Master of Orion/Planets to colonize

Which Planets to Colonize
Deciding which planets and which order to colonize them in is more of an art than a science.

There is often no clear right or wrong answer. Unlike in the beginning of the game where there are often courses of action that are almost always correct, everything beyond your first colony landing is essentially up in the air.

There are some things that are helpful to know beforehand, though.