Minor races rule!
from
Stardock Forums
Had a simply awesome game yesterday where I used the Alexians and the Carinoids(are these guys the only minor races in the game?) to single handedly wipe out the Drengin military and all thier starbases, while my economy and tech rose dramatically. All you gotta do is place a bunch of your ships around a Drengin colony/starbase during peacetime and then give them to the minor races for loads of tech and moola, as well as the condition that they declare war on the race you wish them to attack. Not only does this allow you to bypass your enemies defenses, it also allows you to avoid military maintinence for your ships, as well as allowing you to continue the trade you have with the race you want the minors to attack. Try it out, there's nothing like getting someone else to do all your dirty work while your hand remain totally clean