So you just started your new game and explored your system to discover the RNG gods have not looked favorably upon you as you have several dual or singular systems. While I know this will put you a bit behind no matter what happens I'd like to propose a way to make these nodes a bit better in the mid to late game so if you are choosing to focus less on early combat or exploration you will not be doomed and overrun.



What I'd like to see are two options:



First, the creation of a habitable artificial body by flavorly capturing an asteroid with an expandable population of 1-2. As in you grab an asteroid, get perhaps a lower grade strategic resource and 1-2 population slots with could be expanded to three with the right research. These minor plants have through tech achieved hydrostatic equilibrium but will otherwise be unterraformable like natural telluric planets.



Second, the creation of experimental space stations to boost populations cap by a static 1-2. Flavorfully these would need to be in remote(small) systems due to their potential controversial nature. Each of the four tech trees would be able to build a singular space station which in addition to providing a population boost could also enhance an aspect of the tech tree, such as ship defenses, reducing terraforming industry requirements, dust inflation, and diplomatic pressure(these are just samples of what I feel are underutilized areas).



I think the biggest trick here is not to imbalance starting positions further with this by making the creation of these bodies an early game thing for players who have systems with more 3-4 planet nodes. I think this could be addressed by an increased over-occupation penalty for them where a player with richer nodes would focus on colonizing and developing those nodes as opposed to the smallest one or two in this manner.