Hey Howard, thanks for bothering to keep this tiny remnant of a community up to date on your gangbusters project. much appreciated. I guess since it's not classic pixel art, most people here just don't know what to say much useful.
There are a couple technical decisions about your project that I find strange, and if your particular project weren't looking as great as it does, maybe I'd argue them, but since it does, I won't, and in fact it makes it even more interesting by being so exotic. Just being different is not always good enough when it is just awkward, but the ability to make it fly better than expected is all the sweeter then. Not sure if these how-abouts of creation fit just about anyone, but you it does suit very well.
One thing I'm curious about, are these capital ships you fly by prerendered sprites too like the little fighters, or actual models? That I have this confusion from the gif is pretty cool.