I assure you any similarities between this stuff and ST:DS9 and the Stargate TV series is COMPLETLY coincidental.
The red on the Dreadlord is supposed to the the living energy that he's made up of...the black exo-skeleton is only there so other races feel more comfortable talking to them (Dreadlords like to make sure everyone is comfortable before they destroy them).
As for the cultural terror star, that bug...er um cheese tactic...oops I meen that FEATURE has been completely sliced from the game. It will make cultural victory more elusive, which
is a bad thing, but on the bright side, aliens will finally be able to use TERROR STARS!
...Wait, that's
another bad thing, isn't it?