The current method of calculating science era stars encourages a degenerate and gamey method of research.  Specifically: ignore early techs you don't absolutely need so you can go back later and research then all in 1-2 turns to quickly earn a science era star.

The science era star should work the same as the Aesthete and the Monetary ones: count amount of science produced, not number of techs researched.

Seconded! Especially because, on the flip side, it encourages ignoring the interesting late-game techs in favor of the, as Bridger mentioned, ignored early techs for a fast science star in the late game. So even if I could, in theory, reach planes, I am dissuaded from doing so because it's twelve turns to research just the one tech for planes (and the same for the three prereqs before it that I don't have yet) and only 1-4 turns for each untouched Medieval tech.

workswithdragons wrote:

Seconded! Especially because, on the flip side, it encourages ignoring the interesting late-game techs in favor of the, as Bridger mentioned, ignored early techs for a fast science star in the late game. So even if I could, in theory, reach planes, I am dissuaded from doing so because it's twelve turns to research just the one tech for planes (and the same for the three prereqs before it that I don't have yet) and only 1-4 turns for each untouched Medieval tech.

How do you even reach that amount of research to be able to reach planes? I couldn't even make it to ONE industrial era tech.