Ok I have a topic of sorts, given this game centres on planet colonisation, thoughts of Avatar and planet Pandora come to mind, hehe.
In recent years the discovery of exoplanets (planets outside our own solar system) have been on the rise. As instrumentation becomes more and more sophisticated, the likelihood of scientists stumbling upon an Earth-like terrestrial planet in our lifetimes, is ever more probable.
There are even plans by NASA and the ESA in this coming decade to launch satellites with highly sensitive equipment capable of detecting terrestrial worlds upto half the size of Earth. Projects like the ESA's Darwin, COROT and NASAs
Terrestrial Planet Finder are among some. Of course the expectations are lofty but within reason, given the advancements in inferometer technology coming along way.
How would this impact human culture and beliefs if another Earth like planet was discovered around
Alpha Centauri and would there be a renewed interest in space exploration if this were the case? Given that this scenario is likely to occur within the next decade or so and certainly almost guaranteed within the next 30 odd years.