Oh please... phasers and polaron beams only have distinction between each other because you give them that distinction.
Even in the shows, the difference between phasers, disruptors, polaron beams and the like are the color of the little stream of light that hits the ship.
Anyone who thinks that there is no distinction in clix-based games has clearly never read the rules involved in playing clix-based minis games. . Specific units (especially Mechwarrior: Dark Age) are incredibly distinctive between each other.
Yes, specific attacks are lumped together, but it makes for speed and ease of play. In general, Trek ships are much less distinctive between each other than battlemechs. They all fly using warp and impulse drive, have beam weapons and/or torpedoes of some kind, and use forcefields for defence.
Having a Beam weapon score with a green box could indicate disruptors (with their own in-game effects), a blue box could indicate phasors (with their own in-game effects), and so on and so forth for other ship characteristics.
Stripped down like this, it becomes possible to hold a fast and exciting impromptu space battle anywhere you can carry your minis, with as much set up as possible, or as little set-up as you like.
The claim that Clix games are just toys and not true miniature games is elitist, snobbish, and just plain ignorant.
I don't care if you're a scientist or the captain of a garbage scow assigned to Ruh'ra Pente- you don't wait until your shields are mostly gone to start shooting back. If your enemy has already started hurling subatomic death at you, descression has ceased to be the better part of valor!