>For example, how do you start a colony? Do you dump a
>bunch of people and some supplies on a planet and more-or-less leave the
>new colonists to fend for themselves (Third Imperium model), or do you
>send in a crew of professional construction and infrastructure engineers
>who build everything that is needed for colonization in advance
>(automated production facilities, housing, amenities, etc.
That would depend on the resources you assigned to the task. You could certainly
colonize more world with the Third Imperium model. In a way, it's sort of like
any other government program - you can either supply really nice service to
a small proportion of the populace, or provide basic services to a larger
one.
In a state as large as the Imperium, I think that a market approach might
develop. The Imperium won't be directly involved. Some efforts may be on
the level you suggest, funded by multiMCr groups with the latest tech. But
others might be bare bones colonies. Think of the different kinds of colonies
memebers of say, the PTL might found as opposed to those of the Sierra Club.
:)
Basically, you have to pay for convenience. I don't think it's unrealistic to
assume that the Imperium opted for low-cost undeveloped colonies. Especially
in the case of colonies that developed from prison planets.
J ROBERSON