...The ST5:TFF and TNG shuttles are basically just the New Jeep, too, with the hull lines altered more or less as little as with the Jeep across the past almost-a-century ITRW, and with the innards upgraded to an unknown degree. But whether the Type 6 is a better performer than its 2250s predecessor, or merely has more stylish controls, we can't readily tell. Much as with Wrangler vs. Willy's. The one and perhaps only mystery here is why Kirk had none of these aboard. I mean, Pike did, on the very same ship. And even if a refit at some point after DSC sacrificed hangar volume for better Rec Decks and a longer bowling alley, we can see with our own eyes that what Kirk has left is plenty. Were Kirk's smaller craft more capable somehow? Or just cheaper? Timo Saloniemi
Civilian use of outdated Starfleet tech doesn't particularly bother me. That is something that seems eminently plausible to me. And newer Starfleet shuttles may have innovations that are simply unnecessary for civilian crafts. Weapons, better shields and sensors, better manoeuvrability in combat and while dodging asteroids, faster warp. School busses do not need any of that.
To me, civilians using old surplus Starfleet equipment is a nice bit of world-building. Starfleet continuing to use the same equipment for 150 years feels silly, cheap, and lazy. YMMV.
Movie-era Starfleet hand weapons and other equipment have appeared in later-era episodes. The TSFS phaser owned by Nick Tate's character in TNG's "Final Mission" (IIRC), for example. So yeah, there's precedent and it's completely believable.
The numbers in the name of Colt M1911 aren't there for naught, either. Apart from that, though, small equipment is probably easier to replace by modern stuff than larger things. A starship hull might see service for several centuries unless blown up, but shuttlecraft are expendable as a thing. Why keep on manufacturing the old sort? Timo Saloniemi
It is not exactly pretty, but lowly background ships don't need to be. And this version looks 24th century appropriate.
Paraguay's army still uses M3 Stuart tanks that predate WWII. The SS St Mary's Challenger ran commercial hauling service from 1906 to 2013, then was converted to part of a barge/tug and is STILL hauling cargo now. Those are examples of craft in places where metal fatigue and corrosion are real problems. In space, not much would occor to break things down, so as long as a platform was upgrade-able, there would not be much reason to throw it away, though it might be re-purposed. I wasn't crazy about the reuse of the DISCO models for Planitia wither, but it was a short-trek and I will suppose it was expedient. Hopefully we get new and better models in the series. but if we see an antique in use from time to time, it would not bother me. There's precident.
I’m not a big fan of taking a ship from one era and making minuscule changes to it to make it a ship from a different era. That’s just lazy and stupid. They made 12 new Starfleet vessel types and at least 4 Section 31 ships for DSC. You mean to tell me that the producers of these Short Treks couldn’t have made just one new late 24th century ship for “Children of Mars?” (‘You’ generally, not you personally.) Especially since they would be able to use it for STP at some point?