Basic Notes:
Earth humans spread out into the stars in 2160; there they discover a whole galaxy of interacting races, based on earth animals and birds.  The origin of intelligent life is believed to have been the Ancients, or Tetrarch race, who vanished from the universe millennia ago, leaving behind ruins, artefacts and mysteries that the younger races are only just beginning to unravel.

Peaceful contact was made with the Cai-Tar, struggling with the recent loss of their homeworld to the Canis Imperium.  Joining with the Cai-Tar and several other races, the humans became one of the driving forces behind the United Stellar Alliance

RACES & POWER BLOCS OF THE ODYSSEY UNIVERSE

The Earth Protectorate (Alliance Member)
Well entrenched as a founder member of the Stellar Alliance, Earth stands shoulder to shoulder with the Cai-Tar as staunch allies.

The Cai-Tar Star Kingdom (Alliance Member)
Centred on the Cai-Tar world of Felanos, the feline Cai-Tar are (unsurprisingly) the traditional enemy and foil to the Canis Imperium.  Indeed, the Empire invaded and conquered the original Cai-Tar homeworld, Trianos, about 2 centuries ago, forcing the colony worlds and refugees to begin rebuilding their civilisation.  
Originally a peaceful, somewhat indolent culture, the Cai-Tar have learned rapidly and are now, as a founder member of the United Stellar Alliance, are ranked as one of the major forces in the galaxy.  They maintain close diplomatic relations with almost all other starfaring societies, with the notable exception of the Canis; they have a state of 'cold war' with their hereditary enemies.
One of the first of the 'Young Races' to achieve star travel, their influence can be felt on many worlds throughout known space.  A strict “caste” system used to be in force many years ago, as there are several distinct sub-species of Cai-Tar (all of which are based on obviously Terran felines; lions, tigers and the other big-cats used to be classed as the “ruling elite”, whilst the other sub-species (based on genetically enhanced domestic cats) comprised the bulk of the “common classes”.  Since their status as one of the founders of the Alliance, however, true egalitarianism has come to Felanos and her colonies, and the Cai-Tar race now practises complete sexual and caste equality.


The Canis Imperium (Canis Political Entity)
Highly militaristic species, dog-like Canis cubs are inducted into the Imperial Academy at an early age; more emphasis is placed on combat skills and tactical training than anything else.  This does not make the Canis military stupid; far from it, and it is a bad tactician who deems them so.  They are some of the most highly trained combat troops, pilots and strategists in the galaxy, but they do suffer from a lack of skills in the more artistic areas; painting, drama, the performing arts; all these areas are sadly lacking in the Empire.
Almost no-one likes the Canis; their entire economy, racial outlook and driving force is the conquest and subjugation of other worlds; without their constant warfare, their society would collapse due to population pressure and the lack of resources.  Luckily, their empire borders on the fringes of unexplored space, and most of the efforts are directed away from the galactic core towards these regions.  That is not to say that they do not attempt military action on other nations; the occupation of Trianos, for example, is cited as one of the most heinous of their coreward expansions, though no-one alive today knows much about it.  Succession of hostilities with the Alliance 10 years ago has made every other stellar nation sit up and take notice; the Canis could be eyeing them up as their next target...

The Dinosi Supremacy (Independent Political Entity)
Home space of the saurian races.  The Supremacy is very shape-restricted and xenophobic; they don't like those who don't resemble them in their space, and make no bones about dealing harshly with any they DO catch.  Little is known by outsiders about Supremacy space; their diplomats are very cold and distant with 'warm bloods', and maintaining relations with them is a long term, difficult and demanding task for any nation.  However, they are one of the main exporters of cerium; a rare earth metal that is used in the construction of Jump-drives.  As such, the Supremacy is courted by almost all other nations, and makes a considerable amount of credits based purely on its resource trade.  What the Supremacy does with all this wealth is unknown; most observers indicate that the vast majority of Dinosi worlds they have seen seem to have a very low general level of technological advancement, though there is at least one major tech population centre on each world.  Naturally, the Supremacy is very careful about what outsiders see of their worlds, and this could be a very carefully orchestrated façade by the government, designed to dissuade interest from other species.
Hegemony traders are dissuaded by heavy taxes, if not outright banned, though that does not dissuade them on the whole, and cerium smuggling is one of the biggest shadow economy crimes in Supremacy space; as it is such a mainstay of the Supremacy's economy, it is punishable by forced labour.  Those convicted are usually sentenced to cerium mines, where the radioactive dust and harsh conditions make those imprisoned wish that the penalty was death very quickly…

The Meysal Sovereignty (Independent Political Entity)
Minor monarchical backwater; tucked away on the fringe of core space, the Sovereignty is of little interest on the whole.  Most worlds have a poor general technology level; the government assesses each world on 10 year basis to decide if the populace has progressed enough to warrant technological advancement.  The general populace of most worlds is mostly illiterate and ill educated, with only the ruling elite having access to the higher technology levels consistent with a starfaring nation.  However, the 'bread basket' worlds, those which have regular contact with other nations, generally have a much higher level of advancement than their smaller, less productive counterparts.
However, the one notable resource that the Sovereignty has, which is of interest to the other stellar nations, is an abundance of Class A agricultural worlds; many of their systems have Type G stars and planets at optimum placement in the habitable zone, which combine to produce a great many food producing worlds.  Some of the best have been effectively turned into planet-wide farms, producing a huge amount of cereal, animal and fish crops, more than the Sovereignty could ever consume.  Produce traders abound here, as the excess material is delivered across great distances by huge bulk cargo haulers, guarded by the small but heavily armed Sovereignty Navy.  Pirates have learned that a large ship can contain millions of credits worth of perishables, and raids along the trade lanes have become more than a nuisance in the years following the Stellar Famine.

The Union of Valar (Independent Political Entity)
An area of space dedicated to the peaceful co-existence of all intelligent life; Valarans are almost universally scoffed at by all other stellar nations; though they have been the only nation to avoid any conflicts with any other of their neighbours since they were founded, and have lost no ground since they declared their independence from the Hegemony over 4 centuries ago.  They do suffer Hegemony economic sanctions and occasional 'terrorist' activity, which the government knows is sponsored by the Hegemony… but they can't prove it.  The sanctions make it highly profitable for smugglers to operate in the border areas… but it is also highly dangerous, as the penalty for smuggling in Hegemony space is death.
Many bandits, smugglers and pirates make their home in Union space; the philosophy of the Union government is that, provided they make a contribution to the overall economy, and they do not have a negative effect on the rest of the Union, any trade is acceptable… especially if it wreaks havoc on Hegemony profits.  All of which, of course, goes to anger and infuriate the Pangolians even more.  Other races have begun to suspect that the Union offers shelter to rapacious criminals that prey on their own doorstep, but little impact has been made against them to date.  The Union tut-tuts with the best diplomatic concern, promises to crack down on this heinous activity, things quieten down for a while, but ultimately no effect is seen by those making the complaint.

The Ashani Stellar Nation (Independent Political Entity)
The Ashani Nation is a loose collective of worlds who have banded together to provide a mutual defence and assistance pact.  Based in the buffer zone between the Alliance and the Empire on one side, and the Administration and the Hegemony on the other, they often find themselves forced to 'keep the kids off their lawn', as the conflicts between these nations spill over into their territory.
Though the Alliance and Administration strive to ensure that no collateral damage is caused during these 'altercations' (either physically or diplomatically), the Empire and Hegemony seem to have fewer qualms about the fallout from their skirmishes.
Theoretically, this small area could easily be swallowed up by one of their more powerful neighbours, but it is in the vested interest of all four that no one nation gets its hooks into such a strategically important location.  Therefore, all four periodically court the government of Ashani, and the area is alive with the Intelligence services of practically every nation in the galaxy; those who have more than a passing interest in any of the four neighbouring nations, those of the four nations, eager to gain any small titbit of information about their opponents, and those of Ashani itself, ensuring that no-one gains any information that they themselves are not privy to…

The H’raimar Administration (Independent Political Entity)
Ruling body of the H’raimar worlds.  The Administration oversees the multitude of H’raimar governed worlds, and is the major opponent to the monopoly of the Hegemony on stellar trade.  Always seen as the 'fair but profitable' alternative to the armadillos, the Administration strives to project a more consumer friendly image and, to their credit, they pull it off nicely.  
There are a few things that the Administration will not supply; goods deemed illegal by the vast majority of stellar nations (such as weapons of mass destruction, biological weapons, drugs, slaves and so on) will not be traded by any ethical Administration merchant… though, of course, one can always find someone who is more driven by profits than ethics. Harsh penalties are exacted on those few rogue traders that occasionally surface and, though they are usually much more expensive than their Hegemony equivalents, Administration traders are much more widely welcomed and trusted than their competitors.

The Pangolian Hegemony (Independent Political Entity)
Armadillo-like traders; very much like the Ferengi on Star Trek; distrusted by many of the other intelligent races, they are nevertheless grudgingly accepted for their shrewd natures and ability to provide materials and consumer goods; sometimes materials and goods that other nations don't want you to have.  However, they operate under stringent rules of conduct (at least according to the Hegemony government) that they continually try to 'circumvent'.  Charges of price fixing, resource cutting, smuggling and illegal dealing are constantly thrown at them, but they have never been pinned down as a nation to endorsing these business practises; individual traders do these things, of course… and what a terrible bunch they can be, but what can a government do to prevent that one bad apple?  Or 3… or 10… or more…

The Thereon Confederacy (Independent Political Entity)
Officially, no ruler stands over the Thereon Confederacy. All Thereon citizen-workers are equal. This equality is preserved by the simple fact that private ownership does not exist in any form. Competition, independent corporations, and private enterprise remain forbidden through all Thereon reaches. Instead, the Thereon state makes all decisions for the economy. Both selling and buying prices are fixed by central planners. Quotas for production are mandated for each factory and source of production. All transactions are authorised and monitored by the state economic AIs. Those who deal with foreign powers or traders are especially scrutinised. Rigorous educational testing places each Thereon in a field suited to his or her ability.
In Thereon society, the government bureaucracy is merely another source of production, at least in name. Centuries ago, the Thereon assertion that members of the government bureaucracy held no more rights or claims may have been true. Today, as an instrument of the Thereon will, the government bureaucracy must act to preserve the integrity of the society and the well-being of all.
Cybertechnology is the Thereon solution. Originally employed to multiply the labour capital of an underpopulated society, today cybertechnology keeps order throughout the Thereon Confederacy. Implants monitor the activity of Thereon citizen-workers, and only a few refugees of the Thereon Confederacy are without cybernetic implants. Nowhere is the tendency toward implantation more evident than on the Thereon's homeworld, Thereos. There, the Confederacy has encouraged the development of cybertechnology as an art form.
Thereon military forces are strong, and the Confederacy's emphasis on heavy industry and cybernetics has made its armed forces mighty. Although military service is no longer mandatory, the Thereon army remains a popular choice among the stellar nation's younger generation. After a few years of service, enlistees can retire and keep their military-grade cyberware. Eleven fortress ships serve the Confederacy, including the famous CNS People's Justice.
The Thereon Confederacy's links to other stellar nations are neutral at best. The enemies of past wars hold to their hostile attitudes.
The goal of the Confederacy seems to be the subversion of the other stellar nations. Thereon envoys travel far and wide to speak to the workers of foreign powers, inspiring them to seek out better conditions and better government. None of the stellar nations has yet to view the activity as a serious threat. The Thereons view their toil as laying the groundwork for the interstellar revolution of the masses. On that grand day, human and alien alike shall stand together for a better future.  Under Confederacy 'guidance', of course…

The Scolian League (Independent Political Entity)
The nature of politics in Scolian space keeps power decentralised. Individual worlds and systems are free to conduct their own business, as long as certain broad laws -including the Scolian Charter- are followed. Of course, each member system is taxed by the Scolian government. The chief functions of the League are to maintain peace between its member systems, and to guard against foreign aggression. The League also sets fair trade practices, both internally and with other nations.
Each system elects representatives based on its population. The legislative house, called the House of Equals, meets in conference for three months every year on Jaeger. The House of Equals is also convened during national emergencies, such as in wartime.  The representatives are a diverse body of professional politicians, colony leaders, and alien emissaries. To accomplish their individual objectives, House members must compromise and build coalitions among groups with widely divergent interests.
The League president guides the stellar nation. Every Scolian world participates in the election of the chief executive, held every five years. The current president of the Scolian League is Lora Trigard; in the next election she is expected to face stiff opposition from Senator Bruce Hale, youngest son of the famous peacemaker, President Warthen Hale.
Scolian military strength helps the League remain the one of the leaders of military superiority in known space.
Ten years after the Great Stellar War, the Scolian economy is still recovering. Although the war itself only encompassed the Imperium and Alliance, the League was a non-combatant supporter of the Alliance efforts.  After dashing over long stretches of space to assist the Earth Protectorate and the Star Kingdom, clashing with the Canis Imperium, and donating resources to the Ashani, the League finds itself at the end of its resources. Post-war economic recessions cast a pall over the Scolian League's prosperity for nearly a decade, and only now are signs of recovery emerging. Recently the Scolians have planned new exploration, including rebuilding contact with the Scolian Frontier.
Jaeger is one of few capital planets where visitors from foreign stellar nations and empires are welcome. Indeed, this tolerance is a source of pride for the Scolian people. Founded on freedom and equality for all, the Scolians accept dissidents and refugees no matter what their origin. While this leads to clashes with other nations, it also contributes to the League's strength. Immigrants and refugees from many large or small oppressive societies have all joined the Scolians.

Yeah, it's a lot of eye-watering text, I know :)

This is an extract from the overview document I'm planning to distribute to those who are involved with the project once it's completed.  It'll have:-

 Pen portraits of the major characters (to give the VO's something to hang their performances on and to start to develop them from)

Some more pertinent pieces of historical info

Important places and pronunciation guide

Some tech notes (basic overview of how engines and weapons work, just to give some internal consistency and as an aide memoir (to me, as much as anyone else :))

General waffle :)