Is there a way to start players with research, civ/mil/capital/fleet-cap, completed from the beginning of the game?

Say I make a custom advanced warfare map where each player starts with a 200 point fleet (centered on a 50pt battleship), but they also start with 2 planets, which are buffed, giving the player 5 civ/mil labs and some tactical structures.  I figure since I am a generous sort gifting them with "X" labs, how can I start them off with certain research within the civ/mil lab allowance?

Also, knowing there is a trigger somewhere in SINS that launches the dreaded "Pirate Raids", how can we use this or -if they exist- other triggers to do other types of attacks or encounters?

Oh, another thing... How can we use the "Diplomacy" triggers to spawn enemy forces or despawn them?

Just asking to see how far SINS can be pushed with what is built in, how to do it, and how to bend the hell out of the game without breaking it like an egg.