First off: FreeThinker - I LOVE YOUR MOD! KSP without it - unthinkable! Now, if you read this FreeThinker, there is another mod called Civilian Population (https://kerbalstuff.com/mod/620/Civilian%20Population) by MichealHester07 and rabidninjawombat. I tried combining Interstellar Extended mod with the latter but it doesn't seem to work. There were a lot of files that would have to be replaced (e.g. the resource and asteroid files,...). I don't know how to mod, but if you welcome this idea, combining these two mods would be HUGE!!! It would extend your mod to a totally new field of depth. The idea of having some colonies that actually produce something (like funds) seems very promising. As far as I have understood, Civilian Population mod does this. The CP mod gives KSP a strategical component that gives an incentive to contine crazy projects even after having researched everything and having been to every planet. I would have it installed already, but I don't want to miss your features! ...the code is there, it just has to be combined (but i don't know how >_<)