I have heard many people debate about whether or not to have probes or crew be sent up in rockets first. The Probes First argue "That's more realistic." The Crew First argues "That's the kerbal way."
I recently had an idea: boilerplate capsules.
It's simply a variant you can toggle on any part that a crew can control from. Visually, it removes the windows and suchlike, but functionally, it lessens weight, removes the crew capability, and makes it a probe control point instead. If you want to send probes first, you can send a non-crewed boilerplate capsule that would allow a realistic progression. If you prefer the kerbal way, you can simply send crew up. Since it's up to the players, it can satisfy a larger group of people about the matter.