See, I'm the opposite. I think those kinda Easter eggs are fun and harmless. Folks who get them will smile and folks who don't can still follow the story in the foreground just fine.
My very general rule of thumb is to never invent a new alien race of, say, alien telepaths or shape-shifters if there's already one available in the Star Trek universe. Ditto for high-tech alien McGuffins. And if I see a way to connect a story to a favorite TOS episode, I will jump on it with enthusiasm, in part just for my own amusement.
I agree. But sometimes there are cases like the Borg for example, that became retconned so much that not much of the original concept is left.
In such cases, i'd like to see new species that are based on the original versions. Without the unneccesary and sometimes really bad alterations.
Hope this also happens for the Borg someday
