This is coming from someone who appreciates the lore of the game and I'm hoping that this time around the lore is expanded to answer some of the questions I've always had. It looks like the campaign will answer the major Thalan questions, for example, but what about the Altarians?

1. Why do they look so much like the Terrans?

a) The Altarians are humans

-In Gal Civ II they supposedly looked identical to the terrans, but in Gal Civ III it's more ambiguous whether this is the case. So do they look identical or not?

-looks could be the same on a superficial level while still having totally different internal organs, brain structure, and ultimately, DNA. Is their DNA the same? Are Altarians humans?

-convergent evolution is a thing, yes, but this level of similarity seems unlikely both in the real world and in Gal Civ. In terms of the other races, many are humanoid-ish (Drengin, Arcean, etc.) but none are as similar as the Altarians humans (other than Korath and Drengin but that only proves my point since they're the same species). It does make sense that intelligent beings would have evolved sophisticated means of communication and for humans it's our expressive and empathic faces, which is why we are not a cruel race (comparatively speaking of course). But that doesn't explain why Altarians would evolve the exact same faces, not to mention all the other coincidences (bipedalism, number of fingers, hands, proportions) if indeed they do look identical.

-Why would 2 intelligent species evolve on the same planet? I find it plausible but unlikely that the Drath and Altarians evolved on the same planet in roughly the same geologic era (they were both still thriving enough to receive and utilize hyperdrive tech, rather a situation where one race has devolved or been wiped out).

-The origin of the Altarians is made to seem "fishy" by the game

-Why are they called a "resistance"? Could they be an ancient resistance group transplanted from Earth by the precursors or something?