Interesting.
I was wondering how these outstanding scores of some experienced players can be achieved, so I read the forums a bit about military starbase arrays and other scoring-related techniques.
the score is in fact some sort of integral, meaning that achieving an extreme rating two turne before winning doesn't do much good. You need to have high rating for most of the game.
The question that comes to mind is: How do you know when to end a game for maximum points? [ ...given that you have the choice to decide on your own

]
There seems to be a tradeoff between finishing soon and "milking" for points...
(The game I'm currently playing actually is the first large one for me and the first effort with military bases, so I have no experience with that at all. Also I got a mad event that turned all inhabitable planets in a given (big) area [ of course within yor-space (

] to PQ15, leaving me with a second colony rush and another 30+ PQ15-planets I didn't plan to build up or defend.)
Other factors are time (the more turns you take, the lower your score is) and generally your ratings in game.
Usually I score pretty low - I think that's because I'm playing real slow. Also I only made it to challenging difficulty level so far (did't want do overdo it with new things in this game...).
If anyone can give some detailed advice (colony rush & population growth, leases, government, planetary improvements/"wonders", research priorities, time goals, ...) for higher scoring, I'd be thankful!
(Besides, I fear just aiming for brutal score does affect game style in a way that's decreasing fun. As for military starbase arrays it all went into a clicking and updating feast at times you've already 'won' the game...)
Thanks for reply,
swh.