Taking a planet, and policing a planet, are VASTLY different operations. A few guys throwing asteroids can take a planet. Policing that planet would likely take around one operative per 100 population.
Throwing asteroids is more “destroying” than taking a planet. If you wanna take a planet it’s nice to be able to do something with it afterwards.
Sounds like someone needs a rock dropped on them.
Neither the Republic nor the Empire had the habit of “taking” a planet. The Republic was a federation of almost independent planets, and the Empire used the same structure with just a random intervention here or there if one tried to actually act independently. And the Empire interventions were much more on the lines of “destroying” than “taking”.
psssh , I never saw any belter boots on Earth
We also saw clones and Jedi working with local security forces very often.
This drastically reduces the number of operatives required by turning it into a security force assistance mission.
You wouldn’t need to police the planet, just control near space.
A half dozen orbiting gun platforms equipped with ground level sensors could destroy any ship leaving without permission.
So… like… some kind of blockade?