SEV: Any point to killing buildings?

[PvK]

Phoenix-D said:
Yeah, I had grand plans of making troops to raid and burn enemy planets. Then I realized I could just nuke them from orbit.

In SE5 can troop transports be programmed (without human tactical control) to land troops on a planet even when there are weapon platforms remaining on the planet? If so, then there could be mods (high planetary shields, weakish weapon platforms), where ground invasion could be the easiest way to take a planet.