I'd just completed the classic version of the game after 30+ hours right before this came out as a free update to people who owned the base game, so I didn't play it much at the start. This version is definitely more streamlined and less grindy so that's a great upgrade. Bonus points to the devs for making it free to previous owners and listening to feedback. I'd definitely recommend this version over the original.
The Lightspeed edition is basically a less grindy version of the original with the addition of an officer skill tree. Nice gameplay loop, if a bit repetitive. It could do with some UI improvements though - I find it quite a chore trying to find out what ships I have, where they are, who's flying them etc.