The siege of AR-558 being an example of the type of situation I am thinking of. Assuming the presence of an orbital ship could not such an approach be used to stun everyone in these situations? After all it's not fatal and even if you knock out your own side in the process or they seek cover beforehand it still seems to be a highly effective means of avoiding unnecessary loss of life in combat situations or even used strategically to facilitate escapes or avoid cultural contamination when interacting with pre-warp contact. Knock everybody out and scoop up your crew while leaving behind some kind of plausible explanation such as a contemporary knock-out gas device or something similar to tie up any loose ends.