Are these almost the same game? I got Masters of Orion and am learning 2. What about Star Control?

The only one I've actually played, Star Control 2, is nothing like MoO. It's more like a sort of RPG-ish 2D space sim adventure game.
Star Control 1 supposedly has some kind of turn based strategy element, but not in a 4X way.

Star Control is an arcade combat game coupled with a simplistic turn-based game. The first game really wasn't that great. The second was brilliant, however, although its main flaw is that it's virtually impossible to complete on your first or even your second serious try.

On the risk of hurting a little GOG business, Star Control 2 has been made free by its creators, in the form of The Ur-Quan Masters. It's a rewritten version which runs natively on many platforms.