TAP, I understand what you mean and I'd agree they should really veer off into fresh territory. But at the same time, I can see the value of including a character we're already familiar with, who has prior knowledge of not just the creatures, but the events which we, as the audience, also are.
I also quite like the fact that Hicks may be included (assuming he's not a hallucination, as per Scorpius in 'Farscape'). So long as he's portrayed like the competent military veteran he is, I think his knowledge and mentality could have been infinitely valuable during 'Alien 3'. If he's used that way, it'll be a refreshing change from the Ripley-wakes-up-all-alone-and-nobody-believes-her formula.
So, yes, new territory would be great, but I can also see this is a potentially worthy stepping stone. Especially if an adult version of Rebecca Jordan has the torch passed along to her (even if it'd be more of a poisoned chalice, from the character's perspective).