Don't forget, that you also need min 4M GP, so every new/smaller player already has a long time to wait, before they even can start to get the shards.
I agree that there should be something that helps these players in the future so they won't have to play for at least 2-3 years before they even can get started on these characters or the new fleet. It is a very long time and the new meta now will not be the meta anymore in 3 years. But maybe then CG will make them more accessible.
Someone mentioned that these smaller players will not have the relic 8/9 mats anyway. I disagree here strongly. While it is hefty, you can buy the mats with chrystals.
So all in all I just hope that the longer the characters and ships are in the game, the more they will be made available in different ways.