since I see a few space odysees listed here, I'll just go ahead and recommend:
Tytania (sadly isn't complete, the novels haven't been translated either)
Starship operators (same here, but the end is indeed a good one)
Infinite ryvius (has mecha, but doesn't focus on it, instead focussing more on sociological phenomena)
Mouretsu Pirates (a pure comedy)
Irresponsible captain tylor (kind of ridiculous at times)
If you liked crest of the stars, but want it with more comedy, those should cover you. Well ryvius is not really comedy though, and I hated the MC, but it was a great show.