It would be better that, instead of a reboot, Seeder comes in and takes alls de planets and colonizes them and then something mysterious [I should be the Supremes! with Rogue's permission, of course] comes and kills them somehow and then you must restart with tiny little territories! That way you have the technology, you just don't have the resources to use it or anything. And population growth is something that extremely limits growth; it would take lifetimes to get back to the point where you are right now if you had to start from a dozen high-population planets. Colonies must be kept under control in the case of the humans, then for everyone, expand as far as you can go without slipping your grip on your own.

:3