The folks over at Stardock and Ironclad games have released the third beta version of 
Sins of a Solar Empire:Diplomacy.  Included in the new beta is the ability to setup pirate and bomb planet missions, some graphical and UI tweaks, as well as a bunch of bug fixes (full list is 
here).  The beta is available to anyone who pre-ordered the game and is probably a must have for those who loved 
Sins of a Solar Empire.