I generally stick to ships of one sort as I level up a character. The exception is my TOS starter ship, which I ALWAYS use because I grew up with TOS and it says Trek to me like nothing else. If I want to try new ships out, I make a new Captain to do it with. All my characters for the first several months leveled up with Fed Cruisers. I tried leveling up an Escort with a Tactical captain but found it did not suit my style of play. Since returning to the game for the Feature Episodes, I have leveled up with all Science ships. I play almost always PvE. I usually solo, but once my crew gets large enough I train back up BOs for grouping, since Cruisers and Science ships are both so good at teaming.

My character at cap flies the Vulcan ship, the D'Kyr. My original character flies the Excelsior refit. Again, almost always PvE, usually solo, with back up officers so I have a grouping load out. I don't switch ships by mission. I'm a roleplayer and that seems odd to me.

I don't think I have enough experience min/maxing to say if a ship over or under powered. I generally fly a ship for it's aesthetics and because it makes a lore sense for the character.

My favorite ships are the ones with distinctive looks and animations, firm ties to the lore, and unusual powers. The D'Kyr healing shuttle would be far cooler if I could change who it is assigned to during combat. My favorite single feature for any ship is the TOS interior; if you gave us interiors that matched more ships, like a WoK interior or a D'Kyr interior, I would buy them instantly. I will generally work with whatever weapon arrangement, BO seating, and other stats my favorite ship has, without complaint, based on it's coolness factor and RP value.

Thanks for asking.