The Space Opera game defines non-humans in a series of more-or-less broad categories, such as "canines" and "felines", which it doesn't assume to be single species. In some ways, this could simplify the game rules as a basic assumption from which a designer or GM could describe specific creatures in a campaign setting. On the whole, though, it loses a lot of potential to describe unique aliens.

Generally, I'd prefer to write up some of the particular alien cultures described in Space Opera supplements. Certainly, it might speed up the process to keep some common tendencies for different species that fall under a Space Opera "race", just as a design trick.

• Having said all that, I've described Space Opera canines (and a few others as well) myself as canoids.
• Space Opera describes two types of felines:
  • Avatars (I thought about changing the name to, say, Atavirs, but really it might be better just to call it one of the categories I want to drop), such as Balduran "Devil Tigers", could have statistics something like I've given for Kezzeren Gren.
  • (cough) MekPurrs, who are a singular culture in the setting books, have less impressive physical statistics (maybe resembling Chemise Gren) but a similar cyber-tolerance trait to mechalus.

A series of avians might be a good design exercise and fill in useful statistics for Vault of the Ni'er Queyon.

I've included statistics below for Blarads and Klackons.

Whistlers

The founders of the multi-system Avann Oligarchy, whose own name for their species most humans cannot pronounce, resemble smaller versions of Earth's long-extinct terror birds, with feet and legs more sturdy than a true flier, forward-angled feathered arms, large rag-like body feathers and an eagle-like head with a beak shaped like a broad knife blade.

Ability Score Limits

STR	4-12	Whistlers are relatively lightly built and prefer not to use bulky armour or equipment.
DEX	4-14
CON	4-13
INT	6-15	Whistler colony worlds are noted for their xenoforming efforts and the impressive rate and quality of their economic production.
WIL	6-14
PER	6-14

Free Broad Skills

DEX	Vehicle Operation
INT	Knowledge
INT	either Life Science or Physical Science
WIL	Administration
WIL	Awareness
PER	Interaction

Species Abilities

Dash: A Whistler increases his Sprint and Run movement rates by 50%.
Light Bones: Calculate a Whistler's lifting and carrying limits and damage bonus for melee attacks as if his Strength was 1 point lower.
Whistler Language: Many of the basic sounds of Whistler communication are difficult or impossible for humans to reproduce. A member of another species can only use a maximum rank of 2, including applying rank benefits, when speaking a Whistler language without artificial assistance. The character may use his full skill rank to understand, read or write the language.

Kreeee

Though their Azuriach conquerors call these heavily-built, somewhat parrot-like sentients "Space Turkeys", other human societies deplore the nickname as grossly offensive and use only their pre-conquest appellation as an independent space-travelling nation, not least due to the Azuriach's barbarous use of culled Kreeee as a food source.

Ability Score Limits

STR	6-13
DEX	4-12
CON	6-14
INT	4-13
WIL	4-13
PER	6-14

Free Broad Skills

CON	Stamina
INT	Knowledge
WIL	Awareness
PER	Interaction

Add STR - Unarmed Attack and DEX - Vehicle Operation to independent Kreeee.

Species Abilities

Dash: A Kreeee increases his Sprint and Run movement rates by 50%.
Light Bones: Calculate a Kreeee's lifting and carrying limits as if his Strength was 1 point lower.
Barge: A Kreeee can check an opponent with his body mass and buffet it with his wings, making an overbearing attack (which can form part of a charge) at no penalty to prevent the opponent moving past and force it back 2 metres. This does not establish a hold.

Gwahh

(See Vault of the Ni'er Queyon for details)
These pugnacious humanoids have just entered their Age of Enlightenment, though inhabitants of the nation of Warrth recognise spacefarers and their devices easily, due to the Mercantile League's on-planet spaceport and defensive station - besides much older traces of visits by at least one, perhaps more, precursor species. Their lean, toned bodies retain only vestigial feathers, except for their fan-like tails and ruffs at the backs of their heads. Their warm, swampy world promotes minimal clothing, mostly loincloth-like garments or kilts, in the climates frequented by off-worlders. Warrthians of all classes tend to keep both hand-to-hand and ranged weapons within easy reach.

Ability Score Limits

STR	6-14
DEX	4-14
CON	4-13
INT	4-13
WIL	6-14
PER	4-13

Free Broad Skills

DEX	Vehicle Operation
CON	Movement
CON	Stamina
INT	Knowledge
WIL	Awareness
PER	Interaction

Species Abilities

Dash: A Gwahh increases his Sprint and Run movement rates by 50%.
Light Bones: Calculate a Gwahh's lifting and carrying limits and damage bonus for melee attacks as if his Strength was 1 point lower.
Aquatic: A Gwahh need not make a skill check to tread water to avoid drowning or to move at his Easy Swim rate. He gains a -1 bonus to Movement-swim and Vehicle Operation-water vehicle checks.

The Blarad subjects of the StarKingdoms fall within a theorised "ursine" xenobiological trope (a category of convergent evolution claimed to be observable across multiple unrelated life systems - distantly similar to an ecological niche) of relatively large, semi-omnivorous sentients who have retained significant muscle mass and natural weapons from an ancestral evolutionary path developing from near- or actual apex predators, comparable to Terran bears, great apes or great cats.

Blarads display a slightly pointed head on a flexible neck intermediate between an actual bear and a wolverine in appearance. They prefer a relatively warm environment and have demonstrated their ability to adapt and survive off a broad range of dryland, jungle and mountain habitats.

Their aristocratic society favours ornate dress in richly dyed broadcloths trimmed with gilt, braids and lace. They habitually smoke, chew or ingest via the nose a richly-flavoured herb-based luxury product, as well as enjoying a range of alcoholic beverages.

Ability Score Limits

STR	8-16
DEX	4-12
CON	8-16
INT	4-13
WIL	6-13
PER	4-13

Free Broad Skills

STR	Athletics
STR	Unarmed Attack
CON	Stamina
INT	Knowledge
WIL	Awareness
PER	Interaction

Species Abilities

Superior Durability: A Blarad is better able to withstand physical damage than members of other species. When determining a Blarad's durability rating, use the character's Constitution score x 1.5 (rounding down if necessary to produce a whole number).
Natural Weapons: A Blarad has retractable claws at the end of his arms that can be used in combat if the character makes a successful Unarmed Attack-brawl or power martial arts skill check. The claws do damage of d4w/d4+2w/d4m (LI/O), plus any bonus that might apply due to the character's Strength.
Personal Cannon: A Blarad treats the specialty skills listed under Heavy Weapons as Modern Ranged Weapons skills, although they still use Strength as their governing ability score, and can fire a heavy weapon at point-blank range as if it was a personal ranged weapon.

Although not related to any Earthly biological grouping, a Klackon slightly resembles an immense copepod, a smooth, semi-tubular, curved body supported by numerous legs on its underside, with the addition of two large chelae (pincers). Females are roughly two metres in length excluding limbs and antennae, with moderately stout bodies. Males are considerably heavier, more colourful and have more prominently spiked extremities, particularly their pincers. Despite their seemingly irrepressible craving to stalk and eat smaller soft-bodied prey, which their quasi-military structures of authority make no visible effort to curtail (particularly on worlds under Klackon control), they are capable of reason, complex science and negotiation (under the protection of abundant weaponry) with other species.

Elixi V Snack-Hunter Game Data

This Ordinary non-professional male Klackon SCM represents a common danger that any free-trader who ventures a run to a Klackon stronghold world might have to discourage by violence, even on an ostensibly guarded trading island. When not out on a hunt to snatch a morsel of delicious pink man-flesh, the snack-hunter works as a holo-store clerk.

STR 9 (2d4+4)
DEX 9 (3d4+1)
CON 10 (d8+7)
INT 10 (2d4+5)
WIL 8 (d4+d6+3)
PER 8 (d4+d6+2)
Action Check: 10+/9/4/2
Durability: 10s/10w/5m/5f
Move: Sprint 18, Run 12, Walk 4, Easy Swim 6, Swim 12

Attacks

Pincer

10/5/2

d6+1s/d4+2w/d4+4w

LI/O

Defenses

Carapace

d6+1LI/d6HI/d4-1En

Skills
Unarmed Attack (9) - brawl (10), Stealth (9) - sneak (10), Movement (10) - swim 2 (12), Business (10) - small business (11), Knowledge (10) - computer operation 2 (12), Galactic Standard language (11), holo-movies 2 (12), Klackon language 3 (13), System Operation (10) - communications (11), Awareness (8), Interaction (8)

Equipment: Carrying harness, cellular phone pin

Klackons as Heroes

STR	DEX	CON	INT	WIL	PER
6/15	4/13	6/15	6/14	4/13	4/12

Klackons receive Unarmed Attack, Stealth, Movement, Knowledge, Awareness and Interaction as free broad skills. All Klackon heroes have the natural armour carapace shown in the statistics above and can attack with their pincers for increased damage (male: d6+1s/d4+2w/d4+4w, female: d6+1s/d4+1w/d4+3w plus any applicable Strength modifier). Their Easy Swim and Swim movement rates are triple those listed in Table P8. They can breathe water freely, but must succeed in an exhaustion challenge for each two hours that they breathe fresh water.