Sprry, but I'm talking career wise. A Captain almost always has those she trusts and those who are out for her job. I don't know how open you envision human society, so it might even be tough for a woman to be socially accepted as a Captain of a Carrier. There will always be those you work with and trust in one area but not another, and those you trust completely, then those you don't trust at all.
Not that I need to be a Captain, I'm willing to play as a pilot etc too. I just liked the idea.
Crew an NPC cruiser, well it wouldn't be NPC if it had a player captain would it? I suppose about the same way I crew a carrier except I'd use it as a cruiser would be used. depends on the type of cruiser, if ti was a fast and lightly armed striker it would be a carrier destroyer, but if it was heavily armed and slower it would be for artilary bombardment and I'd be very cautious. Depends on what I am given.