Most definitely not hating (look at my name) but I think your going about this wrong. I haven't read through the whole thread, but it looked like from your first post you wanted a very clear cut and hardcore theme for this. I think it would work better with less pony focus, and more of the feel different factions would have.
If you went with, say, New Lunar Republic, Discords Revolt, and Old Solar Empire, I would see OSE being medium weight, fast and maneuverable, and beam focused. Also, they would use a bright and warm color pallet, like gold white and pink. NLR would be opposite, with dark blues purples and blacks, I can see more productively shaped, angular ships, covered with armor with highly advanced solid shell ballistic weapons. For DR, I can see crazy, asymmetrical designs, alot like the junk pirates. They could have a pallet like red brown and silver. Maybe be kinetic missile oriented, with huge, high explosive cannons and little armor.
If someone made a mod like that, I would ride it to the moon. (lololololololol you saw it coming too huh) Of course you could have crazy effects with different kinds of color and light, like sparkles and dust clouds, maybe make the com trails huge on OSE ships, idk, get crazy with it. But I don't think a lot of people would go for what your trying to do.
You wouldn't have to scrap it, just tone it down a little.