Should I just jump in and wing it? Or do I need to install mods or whatnot?

When I think Space Opera, I think of Tachyon: The Fringe, Darkstar One, Spaceforce: Rogue Universe, Freelancer.
I tried getting into Descent Freespace but was put off by the asteroid escort level.

Oh boy, did you buy the wrong game. :)

But no, you don't need to install mods for I-War 1 or 2, vanilla is just fine for the first time.
You might want to get nGlide for I-War 1, so you can play it in higher resolution if you want, you then only need to delete/backup the glide2x.dll file,

Run I-War through nGlide? I remember trying nGlide (maybe?) with Blade of Darkness in order to get past the snowy/foggy areas but the framerate was garbage.

I tried hopping in and trashed through the training mission. I didn't realize the reason why the ship had a crew until I experienced how slow the turn was...
I was frustrated that there did not seem to be a restart mission or options menu readily available?

As it is, it's going on my backlog since I have something like 30 minutes tops free time per day. =/

Edit: Thanks for the tips!

Eh, nevermind it was some driver for Voodoo 3dfx that ran through the main setup.
Going to the nGlide website reminds me that it is exactly the thing I used with BoD. It was the only way I could figure out to get past the game during the foggy parts though.
How would the I-War thing work?
Would you recommend I just try the game in "Arcade" mode?

Thanks again for the help!

Nah, use simulation mode, it's how the game was meant to be played.
The thing with this game is that this isn't a simple space shooter like Freespace or Wing Commander.
If you get whacked by the enemies it mostly isn't because your shooter reactionskills are inadequate, but more the tactic you used, so if a mission is too hard you need to re-evaluate your options and try something different.
I-War is a thinking man's/woman's spacesim.

The missions and physics model are very unforgiving, but the storyline is good enough that those are worth the time investment to get the hang of. Sometimes missions suffer from over-scripting, and can be puzzle-like, but I won't make any specific comments to avoid spoilers.

I recommend looking for Let's Plays on YouTube. It should give you some insight into playing the game. Yes, the physics model is unforgiving, but it's also quite real. And if you get the hang of it, you won't ever want to go back to the likes of Freespace. Also, you need a joystick to really play it.

Also, regarding nGlide, you just need to install the program, configure a few options (Screen Resolution, Aspect Ration etc.), delete the glide2x.dll file in the game's folder, and you're good to go! Also, REMEMBER TO DISABLE THE BLURRING STARFIELD OPTION IN THE GAME!!! If brings the game to a crawl even on the highest end machines!

Just letting him\her know it won't be easy, and I speak as someone who played the game back when it was released.

Thanks for the tips!
nGlide, configure, then delete the .dll. Got it!

Joystick or joypad? IE: Would a Saitek controller work, or does it NEED to be a joystick?

I cannot recommend using a gamepad. It's just not the same. Compare this with a real combat jet where you have a joystick too. Also, the joystick should have integrated throttle switch and a coolie hat. Both come in handy very much.

@H2IWclassic: I own both I-War and Defiance, and I bought them when they first came out. Flying the Dreadnought was like piloting a Babylon 5 Starfury, and I still love to have a go at I-War every once in a while.

Heh, the jump gates were obviously inspired by B5 as well :p

Drat. I guess whenever I get around to it I will just play it in Arcade mode until some later date I can get a joystick.
I found Geneforge easier to get into so am currently busy with that series in my (extremely limited) downtime.