Shortcut key for the cloak

Breach bombs damage systems and crew, and cause cracks, but don't hurt hulls. Alternate bombing the medical bay and the O₂ generator. Put priority on whichever one the crew is trying to repair. Eventually they'll have so little health they won't try to repair things, and you can just wait. If the ship doesn't have a medical bay it's even easier - just bomb the O₂ generator until they stop trying to repair it.

If you're taking this tack, it helps to upgrade your own shields (and maybe have a defense drone) so you can sit and wait them out without having to waste missiles bombing their weapons as well.

Ion weapons can help, but it's hard to get enough of them to punch through 3-4 shields reliably, while you are still getting shot at. If you have them, great, but don't prioritize them.

You are correct about sensors. Don't even bother trying to kill crew without damaging the ship until you have the first sensor upgrade or a slug crew member.

Different areas feature different events, encounters and nodes.

• Nebulas will have approx 3+ nodes that are NOT sensor-disrupting nebulas.
• Homeworlds feature specific events that allow you to unlock some ships.
• Pirate sector got plenty of pirates (totally unpredictable)
• Race-controlled sectors will mostly have that race pilots (good luck boarding a Mantis crew of 5)

Although it's randomized, it doesn't take a load of thought to know what you'll find. Zoltan sector = loads of Zoltan = easy to teleport in and slay em. Rock sector = loads of stoners = teleport in, kite them around the ship, breaking their systems (they're too slow to ketchup)

TL;DR: Yes, there is a differense between regions, and red regions have more hostile encounters than green ones.