I think a guy on reddit had much better idea how to make game better, its how i would design this game.
Basically his idea was to make content on planets a progression limit, like they already have millions of planets, so content is there, there is random generation and progression.
He basically thought that cool idea would be that different planets would require different research tech to even be able to land on them, or mine deeper in them etc.
So You would start slowly with for example crashed ship, which You must to repair, then You would have to refine ores for fuel, to progress to next solar system, You would have build better engine and then You would have to make and research tech up to something like, being able to build in lava or on gas planets etc.
NPCs would be highly randomized within the planet, which unfortunately would require more focus on combat system, and loot would be more randomized as well, with more statistics and effects.
Yeah, seems like quite a lot of work, especially for kinda alpha we have now, but i think this would make this game so much better and would be synergies with FTL like expansion in the future.
I personally would love to see more RPG like elements like class system in similar fashion to Borderlands, with one/two active skills and tech tree of passives, with randomized stats on armors and weapons etc.