Lee Hutchinson at Ars Technica got a sneak peek of Stardock's new Star Control: Origins game. The first short video of gameplay is with the article.
You can see it all here:
http://arstechnica.com/gaming/2016/10/a-first-look-at-star-control-origins-gameplay-prequel-due-for-release-in-2h17/
It's a great primer on the original series (learn more here: https://www.starcontrol.com/starcontrolclassic) and the challenges of making a new Star Control game.
Lee talks about the much decried Star Control 3 that was released back in 1996. Star Control 3 should be a warning to those who would meddle with someone else's lore.
Last year, we started the Founders Precursor program. A handful of die hard Star Control fans were invited so that we could discuss both gameplay and how to deal with the lore of Star Control.
On the one hand, we didn't want to retcon any aliens out of existence. But on the other hand, what do you with Star Control 3 which took the lore of Star Control 1/2 and took it in a...different direction than what most fans would have expected. We wanted to leave the door open for players to still encounter the Orz or the Spathi or the Ur-Quan potentially in the future in a Star Control game while at the same time ensuring the Origins could stand on its own.
To that end, the Founders and us eventually came to the consensus that Star Control is a multiverse. The first two games revolve around teh Ur-Quan conflict. The third one is a game in a parallel universe that has its own history.
For most gamers, it doesn't really matter. Most gamers today weren't alive when Star Control 1/2/3 were made. But we wanted to create a satisfying foundation for those, like us, revere the classic series while at the same time, opening up the pathway to have future adventures with new casts of aliens and adventures created by fans and successors.
Only time will tell if we made the right decision.