I thought it might be an interesting mechanic to allow new players to drop into a game in progress, with some caveats.
Firstly, it would only be possible if enabled, and only default to on in versus AI/Chicken games.
Secondly, your commander would need to be constructed at the point of deployment rather than popping in instantly, slowly on its own, or assisted by established allies by speeding up the process with constructors or gifting you units.
This would be especially good for something like a perpetual "Galactic Conquest" game mode, so you could jump in to the defense or assault of a planet in progress, versus AI but with a grand strategy element to it. Do you join your allies in a fight to try and turn the tide, or deploy to another sector on your own to defend a planet with key resources until reinforcements can arrive?