If you can trade or capture a ship you can clone it and change the whole makeup of your fleet.
This may encourage more D / HD gamma bomb ships if your neighbour had utility ships.
You can also recycle all your Loki's after the Privateers are gone. All climate ships when every planet is 50. Facing a different opponent switch from carrier to battleship fighting. All your freighters for a few turns for a big push then build them again for the big refit and push on.
Show Media Item - That's the new dynamics of PLS. You get to use your slots...