More than 20 years after Star Control 2 for thw first time at 12 years of age, it is still one of my all time favorite games. I still load it up every now and then and enjoy it just as much as I did the first time.
Hearing about Stardock's reboot of SC2 is the best news I've heard in a long time (after the unspeakable disappointment of Star Control 3). I'm really excited about this project and I sincerely hope you find the right person to take on the Design Lead.
From my game experience, I hope the Design Lead will stay true to the following points, qualities that still make the original SC2 so fun and enjoyable:
- Interesting and Witty alien races and dialogue - The dialogue often had me chuckling, and was interesting enough that I would reload the game just to read the other conversation lines. It felt responsive as well - as if you really were discussing the finer points of Frungy with another being.
- Customising Flagship / static fleet ships - I really enjoyed beimg able to costomise the flagship to suit certain roles (mineral freighter early on, and then refitring to ultimate battleship), but the static fleet ships added a challenge in melee. Every random opponent made a different battle experience. All equally entertaining.
- Exploration of system, and of story - Exploring the galaxy was fun in itself, but discovering ruins of the Androsynth, making contact with alien races like the Slylandro, hints about the Taalo, the Precursors, or the real agenda of the Orz; these were all tantilising questions that kept me playing until daylight.
Again, very excited and I wish you all the best with this project. 
