Actually, under the Star Democracy or Star Federation each planet is supposed to have more autonomy--so it would be a nice touch to see "local" governments of different parties popping up.
Feralkoala
Your dumb AI#2 comment is especially ironic in light of the review from Adrenaline Vault, which claimed that the AI traded amongst itself "too much and too easily". I suppose it is a matter of perspective, and the AI difficulty settings. My experience (which is more limited than yours) is that the AI decides whether to attack based on military strength; games where I neglect my military often have the Drengin, or others, knocking on your door. Conversely, a very strong military can lead
I had a problem yesterday with the game hanging when I pushed the turn advance button....it just never finished. Strangely, the interface buttons all worked and I was able to save the game at that point. It happened twice, saved and got out both times, and has been OK since.