Spore: Galactic Adventures is introducing a lot of new stuff – planet editor, new segment of space exploration, etc. – but a nifty new thing we haven't seen a lot is the effects tool.
The effects tool lets you customize your adventure by adding things like strings of Christmas lights or glowing floor panels. These things aren't like items in that they're part of the environment instead of interactive objects. You'll find them in the planet editor, along with more natural effects like rainbows and meteor showers.
Sadly, most of these new screens show off the Captain editor instead of the effects menu. The one thing they do show is a boring old sunrise. To really get an idea of what you can do with the effects tool, imagine Laser Floyd and multiply the trippy factor by ten.