Probably a difference in perspective, but I think fairness is less important at the competitive level, because competition inherently means trying to gain some kind of advantage (whether fair or not) over the opposition.
From a different angle, I see your point in terms of making a competitive environment fair for a lot of people, especially newer players or people who have small collections lacking competitive game pieces.
When I say “fair” I don’t necessarily mean that any average player should be able to rock up with any fleet and expect to win a properly competitive game, I more mean that fleets shouldn’t be able to win a game before an opponent even has a realistic chance to respond. In my opinion, a lot of the game should be decided on the table and players have a chance to display their skill at commanding their fleet. The power level of certain combinations and fleets seem so fast that this doesn’t look to be as much of a factor as I would prefer it be from my own rookie perspective.
Obviously I don’t mean to say that these fleets take no skill, but a slower paced game will always give you more decision making and chances to outplay your opponent which in turn makes you feel like your choices have more of an impact on the game.
Building your fleet should definitely still be an important factor, but with the poor balance of certain ships, crew and abilities it feels like the pool of realistically viable ships is somewhat limited if you actually want to keep on par with the power level of the best combos in the game.