Gibson's script was probably the most conventional sequel idea they had for Alien 3. I imagined it would have always ended up on par with a film like Robocop 2 in terms of sequel-quality. Good, entertaining and less problematic than other takes, not necessarily amazing.
Ward's idea worked just fine. It's not a literal "planet" it's a large-ish space station with a central power core that provides life support and such, with the outer-shell being made of wood planks. The entire story is basically about a society that's already doomed when the Alien shows up. They find out later on that the power supply is almost gone, and the monks had been cannibalizing parts of the "planet" already.
The sheep alien thing, as I recall, was a hallucination and not a "real" thing.
One of the closest instances of literal rape in the series occurs as one of Ripley's nightmares, too. She has this strange dream, running through the hallways of the ship, and getting cornered by the alien near a cryo-pod. Implications of literal rape. Though it's all her mind interpreting being impregnated with a queen.
The alien itself too was a new strain. It wasn't a basic warrior, but something else. It's implied it was the sole male of the hive, and as a result it demonstrated strange abilities, like it's skin changing to match the environment.
The final film we got is what happens when a very creative idea like Ward's is twisted towards something more conventional.
