SETI: My verdict
Thank you for everyone in the community for helping with rules and playing the game correctly. I played it again, with 4 people this time and I got a good impression of what it is.
It's a bean-counter's game. I don't mean this in any bad way, if that's your thing, great.
The Good:
The board is great, the colors are vibrant, the solar system mechanic is stellar. There are is plenty to do between cards, actions etc. The set-up kept my interest. The rules are easy to learn.
The Bad:
There is no player interaction. As the game gets later, there's almost too much to do. A lot of little boxes to check and get little points to put in the little boxes (bean-counting). The theme persists and is ok. It keeps interest, but the game gets a bit long.
The Ugly:
The Aliens. What should be the pinnacle of the game is underwhelming, needlessly complicated and... yes. More bean-counting. With a couple of pleasant exceptions (the danger mechanic is ok, the asteroid adds some fun mechanics), the Alien cards are repetitive and the rewards are... more beans and more little boxes.
It's a long and complex game. Even so it keeps one's interest to the end. It's about ticking little boxes and getting points. The theme suffers, especially towards the end.
I am glad I played it, but I won't be playing it again.