  Astrophysical research into exoplanets has delivered thousands of confirmed
planets orbiting distant stars. These planets span a wide ranges of size and
composition, with diversity also being the hallmark of system configurations,
the great majority of which do not resemble our own solar system.
Unfortunately, only a handful of the known planets have been characterized
spectroscopically thus far, leaving a gaping void in our understanding of
planetary formation processes and planetary types. To make progress,
astronomers studying exoplanets will need new and innovative technical
solutions. Astrophotonics -- an emerging field focused on the application of
photonic technologies to observational astronomy -- provides one promising
avenue forward. In this paper we discuss various astrophotonic technologies
that could aid in the detection and subsequent characterization of planets and
in particular themes leading towards the detection of extraterrestrial life.
