Nice to meetcha, Dunlap! What's your favorite part of writing? I'm a writer and editor myself. If you ever need editing help, let me know (though I'm picky on what I'll work on). :D
I like a mix of Sci-Fi and Fantasy myself. I like your studio name! You should make a game with time travel to me, based on that name. Hehe.
I think in regards to tilesets, it'd depend on what kind of places you plan to have besides the space aspect. I'm still working on figuring out my own, but since I don't have much space work yet...Not sure. As for general tips on space pirates: Think long and hard about what the pirate's 'ship' is like. What makes a space pirate different from a regular pirate (besides the space aspect)? Why did the characters become pirates in the first place?