Hello, I have played(and loved) your game quite a bit over the last week and would like to toss in my 2 cents.
I would really love the idea of a crew, in the sense that they were like items, maybe a square or something that you could pick up from battle stations. In a sense they are treated like items where each might have stats but also have quirks like only lasting a few turns or until you reach a sector, quests could then be easily linked to them e.g. finding an escape pod in the middle of space. Upgrade-able crews would be nice like to the bonuses that they provide such as damage output by a % or cool downs, this could tie into an experience system of some sort? I feel a crew management through the micromanagement of each individual would take from the scale of the game. I would like to much rather worry about the status of my ship than the health of my crew.
Ships require a higher sense of individuality, maybe a mechanic like an unchangeable weapon or exceptionally high hull/shielding. What is the difference between the Nightingale and the Guardian? The placement of the weapons yes but that's about it. I like the idea of a whatever you want kind of fleet but that would restrict game play unless you are adventurous. I find myself always resorting to cruisers and missiles personally.
Regarding the idea of a crew as a kind of semi-item can tie into a whole new range of slots. A potential slot area of which the amount would differ from ship to ship which could hold things like, extra thrusters/fuel allowing increased ship speeds, shield capacitors increasing the shield stat, hull padding, special weapons such as items(bombs, one time use things, a drone that doesn't need a carrier) and as previously mentioned the crew.
Some other/lesser things I would suggest are allied ships/fleets that can lead to missons etc. A trading option. Mercenaries so that large assault ships have the ability to fend against fighters early game without the need for cruisers. A crafting system so that you dont have to sell every single useless item you get. Instead you can collect them and form new things. Maybe a V2 Bolter Cannon made up from 3 human bolters and 3 wanderer bolters IDK.
The game you have in this gestial state is open to limitless possibilities and i really hope this game flourishes and grows. Looking forward to any and all future updates. PS. MULTIPLAYER!
