I did? I don't think I did.You literally said "a plot that couldn’t really exist without the memberberries."
I was just trying (failing?) to show it was more than that with obviously poor comparisons.

The show has a mix of TNG nostalgia, espeically in the later half, but it also is a story predicated on a mystery box with Jack, and the Changelings. I think that stuff happened. It might not be stuff I fully enjoy, and it feels a bit stuck on the past with the Enterprise D reveal. That part bugs me.
But the plot exists as a mystery box plot just like Season 1, so it clearly could exist. Just not like Red October exists.