Korx and very slow tech FTW
Here is another stragety. I havent actually tried it yet, but it seems pretty reasonable to me.
Play your next game as the Korx and set your tech speed to very slow. With the Korx you're going to get master trade to start with, and your opponents will be probably a year out before they can match you in trade.
That should give you a devistating advantage economically in your first year. You'll be able to run your economy very hot, putting in planet upgrades long before you have the population (planet income) to support it.
Thoughts? Does the AI on suicidal cheat too much for this strategy to be effective?