most recent save is attached.
I see no big issues in the save. The RNG is working as intended, i.e. screwing you over as usual. :D To wit: I fast forwarded to March and tried three reloads: the first got me zero bases, the next gave two Red Dawn bases, and last provided an EXALT base.
The whole reason I started down this path was because of Alien Origins. It looks like the only way to get it, is by a coordinator giving alien language, and from what I can tell Alien Origins is required.
Not true (well, Alien Origins is required, that part is true).
To get Alien Origins, you need Alien Language, for which you only need Alien Language Investigation since the guy with wild hair is already on-board. That can be had from a number of sources: 1) unlocking it for research via either a RD Coordinator or interrogating a farmer for info on the alien wikipedia (you conveniently have a farmer in custody, and how you haven't got all the farmer interrogations done by 1999 is kinda bizarre to me); 2) getting it through the interrogation lottery from a high-ranking cultist, of whom a BL Witch is probably the easiest to acquire. No unlocks required in the latter case, only luck or a whole pile of interrogations.
I usually get the Alien Language Investigation done within the first year before the hair guy comes around.
As an aside, you've got a moderate manor problem. :)