Hell a little guy called Daz up near lilWolf is actually fighting Hieruf and managing to take planets from him.
Not for long. Hierulf has some big fleets(well, for Daz to handle) headed his way.
If you are really that worried about the big guys (which probably includes me) then there is no better time then now to do SOMETHING against them. The reality is they are all only growing stronger relative to you anyway.
I honestly don't mind Hierulf that much. At least he doesn't seem prone to starting wars against much smaller players.