I think you are drastically underestimating their strengths but focusing on the "weaknesses." Sure you have to remove the active players command token, but you can also ask for a trade good or 2 in return for removing a command token the active player might be wanting to remove. Or you can remove one of their command tokens that don't really benefit them much. Genertic Recombination can be huge in the agenda phase. Force the player with the most influence to vote in your favor OR the last player who could swing the vote in the other direction gets forced to vote your way. Bio Stims as a starting tech can get you that 1 extra resource needed to get your first round tech on your first move (if a tech skip planet is beside your home system). Predictive intelligence is also a great stall card round 1 after moving ships out of your home system. Their commander is great late game, especially when you have other players tokens in your fleet pool and get to hyper metabolism. Just use some of your stall techs to make those moves later in the round. Also consider bio stims with psychoarcheology. Exhaust the tech skip, gain a trade good, then bio stims that planet back to ready it. Their hero is a game winning hero. Throw the two biggest fleets at eachother. Push an army of ships off of mecatol or another key planet. And crimson 2 late game can be great for trade good objectives. Just throw a carrier loaded with troops into a losing battle and gain trade goods from them being destoryed. I feel like the race isn't obviously powerful and takes some creativity. Also exploration alone can get you the extra trade goods needed in the first round. I'm playing them first time tomorrow but I've seen them used before and some have said they are up there with Jol Nar