For those of you in the beta, you're going to be pleasantly surprised (we hope) with beta 2 which is due out right after we get back from E3. It has an entirely new user interface with a lot more usability integrated in. We also are starting to flesh out the AI so that it'll be a more playable game.
Most of the main features of the game won't show up until the end of summer (star bases, debris, fleet battles, enhanced graphics, etc.) but beta 2 should hopefully show the direction we're heading.
Our goal is to make a strategy game that doesn't just look good but is as playable as possible. We want the game to always be center stage and your interaction with it to be seamless.