I'm an outlier, but I'm a huge fan of Monster Squad, and I liked The Predator quite a bit in the same regard; so bring on your fanboy hate! Your pure rage only fuels my dark borne heart! Mwa haa haaaa!!
Did it have its studio interference oddities? Absolutely. But more than any other film in the franchises I'm dying to see a Director's cut of this film with the original creature concepts, the Edward James Olmos General restored and the emissary Predators plot sewn back in. I have nothing but respect for bold and ballsy choices when there's thought and intention behind them, even if I may loathe the final product.
Unlike many, I have no problem with concepts of time transit or multiverse theory being explored in the franchises if handled well, because of the simple fact that these are concepts intrinsically linked with our most current theories and comprehension of Spacetime. Also the idea of the Engineers having developed arcane technologies capable of readily transcending dimension into dark and otherworldly realms appeals to me as an enthusiast of cosmic horror. I think the concepts regarding the origins and nature of the original Alien presented thus far have been too narrow in scope, their true and fathomless unknowability should be something to be explored. That being said, having Ripley, Newt, David or really anyone from Alien side of the franchises coming out of that pod feels too on the nose, sorta cheap and generally gross.
The Yautja have never been and should never be a monolithic culture. Like the American Indian tribes, every Yautja clan, and really every individual Yaut should have their own culture, practices, traits and moralities. And conflict among the different clans should be as natural with them as it is with us.
Of the ideas presented here, some I find really compelling. An old and battle weary Dutch coming out the pod would indeed be pretty legit, and I wholeheartedly dig it. Also the idea of a bunch of eggs or face huggers or even a curled up frozen full grown Xeno with a roughly translated "Predator killer" description on the pod could have some rad potential if subsequently handled in a sincere and uncampy way. I personally have no interest in Royce as a character but I honestly think it would have been awesome to have had a scarred-up Isabelle emerge out of that pod and have a Sarah Connor-ish female protagonist brought into the Predator fold. But alas, one can only dream.