It felt very JRPG to me, in the sense that I was running a squad of individuals, each of whom had their own (however limited) story and their own unique stats and equipment within a larger, more common class.

The lower bar is also useful for town/commuter/cargo bikes where the rider may be in street clothes or for older riders of either gender who have trouble kicking a leg over the seat.

I enjoyed Dreadnaught! but I always thought it was something of a guilty pleasure. Piper is a bit too Mary Sue. (Though she's not any more unreasonable than, say, a young James T. Kirk would be.)

I think 'Uhura's Song', by Janet Kagan should definitely be in there. Not many Star Trek novels cover First Contact situations particularly well, and this one does. It also puts Uhura's skills as a linguist and translator front and center. I'll agree with 'The Wounded Sky' by Diane Duane as another great TOS novel…