Later in the game, you should also build some Liberator Cruisers (excellent all-around heavy cap ships with good fighter and troop-carrying capacity) and Corellian Gunships (excellent anti-fighter escort ships).

You should also make sure that you take advantage of Han Solo. He is not only a good agent for espionage and sabotage missions, but, as we all know, he flies the Millenium Falcon. By having Solo escort other characters on long trips, you can reduce the amount of time it will take them to reach their destination (it is, after all, the fastest hunk of junk in the galaxy). Watch out, though, because bounty hunters will jump Solo at least once in each game. If he gets caught, he'll get taken to Jabba's Palace, and Luke, Leia, and Chewbacca will all leave to attempt a rescue. You really can't afford to lose any of these characters for any length of time, so try to keep Solo near other characters and garrison troops if he's idle, as they'll help prevent his abduction.

If Han Solo is caught by bounty hunters, Luke, Leia, and Chewbacca will all go after him in a rescue attempt.

Once your troop training reaches the point where you can develop Sullustan regiments, build them in great numbers. These troops are weak and won't stand up to a planetary assault or bombardment, but they fulfill garrison requirements, are cheap to build and maintain, and (most importantly) they augment a system's ability to foil enemy espionage missions. One effective tactic is to use Fleet Regiments to assault a system, then replace them with Sullustans on garrison duty.

Gaining a foothold in the Sesswenna Sector is vital for your eventual attack on Coruscant.

Finally, gain a foothold near the Coruscant system. You eventually have to assault this fortress planet to win, so you need to have a good jumping-off point for your fleets and ground units, as well as your preliminary espionage and sabotage missions to the Emperor's Seat of Power.

Next: Playing as the Empire