What Cuttlefish can Teach us About Spaceships
How nature evolved adaptive skins for camouflage and communication—and why future spacecraft might do the same.
Fleet Obscura
Fleet Obscura is a science-fiction design publication about original spacecraft, future systems, frontier worlds, and serialized stories — created by author, architect, and illustrator Jim Keen.
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Latest posts
How a Court-Martial Photo Became a Fleet Emblem
From WWII nose art and Guy Fawkes masks to Fleet Obscura, discover how unofficial symbols become crew identities—and why Captain Foss appears on starships.
Why the Aliens Dropship Still Feels Real (and What Sci-Fi Gets Wrong)
How Ron Cobb's "Bug Stomper" nose art created cinema's best military machine—and why realistic design requires a little human mess.
What Should Fleet Obscura Explore Next?
Ten emails in, I’m asking readers what they want more of. Two quick polls, less than a minute.
Why We Keep Painting Faces on Machines
From ancient Greek ship eyes to Second World War bombers—and the design trail that led to Fleet Obscura.
The 1960s Exoskeleton That Built Captain Foss
Why Fleet Obscura's fiercest captain refuses to upgrade her obsolete red limbs—and the dark military secret they expose.
Spaceships Aren't Designed to Win Poster Competitions
An architect’s defense of "ugly" sci-fi design, access panels, and spaceships that actually have a job to do.
Start Here
A guide to Fleet Obscura, New York 2055, the stories, the ships, and where to begin.
Why the Best Sci-Fi Spaceships Are Battered, Broken, and Ugly
From factory fresh to corporate graveyard: How the Skunk Buzzard accumulated its history under layers of bad paint.
14. LEAVE THE SQUALID STREETS BEHIND AND MOVE INTO A BLADE-TOWER TODAY!
Ground Level Is So Last Year