: I'm fine with the Covenant changing its look, especially the Elite's, but the
: designs are horribly generic and rubbish.

Unlike with humans, it's all about what's on the inside of a ship's hull. Her crew, flight characteristics, armor, armament, systems, and complement are what strike my interest the most. Pillar of Autumn is nothing pleasant to look at. She's nothing but a flying brick. What gives the Autumn character, and garners her affection, is her advanced heavy MAC gun, array of air defense guns, and an amazing crew led by Captain Jacob Keyes.

I don't think people wouldn't have had such a problem with Forward Unto Dawn being redesigned if she hadn't been an essential element to the story of Halo 3, getting us where we needed to go, and supplying us with whatever we needed. Like all frigates she's not a looker. Why did we care? It wasn't because the Charon-class light frigate had a retconned design necessarily, it was because it was like a character had changed species entirely.

Never judge a ship on her designer's lack of style. I might be assigned to one such ship in the future. Why hurt their feelings? :)

: It also doesn't help that those ships are now being used by the Arbiter and
: the Covenant, so there's no distinction between the two.

Most navies don't have drastically unique shapes to their hulls. I think over a dozen fleets across the world use the German "MEKO"-type frigate and field them in large quantities. They're used by the Turks, Argentinians, Australians, and a great deal of other nations. All of them are built by the same shipyards, or they're licensed, but each of them has qualities and systems unique to the specific model. Outward appearances can always be deceiving. Same goes for even major navies.

At one time the British light fleet carrier was in service with eight nations, three of which still possessed colonial empires. Japan and South Korea both use theatre ballistic missile and air defense destroyers based largely off of the American Arleigh Burke-class DDG, our main surface combatant numbering nearly 70. The Soviets exported ships like wildfire during the Cold War to include even major surface combatants like cruisers and destroyers, and especially attack submarines, down to small missile boats. The Chinese, among others, licensed those Soviet designs which remain the backbone of their fleets to this day.

The vast majority of warships you'll see out on the open water have little beyond simple design philosophies to distinguish them. That's changed from very drastic appearances at times but usually most shipbuilders will follow global trends and not a national style protocol. One could easily confuse the various designs of guided missile destroyers sailing across the western Pacific today. I challenge most people to spot the differences between dreadnaughts of the world powers without ensigns waving from their decks. It's awfully hard even for a naval history fanatic like myself!

Covenant and Swords fleets utilizing the same basic design of warships is none to surprising. Both fleets are free from San'Shyuum direction, both have a fraction of the capability compared to the Covenant ship forges, and both likely buy from the same shipbuilders as they do with all of their other warfighting materials.