If I'm not mis-informed, each galaxy has a cap of 50 members. I've also seen at least one call to merge galaxies.
I think that both the member limit should be increased to something more like 100, and then any galaxy without level 3 base merged into one with level 3 base (ideally in a somewhat phased manner so the merges occur while the absorbing galaxy has a pillar, so the ore from the joining galaxy actually has somewhere to go).
The galaxy merge has already been brought up, and it's benefits discussed. In a nutshell, the idea is that an influx of players to smaller galaxies should give more players to interact with, as well as a boost in pillar wars. This should help, especially with newer players, who would get use out of more people in their galaxy for forming groups, reins, or just giving advice.
I'd reccommend increasing the player cap on galaxies, because:
1) the more active galaxies, which would offer the most benefit to newer players in the case of a merge, tend also to be close to or at the 50 player limit (a likely reason for some of these galaxies being locked). As such making more room in these galaxies for merging galaxies would be reasonable.
2) With a higher limit on members in a galaxy, there's more room for players who aren't as active, and less need to lock a galaxy. And more active galaxies that aren't locked gives newer players more options and a better chance of finding a galaxy active enought to make them into active players.
3) With a higher member cap, there's more chance for galaxies full of active players who just aren't as advanced to occasionally compete with galaxies that are full of players who are just capable of dealing much more damage per hit (i.e. 100 players with four planets being able to sometimes out damage 30 with 6). This would make for a more dynamic pillar wars situation (although I have lately noticed the occasional change-up in the usual trolling/ pax/ king's line-up, which would indicate that (very) slowly pillar wars is becoming more dynamic through the natural evolution of the game).
I think the merge should include locked galaxies, as the absorbing galaxies will probably mostly be taking on players who just don't play any more. And I don't think a locked galaxy should be a way to avoid this cost of a universal merge. And galaxy leaders could always kick out the inactive players they had to take on, anyway.
I'd also like for galaxy numbers to be unchanged, because the galaxy I'm a member of is #42 and it's a "hitchhikers guide to the galaxy" themed galaxy. And it'd be a bit of a bummer if our galaxy number stopped being the answer to life, the universe, and everything.
Also, I think for a massive merging of galaxies to have a lasting impact, new players should only be placed in galaxies that already have level 3 base building when they are first placed in a galaxy (otherwise, as new galaxies are created, then abandoned, they will once again become vacuums of game-killing inactivity which new players find themselves randomly placed in).
I'd claim this is just my $.02, but I'm pretty sure I've already dumped about $5 on these boards...