Sorry if this has been posted, but I just learned that Borderlands story occurs on a planet named "Pandora".

I believe that the "vault of aliens" is "Pandor's Box", and the end of the game will climax with a catastrophe in unleashing a new threat in the universe.  Trilogy story arc eminent?

I'm not familiar with Gearbox's inspiration behind their "pandora" name but your explanation sounds reasonable.  Actually, it sounds extremely video-game esque.

Makes sense, but I'd prefer not to see the story set up as a trilogy.  It's very arrogant of developers to assume their game will be succesful and everyone will love it so much that they can plan the whole thing as a trilogy from the get go and leave the first game as a cliff-hanger.  Imagine if every movie you saw did that!

Mass Effect was one game that did this right, although it was planned as a trilogy, it still finished the storyline.  It left enough questions and things left open for their to be sequels, but there was no dramatic cliff-hanger or flashy "to be continued!".  And Bioware are one developer that could have really gotten away with it.  So bottom line..  Don't force trilogies for the sake of it, make it one complete game, with a diverse and interesting enough universe to be carried in to sequels.

Um..  I kinda just assume they name the planet Pandora because when you eventually open the vault...   
 
Well remember the story.

I don't see why they wouldn't do that, but hopefully they aren't setting themselves up for a sequel.