>>2042984
Yes. You discover ancient ruins which unlocks the background story.
>>2042530
>without polluting it with unnecessary crap
Women's desire for silks, trinkets and dies are why men figured out how to navigate by stars, sail the seas, build trading networks and immense armies to secure said resources. Just look at these things as "improves reproduction" which translates into greater tax revenue.
>>2043596
I like that each DLC adds newer looking ship designs, but I would also like to see more race specific tech. A lot of the early-mid game depends on who your nearest neighbours are, so it would create a different feel if they presented unique challenges.

I recently stumbled on a colony of Securan's, ughhhh I'm gonna coooooooolonize. 31M humans were eager to make the trip, and so were various other races.