I think the Strategy Guide is great. It's not quite in-depth in listing all the trade routes as I should have liked, but for that I can normally find what I'm looking for here, instead.
I was particularly impressed with its charts on the often unwieldy web of relationships between the different factions, and to what precise degree each action, either friendly or hostile, you take towards one affects your reputation with its allies and enemies in turn. Quite thorough on that account. I also think it did a great job classifying all of the ships, and pointing out their strengths and weaknesses by ranking them into 'tiers' by total effectiveness. Though I think that's a bit more subjective, it helps me, as someone who hasn't played anything beyond the demo, to know which ships to 'keep an eye out for'. It also lists, at a glance, where each ship is located (no big news), but also who owns the base where it's located.
And finally, and probably my favorite part of the guide, are its maps. It lists every base, hidden or otherwise, every major feature in every sector of every system. Remarkably thorough. I was a bit mollified to notice just how much, in New York, I had missed during the demo! But particularly right now, when there aren't any truly comprehensive maps to be found on the Web, the Strategy Guide's cartographical features are invaluable.
I'm a chap who rarely every purchases guide books, but this is one game where I felt it was neccessary. Not to cheat, not to 'get ahead of the game', and not to whiz through the SP mode fast as I can. But as a reference for when I get lost and confused ... which is more often than I'd care to admit.