The Selach were a very interesting race for me to work on, largely because I really love the idea of an aquatic species based off an ocean-type homeworld, and also because they’re unlike any other race in Lord of Rigel. I always imagined that an aquatic species would have to overcome greater challenges than humans to reach space, so when they finally did their level of technology would be a little more sophisticated than our own when reaching comparable goals – for example, their equivalent of our own Apollo program might have been done on our current level of technology, relying on much more sophisticated computers than were available for us in 1969.
This carried over to the Selach ship design in a way that made their ships look a little more sophisticated and unrestricted when it came to shape; smooth organic lines came instead of a more crude, industrial look some other species have. The slit engine systems wrapped around a manta-like tail are a good example of a more sophisticated look than, say, the Tharrn’s more classic looking engine design that is somewhat reminiscent of our current rocket engines. The more advanced engine systems would be required to maintain a comparable level of mobility to that of the other race’s ships, given the fact that the Selach water-filled ships would be heavier than equivalent air-breathing specie’s ship class.
The overall styling of Selach ships borrows heavily from the Earth’s marine life, the before mentioned Manta Ray being a big influence.
The color palette is mostly comprised of shades of blue, mixed with some light purple on the tails, with hull panels following a more organic pattern. Instead of using hull markings, such as stripes or logos, the hulls are adorned with a light pattern that was inspired by the caustic effect that we can see underwater when closer to the surface, further reinforcing the aquatic look.
Unlike other species, Selach ships do not have decks, their interiors rather being comprised of large interconnected cavernous spaces filled with liquid water of the same composition as found on the Selach home world. For this reason, Selach ships do not have windows like the other species do; instead of lines of windows arranged in a deck-by-deck pattern, these vessels house larger fish tank like transparent domes through which the crew can look outside.
This no-deck interior arrangement is especially noticeable on their space stations, built around large spherical structures that contain all the water needed to sustain it’s aquatic occupants. Larger Selach ships have hangar bays used to launch and retrieve small fighter craft; these bays were designed to look a bit like underwater caverns; with the shape and the blue lighting, docking inside one of these would probably look to a member of a terrestrial species as if they were being swallowed by a giant space whale.
This race is definitely one of my favorites, so I hope you enjoy their design as well as playing them when Lord of Rigel is released!
