Hammer,if you swap ships,lets say to do something in fitting,then go back to ship with fighter,ED puts your NPC crew in longe hence inactive. Ok so we get a brief warning, but doing fittings,repairs,going away for a coffee then coming back to launch,I sometimes forget and launch without my crew being active.
A small portrait in the corner,empty, should do it. Or even a brief warning AFTER launch that doesn't require a response should grab our attention !