Other ways to get rid of unwanted colonies

[MoloMowChow]

So I'm at war with a neighboring faction. I can take their colonies fine, but I don't actually want them due to variety of reason such as quality or position.

I know I can use bombard weapons to wipe colonies out, but are there any less forceful/more reputable ways to abandon an unwanted colony?

[FerretStyle]

Set population policy to "resettle" and the population will be shipped off of the planet. I'm not sure if that will completely deplete the population, though. Setting to exterminate is another option, but will upset AIs of any race you do it to.

[Modest]

FerretStyle's advice on resettling may work, however most propably it will not, because once You capture enemy's colony, Your people will want to migrate there (not in instant, but in a matter of months/years). So You will still end up with unwanted colony - it will be only smaller. But extermination may work actually, as it is faster than resettling.

[Ob1ivion]

Gift it to an ally or if it's really horrible, gift it to an enemy?

[TrooperCooper]

Editor. [8D]

[MoloMowChow]

ORIGINAL: Ob1ivion

Gift it to an ally or if it's really horrible, gift it to an enemy?

Nice idea, although giving it to another enemy kind of defeats the purpose of taking it from an enemy from the first place. I would just have to take it again later if they war with me. I also find that allies don't stay my allies for long once I near victory.

Besides that, these poor colonies neighbor my territory. They might not be the best colonies but it would give owners a doorstep to my cluster of stars.

Would like confirmation on whether or not draining a colony via extermination/resettling can turn a planet to uninhabited, but I can always test it myself when I have more time later.

[TrooperCooper]

ORIGINAL: MoloMowChow

Would like confirmation on whether or not draining a colony via extermination/resettling can turn a planet to uninhabited, but I can always test it myself when I have more time later.

I know for sure that it was possible to turn a planet into uninhabited through extermination at least in Legends. Learned it the hard way and unintended lost a colony back then. [:D] Not sure if it has been changed since then, but I doubt it.

[Zangi]

It is likely that some other empire can and will move in and settle the planet after it becomes uninhabited. If the planet is outside your territorial influence.

Glass it. Or keep it around, but perpetually high tax to limit/negative growth.

[FerretStyle]

You could just build a mining station on it to secure it.

[TrooperCooper]

Oh, one more thing... in case you are going to exterminate the population of a planet completly,... prepare to loose any remaining troops on that planet as well.

ORIGINAL: FerretStyle

You could just build a mining station on it to secure it.

Stations do not prevent other empires from colonizing.

[MoloMowChow]

So I know I lose reputation for bombing colonies, but what about independent planets?

[jesuswhywhy]

maybe pre game settings good planets but less of them?

can cheat with the game editor maybe

[Shark7]

ORIGINAL: Modest

FerretStyle's advice on resettling may work, however most propably it will not, because once You capture enemy's colony, Your people will want to migrate there (not in instant, but in a matter of months/years). So You will still end up with unwanted colony - it will be only smaller. But extermination may work actually, as it is faster than resettling.

Extermination works perfectly, with the small hitch that the troops you leave there will also vanish. Just make sure to pick up your veteran troops and drop off a load of green recruits before you start the exterminate process.

[Zangi]

Oh, forgot to add about glassing...
You may have to glass the planet multiple times, if the quality is above 50%, it will get recolonized by the AI. Sometimes, there is a random event where you find a surviving population, but that is pretty rare... maybe.

And yes, as far as I know... independent colonies count the same as empire colonies when it comes to glassing.

[DeadlyShoe]

Since the addition of pirates i really wish i could abandon colonies

i can see how it would screw with pirate gameplay

but it's kind of lame that a bunch of starving pioneers can get repeatedly raided for my latest techs

Maybe I can drive them into rebellion.

[MoloMowChow]

I guess the only way to get rid of planets is having a bad reputation. I was getting bored of being heroic anyways though, no one ever fights me.