An undocumented cheat can be run when colonizing planets w/ruins. Single player only, I think.
Save the game beforehand, then colonize. If you get a random assortment of techs and don't like them you can reload the game and try again and get a different set.
It will only work twice, though. If you want to keep trying to get different techs then you have to make two saved games. One to hold your place, then the other to test out the ruins. I.e., I save one file as 'current' then another as 'preart'. After I save the 'preart' file I colonize the planet and see what techs I get. If I get non-unique techs I reload preart and colonize again, getting different techs this time. If I still don't like it I can reload 'current' resave 'preart' and try again.
Or at least I used to. Now I save it so I can reload in case I get one of the colonization techs. It's much more challenging to research those techs all on your own.
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"What do -you- want?" "I'd like to live -just- long enough to be there when they cut off your head and stick it on a pike as a warning to the next ten generations that some favors come with too high a price. I would look up into your lifeless eyes and wave like this..." *waggle* "...can you and your associates arrange that for me, Mr. Morden?"