Feel free to remove or rewrite anything here, even if someone else wrote it. It's just brainstorming.
Basic idea: You've been exiled to this prison planet (one-way trip) and you have to get off. It's a reality TV show. Smile!
We really need to emphasize the one-way trip aspect. The game is not about colonizing. It's about escaping. Wednesdays 9/8c on IntensiTV.
The way to escape shouldn't be obvious. Why would they exile to a planet that has ship parts laying around? What if there was a defensive perimeter set up that destroys any ship leaving the surface, and you have to collect access codes to disable the perimeter?
Could also be something more mysterious. The planet holds ancient alien artifacts that unlock a portal to another world.
Don't give the whole story away from the start. Let the player jump right in. All you know when you start is that you're exiled here and you have to survive. After you make it through a wave or two, then you can start thinking about escape.
"They sent you here and they told you it was a one-way trip. That you'd never again in your life see anything beyond the surface of this miserable little world. But take it from me. There is a way out. If you survive long enough, and you can get the information you need from the other exiles, you might just make it.
It's not going to be easy. You hacked some government database and now you think you can break into anything. Maybe you were a hotshot back on Hickville 7, but you're a long way from home now. Do you have any idea what kind of criminal they send here? These aren't your normal murderers and thieves. These are people who have outsmarted the powers that be, the kind of people you have to make disappear. These are people deemed too dangerous to imprison. Too dangerous even to kill."
Introduction:
They say that in these enlightened times, society has evolved beyond the need for barbaric customs of punishing crime. Long gone are the stocks, the electric chair, and the prison cell; instead, those who inflict pain or suffering on others are gently removed and placed on a lush deserted planet where they are given the freedom to live peaceful, fulfilling lives in a community of equals.
However, they are wrong.
In truth, not just criminals but anyone who disagrees with the ruling government is forever exiled to this remote prison planet. Life on this prison planet is brutal; it's difficult to scrape out a living when some of your neighbors are petty thieves and killers, and the knowledge that no one has ever escaped only makes existence that much harder.
Of course, if all this weren't bad enough, there are whispers among the exiles that the planet might not be quite as deserted as they were told. Prisoners are disappearing, buildings are being destroyed, and there are disturbing signs that they might not be alone on this world, and the new neighbors aren't very friendly.
You're about to find all of this out for yourself, as the transport ship you are on descends to the planet's surface, and your sentence is carried out. You're going to have to learn to survive on this barren world, both by taming the land as well as taking advantage of your neighbors prosperity, not to mention the possibility of another, more mysterious threat. It's going to take a lot of hard work and fast thinking, but maybe, just maybe, eventually you'll even find a way to get back home.
Ending:
Despite the aliens crowding against the metal, the patchwork rocket engine ignites. The hastily constructed frame groans as the fuel burns; this is a one-way trip, so you better hope your destination isn't too far. You've used the computer to calculate where your home world is, hoping you'll be able to hide among your family and friends, counting on the fact that no one has escaped the prison planet before to mean they won't be looking for you. Finally you arrive at the location the computer indicated your home would be, and not a moment too soon; your fuel supply is nearly depleted. You buckle in and start the landing sequence; hoping to survive.
Your arrival was more on the “crash” side of landing, but you're in one piece! You open the hatch to your rocket, ready to make your way home.
Except something is wrong; where are the houses, the architecture, the parks and fountains? Even in the most uninhabited areas, it didn't look like this. You cautiously approach the small crowd gathered around your craft; they're a motley bunch, looking shifty and suspicious.
“Where am I? Isn't this [home world]?”
They look at each other, and an older man with one eye and a lot of tattoos answers, “Sure is, stranger, but why would you come here?”
“What do you mean? This is my home!”
“Ain't no one's home no more, son. This is a prison planet! You must be crazy, comin' here, cause there ain't no way out!”