Your scientists have just discovered that your star is going to go supernova in a short while. You must evacuate the planet and begin your takeover of the galaxy. Along the way you'll enlist the aid of diplomats and spies, traders and technology merchants, pirates and soldiers. The new game, like the original, is all about planetary conquest. Take your armies or your dollars and crush your opposition any way you can.
Victory is the ultimate justification.
If you've played the original, you'll notice that the interface has been streamlined and redecorated. Beyond the look of things however, there's also a new battle model, a new economic system and improved diplomacy tools. The new game should go some lengths to alleviate that problem by allowing you to input several commands at once. Add several buildings to a planetary construction queue. Issue multiple orders to a single fleet.