There's an idea for a series: a space opera with a cutting edge analytics-enhanced Ferengi ship where "it's continuing mission is to explore strange new ad streams, to fleece out new life and new civilisations, to boldly trade where no one has gone before".

The main adversary will be the cookie monster.

I really did go without Star Trek! I had some small exposure to Star Wars, but what really grabbed my attention was the Neuromancer novel, and later the Matrix film series. Of course I'm cherry-picking my experience but it's a valid observation of yours that while I'm a technologist through and through, I often focus at its ugly side.

Not too far off:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Game_(Star_Trek%3A_The_Nex...

The concept of digital advertisement was unknown to Humans in ST universe until Ferengis brought an example to Federation Starbase Deep Space 9 in 2372, so that’s one divergence between our universe and Star Trek version of it.

Star Trek was always a spherical cow as far as futures go. I'm not saying that it's not useful as an inspiration (socially, technologically and as emotional support), but realistically humans will pursue profit until we get a UBI system in place.

Such a shame the current writers of the franchise apparently didn't, either. Which is depriving current and recent generations of kids of that optimistic ideal.

(Yes, Discovery season 3 is a thing I know about.)