Shepherd is not a bad ship overall. If anything, it is a bit munchkin for its size in non-combat roles. It is mediocre as a normal combat ship (but good enough to auto-resolve fights with), but its campaign stats are great. 100 cargo plus 50 more from the hullmod that converts built-in bay for more cargo (150 total), and the hullmod that boosts salvage.
Shepherd is useful for the entire game, and my fleet almost always has at least one. It is useful for the first few fights early, then it becomes a useful stat-stick and auto-resolve grunt for the rest of the game.
Mudskipper is cheap option for hauling more people. I have used one occasionally.
Mule is not the best brawler, but it is a tank for its size. It is kind of like an Enforcer with less guns and flux. It was useful in the previous 0.9a releases, at least for those who rely on junk from pirates. They did not seem as effective as before in this release, sort of like Paragon becoming more fragile now.
Gemini is bad because fighters are bad now.
