A wooden spaceship with monks? The person who suggested that wouldn't have happened to have read Dan Simmons' Hyperion at the time, would they? *looks up Wikipedia* It was published in 1989, so it would fit the timeline.
Having a series in the age of streaming could be great. It depends on how well written and CGI'd it is. Setting it on Earth and making it a prequel kills some of my buzz prematurely. That would be awesome! The Xenomorph was mysterious and scary in the first movie but when that's worn off, it's time to delve deep into a mind-blowing lore. After your post I googled images of Xeno Orcas. This is awesome! Now I want a Xenomorph Orca action figure or plushie or both.
As long as they don't make the alien CGI. Do costumes, puppets, anything real. Cgi is becoming to much of a crutch, and most of the time looks fake.