I think there is one problem with the idea that you suggested though and that is your method involves splitting the fleets fire instead of focusing on a single target. Even with taking sheild mitigation into account this is still an unefficient method for destroying targets and so as a result players will still be required to micromange focus fire in order to gain the maximum efficiency.
Heh, actually,after reading the many posts from ppl denouncing focus fire ala Admiral Akbar, I thought this is a good compromise. I don't mean there is no focus fire at all, simply that if you want your fleet to focus fire a ship(s), target and queue each ship(s) directly, not a whole stack. If you use your fleet/stack/group/etc to target/queue another stack/group/etc, then yes, the default action is spread fire/attack. I believe as has been noted many times, the AI does not use focus fire as a strategy, so why should the default human mouse/keyboard click action be focus fire? Admiral Akbar had to specifically (specially) issue a command to "focus all fire on that super star destroyer" which means that the default action in battle is probably spread fire - at least in star wars anyway.. 
I don't really want to put words in Blair's mouth, but historically, the chances of getting a new command are pretty much nil unless it'd be part of one of the expansions.
I fully agree (more from the programming point of view), I am simply suggesting what the "default" action/algorithm could be when one left/right click on a ship or stack..
