

Known ships: Cruiser, Defender, Fighter, Intimidator

A small species of pirates who can usually be found raiding other species ships.

Butt-Monkey: they seem to be this among the Syndicate. Krig describes them as extremely violent but terrible at actually being violent, and also says they cause the organization a ton of headaches.
Moral Myopia: They see nothing wrong with piracy, murdering anyone they can and stealing valuables. But the moment you fight back against them, they accuse you of being a mass-murdering monster.
My Species Doth Protest Too Much: There is one Kzanti who has abandoned piracy for the much more profitable trade of mining, with a Kzanti trading ship in the same system. There is even a ship of Kzanti that protect a nature preserve of all things.
Planet of Hats: Space piracy.

Radiant Angels

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/angel128.png

Known ships: Radiant Angel

A bizarre group of aliens that no one can understand. They frequently respond with hostility when approached, though they do always try to communicate first.

Canis Latinicus: Their untranslated language resembles Latin.
Disc-One Nuke: If you manage to communicate with them and get them on your side, you earn yourself some very powerful ships. However, they're limited in number.
Starfish Aliens: Extradimensional castaways with an initially incomprehensible language. Fortunately, translation software is close at hand.

The Syndicate

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/alienvangers_5_1.png

Known ships: Battlecruiser, Captain, Cruiser, Frigate, Gunship, Scout, Skirmisher

A large organization that has sprung up in areas the Scryve have abandoned as their empire shrinks, which is now pushing its way into humanity's sector of space. They make heavy use of mercenaries and pirates. Known members of the Syndicate include the Kzanti, the Qwara, the Foon, the Venzer, and the Kri.

Affably Evil: They claim to have good intentions, that their general goal is to rescue and help species that have been ravaged by the Scryve. However, their methods are underhanded at best, involving piracy, kidnapping, extortion, and other such things. Furthermore, all of their client races met seem to be hostile and evil.
Honor Among Thieves: Zigzagged. They do have at least some level of professional pride, and do not betray the ones who give them their orders.
No Honor Among Thieves: When you finally meet the one trying to kill you, he'll cancel the hit on you and join you for a measly 10,000 RU.
Professional Killer: The first Syndicate you meet is someone contracted to destroy you by an unknown benefactor. The Syndicate employ many such mercenaries.
Speedy Snail: The main Syndicate thugs appear to be a sluglike race with fast moving ships.

The Liberators

A pan-species alliance working against the Scryve, but have to rely primarily on guerilla warfare due to their low numbers. They are currently battling the Syndicate for supremacy in the wake of the Scryve's retreat.

Faux Affably Evil: The Syndicate claim the Liberators as this. They claim that as much as the Liberators set up alliances and friendships, generally speaking when the hammer falls the Liberators will flee rather than fight with their comrades. Whether this is true or not remains to be seen.
Mirroring Factions: Their methods really aren't that different from the Syndicate's.
Underhanded Hero: they make heavy use of spies, deceit, and sabotage. They claim this is the only way they can fight their enemies, being so few in number, while the Syndicate use this fact to accuse the Liberators of hypocrisy.

Norast

Known ships: Xenith, Diamond

A group of nomads fleeing the destruction of their homeworld. They're only passing through this sector of space, as they claim it too will be up in flames before long.

Disc-One Nuke: Helping a stranded Norast ship will net you a Xenith of your own, which is a powerful ship for the early game. You won't be able to gain more Norast ships a quest pops up in the mid-game.

Verezi

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/verenzi.png

Known ships: Collector, Harvester

A species of scavengers. They have recently begun appearing in the Outer Spur of the galaxy.

The Engineer: they are very good at salvaging, reverse-engineering, and reapplying technology. One that the Captain meets can provide them with designs for hybrid ships that combine the best elements of human and alien designs.
Mythology Gag: They share part of a name with the Keel-Verezy mentioned in Star Control II.
Weak, but Skilled: they claim this is why they were able to survive as a species, as they developed on a world where they were prey to creatures that they could not kill. Thus, they learned how to scavenge, hide, and survive.

Mysterious Aliens AKA Arilou'lalee'lay

Known Ships: Observer

A group of greys that meet the Captain shortly after he leaves the Sol system. Very little is known of them.

Expy: At launch they were just aliens that were extremely similar to the Arilou'laleelay... That is because they were intended to actually be the Arilou. However, the legal fight between Toys for Bob and Stardock had caused Stardock to leave them unamed until both sides settled their dispute. After the trial ended, an update officially changed their name to Arilou.
The Greys: They claim they selected this form because "That's what humans expect aliens to look like."
We Hardly Knew Ye: They show up for one scene, telling the Captain that humanity is in danger and that they have been watching humanity for thousands of years... then they turn on a bunch of Precursors starbases and vanish. They only show up one more time near the endgame, telling you that you have BADLY screwed up by releasing the Xraki. In the Earth Rising DLC, they appear several times to introduce the Captain to a new race and to provide clues to the manipulations of the Lexites.

Background Species

The Faction of Eight

The rulers of space before the Scryve took over. They were annihilated by the Scryve thousands of years ago.

Abusive Precursors: Whenever a new civilization developed spaceflight technology, the Faction would give that species a test: fight and annihilate one of the eight species of the Faction, or be exterminated. They did this apparently because they thought the number eight was sacred.
Enforced Technology Levels: They deliberately kept themselves at a certain level of technology, never advancing beyond it. Why they did this is unclear. This is also what allowed the Scryve to destroy them: the Scryve secretly broke the taboo, developed more advanced technology, then steamrolled the rest of the Faction.
Exactly What It Says on the Tin: They were a faction of eight civilizations.
Scryve Legate: There could only ever be eight, you see. The Faction were... very particular about that.
Not Quite Dead: You can find a survivor of one of the species, the Urpox, hiding in a remote star system. They say now that you've found them they're immediately going deep cover again. Furthermore, the Syndicate believe that at least one species of the Faction secretly developed tech that would allow them to move to other dimensions, and used it to escape the Scryve.
You Kill It, You Bought It: any species that could destroy one of the Eight took that place as a new member of the Eight. It is mentioned that new species cycling in was not uncommon, and it's unknown if any of the final members of the Faction were among the founding members or not.

Trandals

A species of warrior capitalists that would later become enslaved by Overmind.

Brainwash Residue: The Free Trandals still have some leftover habits of Overmind, saying things they do not mean before hurriedly correcting themselves, such as referring to living beings as "husks" or occasionally demanding to be allowed to make "upgrades".
The Dandy: Due to lacking knowledge of their own culture, the Free Trandals conduct themselves in this fashion due to basing their vision of their former culture on a single book that they found. The truth of the matter leans a little more violently.
Posthumous Character: There's only Overmind now though a handful of Trandals have managed to break away.
Proud Warrior Race: The general structure of their pre-Overmind culture. The modern Free Trandals are somewhat shocked by this, as they consider themselves peaceful. They're not adverse to this revelation however, as their representative does humorously note that this explains their vise-like jaws.
Too Dumb to Live: They fell to Overmind because their electronics manufacturers found mysterious software on their computers and decided to sell it.

The Precursors

One of the oldest known civilizations, though not the oldest. They have left their mark on the galaxy in the form of extremely advanced technology sometimes found by younger races, mostly prominently dormant starbases littering the stars.

Gentle Giant: They are described as large, hairy quadrupeds. They are also described as benevolent.
Great Offscreen War: Faction of Eight records reference a conflict the Precursors fought that they called "The Eternal Wars". Frustrating the Faction researchers, the Precursors left almost no information whatsoever about who exactly they were fighting.
No Name Given: Even their own starbase A.I.s have forgotten their name, always referring to them as "EXCEPTION-NAMENOTFOUND".

DLC Species

Gloosh

Homeworld: Formerly Noma, currently Annwyn
Known ships: Dangler, Lugger, Wiggler, Wobbler

Slothlike, low-energy aliens that seem to find themselves to be prey to almost every species they encounter. This has made them very reclusive.

The Eeyore: This is how the Gloosh speech sounds, due to their Extreme Doormat personality. The Gloosh voice acting in particular is no less painful to listen to than the Utwig voice acting from SC2's 3DO version.
Extreme Doormat: Even when you have just met the Gloosh, they are already resigned to the prospect of you eating them — even though they hate being eaten.
Lazy Bum: They hate moving around, exploring, or talking. All they really want to do is dangle and eat leaves... and occasionally bugs stupid enough to fly into their mouths.
Lost Colony: Their original homeworld was ravaged by a disease accidentally brought to the planet by a species of explorers. These explorers felt very bad about that and helped the Gloosh move to their current homeworld.
Stealth Expert: They have very advanced stealth capabilities, which they put to use in hiding themselves from everyone else. Turns out they appropriated the tech from a base on a nearby planet, and did not invent it themselves.

Outsider

A threat originating from the W51 globular cluster, finally named in the fourth installment of the Earth Rising DLC. Almost nothing is known about them, except that entire civilizations have apparently been annihilated in their wake. The Scryve have been attempting to fight them off, and have had little success.

Eldritch Abomination: "Not even information seems to escape from it". There's even some doubt as to whether the Outsiders are living beings at all, as Scryve communiques refer to it as "the Outsider phenomenon".
Godzilla Threshold: The Scryve are losing so badly against this threat that they are discussing re-opening the Origin and trying to turn the Xraki and the Gluttonous Eyes against it. Of course, some Scryve point out that it's possible that the Gluttonous Eyes and the Outsiders are one and the same thing.

Characters / Star Control

Species first introduced in Star Control:

Species first introduced in Star Control II:

Keel-Verezy

Burvixese

Gg

"Them"

Species first introduced in Star Control 3

Species first introduced in Star Control: Origins

Xraki

Gluttonous Eyes

In General

Jeff

Harmony

Kzanti

Radiant Angels

The Syndicate

The Liberators

Norast

Verezi

Mysterious Aliens AKA Arilou'lalee'lay

The Faction of Eight

Trandals

The Precursors

Gloosh

Outsider

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Index

Next

Characters / Star Control

Edit Locked

Species first introduced in Star Control:

Species first introduced in Star Control II:

Keel-Verezy

Burvixese

Gg

"Them"

Species first introduced in Star Control 3

Species first introduced in Star Control: Origins

Xraki

Gluttonous Eyes

In General

Jeff

Harmony

Kzanti

Radiant Angels

The Syndicate

The Liberators

Norast

Verezi

Mysterious Aliens AKA Arilou'lalee'lay

The Faction of Eight

Trandals

The Precursors

Gloosh

Outsider

Previous

Index

Next