At least, a different CLASS of capship. They'd be cheaper but (unless used very well) weaker than true capital ships, however numbers do eventually tell. I see such ships used less often by true governments (unless very poor) cuz fully war-converted merchant ships would have much higher maintenance costs for the same "power"; lack of standardization is a big deal here.
I like the idea of adding some punch to a cargo ship w/o sacrificing ALL cargo.
Another idea is ramships/"fireships". When assaulting a station, why not load some cheap, decrepit freighter FULL of w/e explosives you have handy and send it right on in..? Defending against exactly this would be a great mission; the player might have to get close enough to scan it BEFORE blowing it up (lest u piss off w/e faction its forged ID states). Tie Fighter had similar missions.
Corvette Paint Jobs
