Roger had dreamt of going to space ever since he was a pup.  He saw the first flight to the moon and was obsessed with rockets and science fiction ever since.  He learned a lot about math and science because he loved it so much.  By the time he went to college, he was ready to major in rocket science in the hopes of pursuing his dream.  Years later, he became eligible for the astronaut program and trained hard for the complications of working in space.  All throughout his time at either institution, he beame known as the "space otter", and everyone made jokes about going to "otter space".  He just laughed with them, as they were just having fun.  Several missions to the moon had been made in the time that elapsed, although he did finally get a chance to go on one of the moon flights and make his own prints on the soft ground of the satellite.  He became famous for being the "space otter", with his name being celebrated for generations to come.

	Ever since then, any otter entered into the programe became known as a space otter, and they knew they were following in the footsteps of a legend.  One that did not intentionally get there was Miguel, although he was also a great scientific mind that developed a warp drive that got the interest of the space administration, and he was put into training to test his prototype.  He was mostly there to operate the machine, as more senior astronauts were put in charge of the rocket in order to get it into space.  It was still the thrill of a lifetime to be shot beyond the atmosphere and into orbit.  He awaited the moment when they would be in position for his target:  the closest star to their system.  There would be another space otter to add to history as he pressed the button that started his machine and shot across millions of miles in only a few moments.  This proved it was faster than light, and that interstellar travel was possible.  It was not lost on him that he achieved the dreams of many that sought to explore far off worlds and perhaps encounter intelligent life.

	That would not happen until several missions later, once the technology had been well proven and exploration of other nearby systems had started.  Their activity had attracted the attention of a federation of planets that had little concern for them since they were a pre-warp civilization.  Now that they had the technology, not only would they be welcomed by friendly civilizations on other planets, but more malevolent ones would seek to bring them under their influence in order to expand their own power.  When they otherwise asked why no one had come to explore their planet before, it was because they live in such a remote part of the galaxy that few ventured there.  Only those desperate for resources or the oddly curious would come there.  Even though that did present some danger, they would either be too busy trying to get out of there, or it simply would not benefit them to spend the effort on a hostile takeover.  They were admitted to the federation and became part of a larger interstellar community.  

	People from their planet would come to serve as part of their effort to explore the galaxy and discover what other forms of life exist.  The legacy of the space otter continued as Thomas enrolled in the new academy established, and studied to meet the standards of a science officer.  He came to specialize in biology, which became far more complicated when one had to consider other planets in addition to their own.  Nonetheless, he graduated the academy and was sent aboard a vessel to explore the far reaches of the galaxy.  He marveled as he set foot on other worlds and sent his science teams to gather as much data as they could about the life on those planets.  He got so good at it that they promoted him to head the division on that ship.  Thus began his climb up the ladder, taking him out of his specialty and making him the head of all planetary sciences, and thus in charge of all the exploration done on any planet they found.  He missed the thrill of doing the exploring himself, but the discoveries were enough to satiate any curiosity he possesed.  Eventually, he would make commander and come to head the entire science department of a ship, which would now include any observations made while in outer space.  Discovering new life would still be his passion, though, although he would also find that life has a way of showing up when you least expect it;  on asteroids and even in the void of space itself.  Meeting other spacefaring civilizations would also bring satisfaction to him.  Even they would come to know him as the space otter.  To this day, even though the planet has many anthropomorphized creatures, many civilizations would enjoy seeing the otters amongst them, and make the same joke as their own people.