My signature contains the best Pokemon never made.
Laser damage is definitely proportionate to the number of projectiles. Including the ship itself, I see potential for a maximum of 16 damage against a Kohr-Ah ship in one shot.
I think this trick works best against Pkunk opponents if they spin while firing at you. I tried a couple of rounds against an AI Pkunk attacking in a straightforward manner, and was easily slaughtered both times.