Strategic resource weapons are vastly superior to their white counter-parts. Since other T3 buildings and ships require strategic resources to build, why not all T3+ weapons? The previous strategic weapon tech slots can be replaced with powerful strategic support modules that can synergize with specific range strategies, weapon types, or maybe even give strong squadron bonuses. (perhaps tie squadron effectiveness to manpower of the ships, giving manpower killers a use, maybe even have them choose between manpower killers and damage vs defense and squadrons?)

This way those choice tech slots can be deciding moments on how the fleet of that era will fight rather than being mandatory, makes strategics key to any victory, and ensures that military and economic build-up past T3 must be balanced with available resources.