Wow that is too much attention for my humble self :D ;)
I would like to see it as some kind of sector/solar system. You got your main planet which is already determined by gameplay and the rest of the sector/solar system could give you additional boosts/bonus on certain stats. e.g. it could boost production or another planet stat
I love the idea of this! Owning a sector/solar system is also a great solution. Maybe the owner(s) could gain benefits based on how many players currently own/operate planets in their sector/solar system. Especially if you could choose what got boosted. That's an awesome idea.
Have a space !PIZZA