You had shields, which used energy. Photon torpedoes and phasars, which also did. A base would recharge your energy. You could rotate and accelerate. Hit a gat

You had shields, which used energy. Photon torpedoes and phasars, which also did. A base would recharge your energy. You could rotate and accelerate. Hit a gateway at high speed and you jumped to another star system. That's it. You could lay a base down way far away from the gateway, so people wouldn't see it (my trick)