The two sides' ships are not mirror images. The Terrans generally have stronger ships overall and have the upper hand on beam weapons, while the Imperium favors missiles. Smaller Terran ships focus on beam weapons while smaller Imperial ships are more balanced. On the other hand, larger Terran ships are balanced while most large Imperial ships feature stronger missile ratings. But there are exceptions - both sides can build Strike Cruisers with high missile factors, and each side have at least one unique ship typ not available to the opposing side: the Terrans can build cheaper Missile Boats, while the Imperium can build heavy Attack Cruisers.