Please Be Better Than Prometheus, Please Be Better Than Prometheus...

The official prologue to Alien: Covenant introduces the crew of the mission as they gather for a final meal before entering cryosleep.

Set aboard the Covenant, a colonization ship on its way to a remote planet to form a new human settlement, the main crew (all couples) and their android, Walter, enjoy their final meal together before cryosleep.

Conceived by Ridley Scott and 3AM, directed by Luke Scott, and produced by RSA Films.

Ridley Scott returns to the universe he created, with Alien: Covenant, a new chapter in his groundbreaking Alien franchise. The crew of the colony ship Covenant, bound for a remote planet on the far side of the galaxy, discovers what they think is an uncharted paradise, but is actually a dark, dangerous world. When they uncover a threat beyond their imagination, they must attempt a harrowing escape.

In Theaters - May 19, 2017

Cast: Michael Fassbender, Katherine Waterston, Billy Crudup, Danny McBride, Demián Bichir, Carmen Ejogo, Amy Seimetz, Jussie Smollett, Callie Hernandez, Nathaniel Dean, Alexander England, Benjamin Rigby

GM IDEAS: Was 7,000-Year-Old 'Spaceport' In Iraq The Work Of The Engineers?

Kazem Finjan

For those of us who love the whole Ancient Aliens deal as inspirational material for our roleplaying game campaigns, we have a new font of ideas in the shape of Iraq’s Transport Minister Kazem Finjan.

During a press conference in 2016, he broke the "news" that in 5,000BC the Sumerians had the world's first spaceport, in Dhi Qar, and used it as a launchpad for space exploration and the discovery of Pluto!

See, we don't need to make this stuff up: we have global politicians to do that for us!

GM IDEAS: Proxima b...

An artist's impression of the surface of Proxima b                 Credit: ESO/M. Kornmesser

In case you missed it in the last couple of weeks, a potentially-habitable Earth-sized world has been found orbiting around Proxima Centauri, a mere 4.23 light years away (or 40 trillion km).

Sure, that's several thousand years away travelling with current technology, but hopefully this will spur both government and private space initiatives to press on with developing the next generation of propulsion systems.

You can read all about this exciting discovery at the BBC News website here and learn all about "other Earths", potentially habitable exoplanets, in this infographic from Futurism.

All of the planets listed at Futurism have the potential for adding a touch of 'realism' to the homeworlds of any alien races your player-characters meet, be that in pure sci-fi adventures, superhero games, or just unexpected alien invasions of Earth.