Starfury FAQ

[Suicide Junkie]

Also, if you feel nasty, you can stop attacking a ship that has lost its lifesupport or crew quarters.
If you're patient, or have other things to do/fight while you wait, the crew will die off slowly.

The bonus is that the debris may contain undamaged or partly damage components. (The ones you didn't shoot out)
If you attack from the front, this can net you intact engines, or from the rear, intact guns.