Steve,
Are you planning on building jump point defense bases, something along the lines of the sentinel planetary defense base, but with something like the weapons of the battlecruiers, but only limited engines--one or two engines would allow the wp defense base to self deploy. I would also give them something like a machine shop from SF, to allow for quick battle damage repair, or sometype of docking ring to serve as docking stations for your corvettes flotillas. That way you could contest hostile entry into a star system. Something on the 10K size with ASM launchers, rail guns, AMM launchers, sensors, etc., docking base, repair facilities to maintain a flotilla of corvettes would be ideal. Ideally energy weapons would be useful in a warp point defense role--don't have to worry about ASM missile launchers that way.
Some of the above is already in the game. Each ship has a damage control rating and can use its maintenance supplies to fix damaged systems. Corvette flotillas can be housed in hangar bays, and box launchers re-armed if they mount them. The problem for the Commonwealth at the moment is that they don't have an effective energy weapon, except for some point defence railguns. I keep planning to research the necessary tech, probably with railguns as I have a very good missiles/kinetic research commander and no one at all for energy weapons, but other priorities keep getting in the way. I would like to deploy both bases and ships with an energy weapon main armament as my shipyards are going to waste at the moment. It's pointless building more missile-armed ships though when I am struggling to arm the ones I have. I am going to research the next generation of engines, then new armour and then I will finally get to railguns and beam fire control systems.
Steve