Late reply but late is better than never.
Cool update, thanks Mark.
I agree somewhat with EK about that the gate striders should be more terra formars than miners. With a twist though, since they are humans after all, they are very greedy.
As part of opening up new areas for Earth's expansion (the terraforming) the workers manage to also find vast deposits of highly valuable resources on some of the planets, much larger than any asteroid flying uncontrollably through the reaches space could offer and begin to spur off and become miners defending their new claims from indigenous species, including Kaiju, and putting down the groundwork required to begin new colonies and outposts. (Provides opportunity for the crafting route folks.) The more aggressive gatestriders continue on, possibly seeking larger deposits before settling down to claim their own fortune, or maybe just filling their own needs to push further go farther, contribute more and provide the futures possible for mankind.
The interiors
Yes, it was nice to start seeing some interiors, they were not quit as .. open.. as I would have expected. I totally agree on the "too busy" note for the test interior. Made my eyes hurt. Again noting the statement that the interior appearance will definitely change, too many "straight" lines, that is so OLD SCHOOL, we don't really do straight lines on exteriors/facial, we cover everything with sleek smooth curves and such and only add in the straight lines for accents.
In all, THANKS, keep up the progress.