Well, I'm sure everyone, including yourself, who does Turn-based games have patience to a certain degree.
For SiS, it is quite intense for Brutal difficulty until certain stage/tech is acquired, and my setting it to Sparse star density gives me more breathing space/time and extends the time for the inevitable contact, where hostility (at least attitude-wise) is mostly certain when we appear 'weak' to them.
Now I'm trying out a certain thing, that is to be 'friendly' to all contacted races then with enough influence points, I'd send out 'allied' requests to them at the same time, then after maybe 20 turns(?) the game will 'end' with me being the only race/color on the star map. Hehe. But not all things go according to plan, and only 'small territory friendly races' will send 'offer-to-join-empire' requests to me, where races with bigger territory will not...
Meanwhile I wish there's a way to turn off the Galatic council voting as after a certain point when I've got more points to win the game and I didn't for quite a few times should be sign I'm plotting... doing something else.
Anyway, cheers to you, Z! May all be well to you!