You know what will save them, if the writers decide to go that way? The writers' own understanding of economics.
I mean, how many threads have asked, "Why is the average House military so small, if the population is so big?" How many times have we collectively read, "Why are factories only putting out so many mechs?" Because Fasanomics, is usually the answer. Well, that, and factories that didn't follow the program tended to go up in smoke (and fire) courtesy of Comstar.
Fair enough.
But, see, I remember not-so-long ago, when Nationalism wasn't a thing, either, and people viewed the changing of the flag over a world with a sigh and a shrug. But try taking a Capellan world with that attitude, that level of laxity, and see what it gets you now! We all know that Terra has some real muscle when it comes to production, and that there are actual populations on those worlds the Thrice-Damned Republic are squatting on. Take 10% of the population, and train them effectively, give the production facilities real, actual incentives to churn out mechs and materiel, and you could have a House military-sized force in frighteningly short time.
Give the average joe something to believe in, like the Republic -actually trying to change things for the better- instead of serving the bloodlust of some half-crazed House Lord a bajillion light years from home, and watch people's ballocks grow. And yeah, we're talking about a lot of older designs, because that's what the Houses churn out. But they don't need to stay low-tech, not with market forces driving production. We could be looking at the highest average tech level anyone's seen since the fall of the Star League.
Needless, to say, this thought keeps me up, nights.