Hello, thanks for the quick reply!
I am not sure if you intend to include this in the game, but there are two specific cases where players retaining control over their mechs could be beneficial, even if they hand it over to an NHP:
The first case is when there is an objective that requires the use of manipulators, but the pilot in question doesn't have any. So they can exit the mech, hand it over to an NHP, all the while the mech can continue to act under player direction.
The second case involves the Technophile + Black Thumb combination. I know the latter is not officially in the game, but it would be great if the game supported the ability to pull off this combo in the first place. In the TTRPG, the appeal of this combo is retaining access to talents while the pilot is outside, cooling / applying overshield to the mech. Handing control to the NHP, but keeping it under player control is a sensible interpretation in my opinion.
On a last note, part of the appeal of Technophile in the TTRPG is that you get to leave your mech to act while your pilot goes something important elsewhere / interacts with things that mechs can not interact with. I think it would be cool if this got implemented, though I do understand if it is out of scope.