the outer rim is part of space, not just Conan's adventure.
Pretty sure he's just joking.
Let's research the crew Kru. They seem strange.
"The Kru (pronounced "kroō") are a xenophobic and paranoid race of reptilian humanoids. Their government, the Kru Dynasty, rule 3 sectors in Quadrant Alpha, comprising of three inhabitable planets ("Prostránstvo", "Marodjór", and "Otstój"). While they are generally adverse to all outside interaction, are more often hostile to non-Kru than not, letting hasty assumption override common sense. Caution is advised around them.