I bet that captain endeared himself to the other crew members who presumably had already covered much of that captains share of the pre-flight tasks ?
The report time can be adjusted if there are reasons to do so. Obviously that would need co-ordination with the rest of the crew with sufficient advance planning.
I suppose I could report at STD -1hr and still get the flight away on time, but this would preclude sitting down with a cup of tea at the planning stage, general chit chat, and the other social niceties that make a good start to a (hopefully) stress free day. In reality this is no different to how professionals behave in other walks of life. I appreciate that there may be occaisions when minimum rest requirements might impinge on this, but for the most part I can't see the achievement in reporting at the deadline and then going late if that is indeed the result.
I would personally consider it to be rude and disrespectful of me to turn up at the reporting deadline in order to regularly make a point. Indeed I do find it so when other albeit rare individuals make such a point.
If pre-flight reporting times are genuinely insufficient, then the matter should be taken up with the Company in the first instance, and if that fails with the regulatory authority.