[dmm]

geoschmo: No problem, I didn't take your reply as harsh. I didn't mean to be harsh with you either, nor to accuse you of groupie-ness, nor to be ungrateful for the clever scenario workarounds that you and others have come up with. I'm just frustrated.

A savegame file editor (SGFE) would allow many things that a simple startup scenario can't do at all. A few examples:
1) Doing combat outside of SEIV and then forcing that onto the current game with the SGFE. Or having "house rules" for things like retreat.
2) Allowing events to occur that are not possible otherwise. Examples: Monster attack; extragalactic invaders; shifting warp point connections; unanticipated research breakthrough; civil war; mercenaries; pirates.
3) Allowing events to occur due to triggers rather than randomly. (The triggers don't have to be automatically scripted by SEIV. A human "galaxy master" or a GM program could handle that.)

OK, you get the idea.