Higher tech boats in space?!?!?!

[nijineko]

Space 1889 is a Victorian era space rpg, which might be useful for a more fantastical but lower tech set of reference material.

The Lensman series by EE Doc Smith is also excellent inspiration. While the books are decidedly space opera, and contain elements common to their times which might be less... acceptable... to a modern audience's sensibilities, the setting and background is quite interesting. There was also an anime adaption made of the concept, and GURPS, as usual, has a sourcebook for it, though that can be hard to find.

Don't forget Dune for ideas... their unique personal shielding system made low tech weapons a necessity for personal combat, as anything high tech would get stopped by the shield, even sniping.

TSR's old Star Frontiers rpg is available online, dated, but it is the original "Wild West in Space" rpg, long before the Serenity tv/movie/rpg came out. Very rough frontier type settings are common, broken up by the few highly populated and advanced core planets. Other than homeworlds and the few well developed planets, most places only have a single spaceport, if that, with the rest of the planet to explore and develop. If you've read Andre Norton's sci-fi, you'll have a pretty good idea of what to expect. Very Forbidden Planet feel, but without too much high tech.

I seem to recall hearing about a story where undead creatures moved off planet and lived in mostly unpressurized space stations far from the local sun, or even in deep space. Such an adaption would allow the intelligent undead to become great starship mechanics, probably take their payments in donated blood or unwanted bodies or something.