 Why does Moran think it could be beneficial if one of the crew members was killed on the alien planet?
Now it lay astern, and Moran could see the planet that had been chosen for his marooning. A water-ice ice-cap said that there were no poisonous gases in the planet's atmosphere. Moran observed these things from the control-room of the Nadine , then approaching the world on planetary drive. Without rigid control of space-travel, any criminal anywhere could escape the consequences of any crime simply by buying a ticket to another world. Moran, at least, would be picked out as a fugitive from Coryus Three. If somebody were wrecked on an even possibly habitable planet, the especially developed seed-strains would provide food in a minimum of time. But space-travel regulations are especially designed to prevent such escapes.
 He and the remaining crew members could pass security clearance with only five members on board.
 He would be more likely to survive an attack from the Nadine crew if they ambushed him.  He could convert their body to nutrients, which he could use to survive longer on the alien planet.  He and the remaining crew members could pass security clearance with only five members on board.  He could steal the deceased crew member's identity and use it to start a new life on a new planet.