Ship Strategy & Fleet Strategy in strategic combat-how does it work?

[Q]

Originally posted by rusty nail:
If the analysis of this thread is correct, then how do the AI's ever capture planets? Has anyone ever seen an AI actually capture one with population still alive? I haven't. It might only work if the AI sent in a troop ship without escort and got lucky. I understand from another thread that they often do just that.

I can confirm that the AI can and will capture planets with fleets that contain troop transporters. I conquered a planet from the Aquilaeian and to my outmost surprise a few turns later they attacked this planet again with a large fleet (about 100 ships!), whiped out my ships, the newly built weapon platforms and my own troops then landed their troops and conquered the planet. Later in this game I found 10-20 colonies of the Aquilaeian with different races on it. They most certainly had captured all these colonies from other empires.