Against AIs that is not a concern.
Don't play
against humans, play
with humans
. Unless you have a bad reputation, you have a lot to offer to the players next to you. (Who wants a crystalline-armor-invulnerable starbase with Alliegiance subverters and a talisman? Just be my friend.)
It dosen't take long to get racialtech worth selling, and you'll be getting normal tech from your trading partners... those who ally with you can essentially change racial traits at will by trading ships.