Research speed

I'm wondering what other opinions are regarding the speed of research development. As is, my games seem to be a very rapid progression, especially on the part of the AI regarding military technologies, which in turn forces the player to keep up or be threatened and attacked out of existence. Right now, from my perhaps naive reference, it seems the pace of the game would involve more strategy if the research were slowed, even halved, to allow use of ships and strategies that as of now are seldom if ever employed, such as BattleCruisers, BattleAxes, Frigates, Corvettes, etc. Heck, by the time a fleet is built it is obsolete because the AI is rolling out Battleships and Dreadnaughts. I don't know, perhaps it is just me, but it sure seems like the first 1/2 of the game is simply passed by in the mad rush to get to the 'killer' techs that won't be out-dated in 4 turns.

~SDC~