Your empire runs on four key resources, all generated by your colonies each turn.
Credits
Credits fund building and fleet maintenance. Both are based on production cost (cost / 50 per turn). Governance techs reduce building maintenance while engineering techs reduce fleet maintenance. A negative credit balance risks losing ships.
Food
Food sustains your population and enables growth. Each colony needs sufficient food for its population. Surplus food is shared empire-wide and enables population growth and migration.
Production
Production builds ships and structures. Each colony's production is local — assign workers to production and build structures that boost output for faster construction.
Research
Research points from all colonies are pooled together to progress your currently selected technology. More research-focused colonies and buildings accelerate your tech advantage.