Why are there so many crew positions? What is there to do on the Polaris when you're not the person flying it?

Generally speaking, the Polaris can indeed run with less than the maximum crew advertised. This is mainly because you generally would not expect crew members to work their stations 24 hours a day, and would take the helm or man their stations in shifts, therefore, the maximum crew advertised usually outnumbers the number of onboard stations. You can, of course, fill up to the maximum crew complement if you want with jobs like extra security personnel or mercs, and we also incorporate enough space to provide quarters to any crew members of the fighter or support ship stored in the hangar.