Optional's right. With this many players, a second SG is called for. Otherwise, it's going to seem like ages between turnsets for the guys who are new to SGs, both in terms of RL time and empire development. With 8 players (is that right?), a lot can happen in the 70 turns that get played in between one players turnsets.Lurker's comment: You could consider starting up 2 SG's, because with so many players you're gonna have some people dropping out simply because they're not getting involved enough, I mean, when will your turn be if you're number 8 on the list?
I was a newbie myself once, and I think especially a newbie is looking out to get a turn in, while a veteran will be more at ease with sitting back.