[Elmo]

I have been picking Gas Giants lately myself. It is an advantage early, but certainly not a game breaker in a game against other people whether they also pick Gas Giants or not.

However on a related note, why does your homeworld always have "Unpleasant" conditions to start? Presumably this is the world on which your species evolved. Seems like your species ought to be pretty compatible with the conditions by the time you are evolved enough for exploring the galaxy. Admittedly we only have one example to go on, but I'd say Man is pretty compatible with conditions here on Earth. The conditions aren't perfect, but I wouldn't say they are "Unpleasant" either.

Elmo