Edit; Other family dynamics in R-rated films. Castor Troy and his brother. Mickey and Malory in Natural Born Killers. The Seth Brothers in From Dusk Til Dawn. The Gorch brothers in The Wild Bunch.
You guys can want whatever your hearts desire. I don't want a straight retread of Aliens, either, and in my opinion, I disliked that film's family dynamic in how it was shoved down our throats. That being said, I also don't want a retread of Alien 3, either. I don't want some bleak, boring lesson about death. If that's your cuppa, that's great, but I want something of a marriage of several ideas:
1. Subtler family dynamics. I don't want it obviously state that Ripley is a widow and a mother without her children and Newt is the obvious surrogate. It doesn't have to be as subtle as Alien, which only hints at Ripley's maternal instincts with the cat and her sexual desires with Captain Dallas; but I don't want it shoved down my throat like in Aliens, which spends too much time on the idea and takes it way too far. In other words, I want something different, but in terms of balance. The ideas themselves are fine. It's how they're distributed that concerns me. Ripley can care about rescuing Newt. I just don't want it to become the focus of the film.
2. Longevity of Interesting Characters. I want the dynamic to last long enough for me to care. In other words, no immediate, shock-value lessons on death. Lessons on death are fine, but you can't kill off the interesting characters in the beginning. Why not? Because it leaves the movie without interesting characters! Forget lessons on death. Without anyone interesting to provide them, the lessons themselves feel boring and pointless. Alien 3 and Alien 4 in particular killed off their best cast members way too early, and the survivors are so boring that when they die, I just don't care. Imagine if, in Aliens, the marines took two dropships onto the planet, one with Ripley and the no-name marines, and one with Hicks, Vasquez, Hudson, Apone, and every other character with the slightest bit of development. While landing, one of the ships crashes and burns -- the one with all the marines with character development. As a result, Ripley is left to carry the film herself, with all of the other marines basically nameless, boring fodder. Just like Alien 3.
Alien 3 may be a lesson in death, but look at Alien or Aliens. People die in those films, but I care more when they kick the bucket than Hicks and Newt dying in Alien 3. Both films demonstrate that people die. But one doesn't leave me feeling like I'm watching a poor executed version of the same lesson. It's not that Hicks and Newt died that bothered me. It's when they died that bothered me and who replaced them.
3. No beating over the head. I hated the pastor's speech in Alien 3. No time for speeches when you're being hunted, but let's inspire the troops, anyways. Parker said it best (and much quicker): "I ain't for drawing any goddamn straws. I'm for killin' that goddamn thing right now!" Brevity is the soul of wit, and big speeches drag the pace of the film down. There's a time and a place for, but if you want to build tension -- arguably a very important mechanic in the Alien series -- you need to keep the gum-flapping short and sweet. Keep the film moving and don't stop to verbally beat ideas over our heads that can be interpreted through the physical actions of characters. Of course, sermons in real life bore me to tears. The effect was no less pulse-stopping in Alien 3.
