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In every collaborative spec evo project, someone tries to submit a sapient species at least once. Sagan 4 is no exception; outside the canon sapients, there have been numerous others that were submitted (or planned to be) but ultimately rejected, including Azelangur, Chimpus, Smart Plesioraptor, and many others. After talking with a few members I've also found out that some had ideas for sapient species that they never submitted, such as Buff's ideas for a sapient pedesorm (yes, a pedesorm), Ichthy's idea for a sapient jellysquid, and Mnidjm's idea for a sapient uktank.

I find the world of scrapped and rejected sapients to be very interesting; I myself actually had an idea for a sapient as my first ever submission concept (which was later nerfed to become the Bannertail). Have you ever had an idea for a sapient species that never got made, or perhaps remember a rejected sapient that's otherwise lost to time? Please reply with examples, I'm very curious about this.

I had intended to gradually have the descendants of the Tungrab develop tool use and become sapient over the course of many generations.

But... then life changed and I didn't have time to contribute anymore.

QUOTE (Irinya @ Apr 30 2021, 03:39 PM)

I had intended to gradually have the descendants of the Tungrab develop tool use and become sapient over the course of many generations. But... then life changed and I didn't have time to contribute anymore.

Interesting! Of the three sapients that did ultimately become canon, only one (the Tripodician) actually evolved from a species that was explicitly a smart tool-user beforehand; it's sad more detailed evolution of intelligence is so rare outside scrapped and rejected stuff.

I also think intelligence and tool use without sapience should happen more often. I've been making explicitly smart shrews (the shrogs) which evolved tool use, but I have no plans to take them to sapience--they already have the look because of their instinctive nest-building, and honestly, there needs to be more love for the kind of intelligence and behavior typical of non-human apes, corvids, large parrots, cetaceans, badgers, and beavers.

You're quite right. It is definitely interesting to explore intelligence around the fringes of sapience, and entirely different kinds of intelligence too.