[quote=@WilsonTurner]
Eurgh

Why don't we just play it out?
Everyone has their own ship classes, but when/if (More likely if) a sort of United Nations is formed, then they can go and vote or whatever on various propositions and bills. For example, a couple nations could communicate, draft up a firm galactic standards for ships, and then propose it in the Galactic Conference or whatever, where all the nations can say yay or nay, and then if it passes, the spacey-UN can enforce it among its member nations and try to put it on outside nations. 

It's also quite possible that if my nation were to be in such a UN of sorts, other nations could draft up a no-slaves no-indenturedservants proposal, pass it, and then my nation would be forced to give up significant industrial power and economic efficiency, to 'free' and establish rights and fairer quarters/treatment for the former slaves. Then my own nation would be at a political disadvantage, because those alien races would still be under the Hocklyn flag, but could wield political power, and would probably outnumber Hocklyns as a whole, and take political, economical, and industrial power within the nation.
[/quote]That's a quite plausible solution for late game.
But until a truly United Galactic Nations Commune is formed we'd play out God knows how many first contact style scenarios.
If we get to late game of course it's a possible idea to introduce an universal ship classification system.
As such it'd erase most confusion.

Or wait!
[quote=@duck55223]
[center]”[i]Ashes to ashes, dust to dust.[/i]”[/center]

“[i]This is the fate that many nations faced, death came to them, and wiped them from the universe. Only a few traces of their once vast civilizations remained, most of it crumbling, to become dust. However as civilizations fall and life fades, so does new life rise and began to establish dominance once more. Civilizations spread out, grow, and become strong. Some are new, having come from their homeworlds and begin to reach out beyond their home. A few come from the, ruins of the old begin to rebuild, using what is left of their ancestors to rise once more. But in time, all shall become ashes.[/i]”[/quote]

According to the fluff there was a vast galactic civilization in the past. What if by this civilization's influence most if not all civilizations we encounter are using the same or at least very similar means to classify their ships?
Similarly we can say that the language of this ancient civilization remained and now forms the basis of the common tongue across the galaxy (dubbed as "Galactic Basic" or whatever).
These two additions can solve many of our headaches.