[Patroklos]

Allow all stellar objects to be colonized, and then include the ability to colonize each class of stellar objects as separate racial traits.

This would let you have different "classes" of life forms. It would be interesting to have Terrestrial (planets), Stellar (stars), Energy (storms), and Dimensional (warp points) life forms existing in a universe. I would advocate completely different tech trees for each class, sharing only the most rudemantry of componets and weapons.

Even better, in the begining stages what reason would you have to fight other classes of lifeforms since your not competeing for resouces? You could have three different races occupying the same territory in a cooperative federation sort of agreement without stepping on each others coat tails. You would watch massive wars take place right next to your homeworld and not be bothered by it at all. Or we could make each lifeform class be xenophobic twords each other (A slide bar value in setup). In the later stages with tech advances perhaps allowing competition on various levels to exacerbate differances you would have epic wars between civilizations.

Of course alot of game issues would have to be worked out to fully implement this. Would Dimensinal colonies occupy both sides of a warp point? What should the stats for Stellar colonies be as there would normally be one colony per system but we can't have them starting with shereworld type planets?

A radical idea, but what depth of play it would add.