Yeah, this is a clear case for unbalance in the intel system. In mods the Crew Insurrection project ought to be more expensive, but more importantly there ought to be other defenses against this. First of all the chance for success ought to be affected by the general happiness of your empire. If all your planets are jubilant there's no good reason that crews would mutiny. We've been asking MM to let Boarding Parties act as 'loyalty monitors' for some time. If you install them in a ship they would "attack" when the crew mutinied and retake the ship.

If this and troops retaining loyalty on PPPed planets were implemented you would have some sort of defense against an opponent with many times your intel prodution.
[ 09 December 2001: Message edited by: Baron Munchausen ]