I noticed with the first strike super ability that my ships are still gaining experience and HP with each combat. Even when the opponent never even gets a chance to fire back.
I am not sure how it is defined, but I didn't think you gained experience and/or HP when your opponent was unable to damage your ships.
It seems to me that the same affect should be in place whether you kill your opponent in one round, or have strong enough defenses.
Or if I am missing something else, please let me know.