If they can seperate bioships and give them entirely different mechanics from mechanical ships without a civic, then they can create lithoships without needing a civic. They'd need to increase the mineral costs to compensate.Lithoid bioships should require a special permanent civic since they are made of minerals not food. A mineral cost for ships is very cheap(especially if you have arc welders or built an arc furnace otherwise) and should come with drawbacks(yes, they will also have strengths). Maturation time is an obvious one to increase.
The difference between food and minerals is that food requires pops(which consume food, even farmers need to eat). Meanwhile, an arc furnace or two is usually enough to get through early to mid game. There is a reason lithoids have debuffs to pop growth and assembly.If they can seperate bioships and give them entirely different mechanics from mechanical ships without a civic, then they can create lithoships without needing a civic. They'd need to increase the mineral costs to compensate.
And minerals are needed to construct districts and buildings, produce consumer goods, etc. Lithoid debuffs to pop growth and assembly are more because they have +50% habitability everywhere, and will not suffer as severe growth penalties from habitability, and also because (at the time of their creation) pop growth could be derived from colony spam.The difference between food and minerals is that food requires pops(which consume food, even farmers need to eat). Meanwhile, an arc furnace or two is usually enough to get through early to mid game. There is a reason lithoids have debuffs to pop growth and assembly.