Yes! It takes some getting used to. Its in the F9 tab, if i recall correctly. In SM mode, there are a bank of buttons that appear on the lower right side of the screen. When you look at setting the research points for the planet, make sure you set enough for them! Don't skimp! I did a late game generation and didn't give them enough research points, and when I arrived my mighty fleet just CLOBBERED them. I was able to blast ships with point defense without taking so much as a ding on the shields. When I landed on the planet, there were untold billions of souls scrabbling in their low tech world. BILLIONS of them. 8.4 billion, and hell, i'm only 15 years in-- generated NPR size is a function of game length!
Have fun!
Back up your database regularly
I've gone 70 years before a critical error shuts me down. 50 years is where I'm at now, and I am substantially larger and more advanced than my previous 70 year game. Havent played in a few weeks, work + anno.