Aliens? visual representation of the factions?

[Tits]

I tend to steer away from games that are just about humans owning the entire universe and no other species exist, so when i saw this and the intro describing a "hive mind" or whatever i was hoping to play them as i love stuff like sword of the stars where u can play as bugs and and stuff. but currently the entirety of the game doesnt show or explain anything about anyone driving these tons of tiny spaceships, just that they exist, if there was more of an imagery or the races piloting the ships it would be more immersive and make you feel like your choosing a race/faction rather than just a playstyle. just suggestions

[Supremely Nutty]

The Xinthu seem to be described as some sort of marauding, possibly insectoid race bent on consuming all life in the universe, so if you're looking for aliens, they're probably your best bet. I'm also thinking the Founders may be alien as well, due to the exceedingly advanced nature of their technology. So there are at least two other factions that are likely non-human in origin.

As for actually playing as them, you can pick a faction at the start of a new campaign, which will determine the starter ship and weapons you get. If you wanted to roleplay as a Xinthu or Founders pilot, you could easily pick one of them as your starting faction and use exclusively Xinthu or Founders technology. It might not be the most effective way to play the game, but it's not bad for immersion.

[Astasia]

There are 4 acts, each act focuses on one of the factions, presenting them as the primary enemy of that act and explaining to some degree who/what they are.

You don't get to choose a faction or species, your character is a fixed entity with a specific background and doesn't fit into any of the named factions in the game. You can steal their ships and equipment though, and build a skillset around them. This isn't going to change since who your character is is a fairly important part of the story, joining the Xinthu or Axiom would never make sense in the story.

[The Grand Mugwump]

There is some lore in the game, but you have to look for it. For example, if you go to the blue platform at a friendly station, it will list the stations you have already found and a description of them. There's also the extra information in the quest log for each quest.