It didn't relate it self with the Alien franchise ? was the connection with the Alien franchise the reason why most people didn't like the premise.
What exactly would have been a better approach to make it acceptable ?
Your approach probably.
For me it was a decent movie, just not a good Alien movie.
I wrote the exact same thing a few weeks ago, totally agree, their low ratings is not for the movie itself but for their disappointment of not being a traditional full-on Alien movie.
Except for the two dumb ''scientists'' who are left over night and do and say really really dumb clownish things, and the captain who is just too laid back easy going that it is totally unbelievable and stupid; I thought the rest is a great sci-fi mystery of the universe movie.