One thing I'll add in hindsight and appreciation: I did get a feeling of relief when the Big Bad of the season (I don't consider the advanced synth race as such) was confronted by an old favorite. The show has been uneven about using the foundation of TNG as emotional support imo, but it's good to see that up against new, vast, and existential threats, Riker in uniform -- facing down that Big Bad himself in classic Riker determination -- shows that there's no school like the old school.

Even if the synth space gods came through, we'd be seeing a 1980s creation hold the line against techno-Lovecraftian foe created in the 21st century unlike anything seen in the old show, and that's what I like to see in these legacy characters.