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I have found poor planets are great places for research as well as taxation.

Well, labs cost almost double, and you get 75% taxes only. Normal systems are better for this, and Rich and Very Rich for shipyards. Poor systems suck. That's why they're Poor.  [;)]

ORIGINAL: Tom_Holsinger

I have found poor planets are great places for research as well as taxation.

Research, clearly. But I usually only bother with poor systems if they have good growth rates, so if nothing else, at least I could use the system as a source of population for new colonies.

same here. habitable or ideal systems make good breeding pits.

Poor planets can also be useful as staging points.

If you don't have quantum communication poor planets on the outskirts of your territory offer spots to put relay stations when other races aren't accepting yours. There are also a few places considered poor that can be specifically useful, like neutron stars.

Only if you have no other systems to build them on, which is situational. Regardless, once you don't need that systems anymore, will you keep it? It still sucks [;)]
As for NSs, those are not normal systems, they have a specific use, so it's a whole different ball game.

This reminds me of something. When you build Relay Stations and Trade Missions in another race's system, IIRC those structures do not cost more (+80%) if the system is Poor? Can't recall if income is also at 75%? Maybe I'll check that.
Poor systems cannot be just one-way poor, right? [;)]

Well, obviously one would go for a better system first, but there are times when the poor planets are the only option when you've exploited your communication range in the early game.

Of course, you don't have to keep the poor systems later in the game if they prove a drain on your resources; they can make good bargaining chips with other races later. There's the risk of having an enemy colony in the midst of your power base when the almost inevitable war comes along, but a poor system is a poor system; the other race isn't likely to make any more out of it than you did.

I haven't noticed an increase in cost for building trade missions in poor systems, but given the lack of socioeconomic complexity in other areas of the game play I'm not surprised.

Then again, what do I know, I haven't been better than 4th place at the end of a game yet. [:)]

Poor planets are great for dumping off all those extra citizens from the Ideal planets as well, since poor + dead, Icy or Irradiated means virtually zero indigenous population growth.

Trade Missions always cost 1000, regardless of quality. Checked it. Thought their cost *display* is affected by Mines...  [:D]
They also don't produce less revenue in poor systems (or more in rich systems). Always $3.5 per pop, ~$1.65 for the owner of the system.
 
So yes, they're pretty much only one way poor.  [:)]

don´t really care for poor systems. every time i found a colony on a poor system i inmediatly erase the workshop. that gains fort me at least 30 or so credits every turn.

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Poor systems are good for two things: a colony to expand the explorable borders of the empire when there is no other option and, for ideal and, to a lesser extent, habitable systems, breeding grounds to accelerate the growth of valuable systems. And yes, I put a full complement of research centers on them as well.

I like to stick conquered alien scum on them just for roleplay.[:)]

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Just booted up the game and learning.

I have found a poor system which has rare minerals which are supposed to be good for trade.

Should I build a colony?

I presume I should, but just use it as a mining location.

Rare minerals won't make it any better a mining world (you still won't be able to build mines on a poor planet) but will be good for trade, build a commercial space port on the planet and landing fields on nearby worlds and you'll make some ok money...better still try and build trade missions on alien worlds

Yeah, rare minerals can provide some very decent trade income.

So I'd say yes it's worth colonizing, so long as you have at least a few other worlds close enough to it to benefit from trade.