I was just doing my first play through of System Shock Remake, was getting up to the second encounter with Diego outside the escape pod. I threw a EMP grenade before he came out the door, which caused him to be locked behind the door which locks for the fight. I was able to attack him through the door with the laser rapier, making the fight a cake walk.

Unless there is another exploit that bypasses this section of the game, it might be worth a look for anyone thinking about pathing this game or attempting a run.