Alien Life

The first discovery of extraterrestrial life occurred in 2078 by American solar pilots during a routine training mission off of the rings of Sol-1:P-Saturn. Upon return a worm-like creature was found on the surface of a wing, it's origin unknown to scientists. Although the worm did not survive re-entry to the pressurized hanger of the orbiting station, more life was found among the rings of Saturn, and sparked an intense search for life around Saturn and the rest of Sol 1.

Intelligent life

Although a controversial subject, it's widely considered that no intelligent life has been discovered in the universe. There have been appx. 700 unique species found throughout the galaxy, mostly concentrated on a small number of planets and moons that are suitable for biological life. A small number of silicon-based lifeforms have been discovered.

It's your DM here - the matter of intelligent alien life could be a big focal point of the campaign if you want it to be - so please let me know if you want to go down this route.