After having played Beta 6.1, my own rating is 86%. I still think if you would have waited two or three months more you could have got a 90+ with all minor things fixed and thought out. I do not get why you needed to release the game NOW when people can play it as early access already, but I think it will get an okay launch.
I would actually very much like ship-to-ship combat improved, as in MoO 2. Got a mediocre armed starbase, but playing myself, could take out some key ships of their fleet, so once my own fleet arrives, they can deal with the remains. I think ship-to-ship combat is a thing Gal Civ is still lacking compared to MoO 2 (which is a 1995 or so game).
One can have it as in the Total War series: Turn-based strategy on the main map, and then either auto-battle (which would be as it is currently) or commanding your own ships turn-based. You still could auto-battle through a lot of battles, but if a brave commander is needed to save the day, you can be that one. Heroes of Might and Magic and X-Com Enemy Unknown all have great turn-based battles, and it is the next logical step after you have designed and built your ships to actually command them in battle. Would make weapon placement important, give rise to a lot of additional battle techs which could give you an edge over your opponent. I always liked to get enemy shields down and then transport boarding parties over in an MoO 2 game.