Hello, It has been brought to my attention that in the PC version you can glitch the game to allow you to play as an unavailable faction in the first four Galactic conquest scenarios. The rules have been change to reflect this discovery. You now MUST play as the locked faction in order for your run to be valid.

Regards, Boston

Honestly this makes the most sense. Consoles can't do it and it is a big menu glitch. It is pretty cool though