The impact of culture?

Hi team, I've spent like ~50 hours in this game already and ended up beating nightmare difficulty.

One thing I notice is the change to how culture behaves. If I understand correctly,

The planetary loyalty system is gone, so does the income % difference between core worlds vs edge worlds. Culture now grants a flat 5% bonus to credit, and if spread to neutral merchants, they periodically gift you free metal and crystal.

What I did not find is the confrontational value of culture. Culture currently doesn't prevent colonization, nor does it take planets from enemy automatically.

I love this game and am super thrilled to see its completion. I wonder how will the culture play a role down the road? Will there be change? Thank you!