Great Review!

For all its warts and stumbles, I'd say that overall Star Trek has been a very positive contributor to what the publishing world likes to call "underrepresented" folks. So for me, an imperfect attempt is always better than no attempt at all.

As more people who actually live the lives of those who television series are trying to portray take part in the acting (and writing, of course), then we will see better attempts.

For example, Blu del Barrio plays Adira on Star Trek Discovery. Blu del Barrio is a non-binary actor. As such, their IMDB profile says:

"Del Barrio was in their final year of studies at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art when they auditioned for the role of Adira on Star Trek: Discovery (2017)."

The best way for any underrepresented community to achieve better portrayals in film and television is to get better representation. As more (for example) non-binary actors, directors, and producers find their way into the process, the better things will look.

We can be optimistic by just looking at the increased number of Black filmmakers and films.

As a white cis writer, it isn't always easy for me to represent, for example, a gay (or Black!) character. I have to rely on my imagination and observation of my gay friends, or what I've read from the gay community. But it's different in film, where they can inject themselves into the process as old prejudices (slowly) die off.