The Yehat are an
avian race in the
PC DOS games,
Star Control and
Star Control 2. The following is specifically in regards to
Star Control 2, although the combat characteristics are the same.
The Yehat Terminator is an expensive ship, and very difficult to handle by a human player. Because using the shields is very fuel-intensive, it's best to activate them for very brief moments, and the AI player is excellent at timing the moment of impact and thus consume the least amount of fuel.
The cannons are powerful, but also consume a lot of fuel in a short amount of time, and have a short range. This is exacerbated by the Terminator's poor max speed, which means it has difficulty catching up the enemy in order to use its guns. For example, the Mycon Podship, against which the Yehat has an edge, but it can take a LOOONG time for it to defeat the Podship because of their similar speeds.
Recommendation: Avoid. Your points are better spent elsewhere. But if you do have them, have the AI control them for you; it can time shield usage much better.