The very first Star Trek episode, was in 1968, and I was eight years old, and I found it terrifying...
Later on I got hooked. Couldn't get enough of, now decades later I have to watch it gingerly, because I am almost totally sick of it...
When I was in my teens I started asking questions about the technology shown as depicted, 'how do computers work, how ehdoes t drive work, how do phasers work, deflector shields and so on.
This got me into questioning reality, as to why so-and-so was.
In the meantime, when I was ten, my sister handed me a sci fi novel 'Daybreak 2250 A. D.' About a young man going off on his own, with his giant telepathic simese cat. After that I became a bookworm...
Science Fiction? Of course.
Horatio Hornblower, by C. S. Foster...loved it. Which led to the author Alexander Kent - a better author. He too wrote about the Royal Navy...
In the meantime I was getting into hard Science. .
Never was good at chemical equations. Doing experiments? Good, however. As my education expanded serious questions started to arise about the design of the Enterprise. The only "real" information came from 'The Making of Star Trek'. Some people have degraded this work, but I don't. Why? Because there is an obvious attempt to rationalize the Science in Star Trek. The real problem was that Gene L. Coon, and Gene Roddenberry didn't write enough about the technical details. You will see what I mean if you read the memo on page 50 of 'Star Trek: Phase II'... Where the subject is about deflectors and the difference between deflector shields and deflector screens, and Navigational Deflectors. People are still confused.
It wasn't until this book came out that the 'Star Trek: The Motion Picture Blueprints'. There is a listing for something called the Primary Forcefield... Gene Roddenberry explains the difference.
As to the TAS Bonaventure... the comments made in the last few decades shows a lack of understanding of Artificial Intelligence. It is plain that for something launched during 2050s has to conform to their expectations. No, it doesn't either in universe or the real world.
Because Artificial Intelligence is a game changer, big time. This is always forgotten by everybody. The Bonaventure couldn't have been designed by humans, but by Artificial Intelligence doing its best. This is why she looks as she does. Optimized for maximum knowable performance. Meaning no breaking of the time barrier. But! Perhaps a speed of 320c eventually attained. Consider the question of "just how long would it take to build up the warp energy required to do so?"
Also I like Jeffrey Mandal's 'History of the Federation ' essay. I agree with it. Meaning that the Transporter was in use around 2100 A. D.
As to the Vulcans as mentioned in the essay... they either learned English too fast or the crew was too stupid to understand that the Vulcans were telling them something. I go with the crew being too stupid, with the provision that, as my Mother said "you can have an I. Q. Of 200, and still be stupid ".
Pay attention to this, because it is becoming apparent that children exposed to smart phones are getting damaged by smart phones.
So, picture the culture of 2100, being almost entirely dependent on Artificial Intelligences...
Start running scared, seriously.
If you aren't running by now...
Robert A. Heinlein in my teenage years was one of my favorite authors for Science Fiction. He has some major problems due to his lack of editing. Issac Asimov. Arthur C. Clarke...
I Also like murder mysteries. Sherlock and Elementary both. Interesting takes.
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds.
And to be a total heretic The Expanse, Stargate SG-1 - all live action versions. I do think that they jumped the shark, in the episode where they bring Atlantis to Earth and land off San Francisco...
Should have startled every body, not hidden it.
With an epilog after ten years, San Francisco has a much larger population, including a multinational military force...(logical). And Atlantis type ships departing every couple of years for parts unknown...