Blonde is not very good as Leader of the Civ. How do you get the perfect start in the game?

Hi there!

Suddenly a blonde is made in charge of the Terran Alliance

I've been playing Crusade by creating a Gigantic galaxy, 13 Opponents, Difficulty Normal.

Every time I meet other AI opponents, I'm way behind. It's disheartening. I'm been trying to go Benevolent.

How do you start quickly so you don't end up way way behind?

Sheri