Star Trek perfectly answers what the transporter does: it destroys the original, creates an exact copy simultaneously, and this is fine because in Star Trek's l

Star Trek perfectly answers what the transporter does: it destroys the original, creates an exact copy simultaneously, and this is fine because in Star Trek's lore consciousness is an observable process from matter and as such there's no problem. It's you who has the problem with that conclusion, not Star Trek. They even ably do some episodes where people do get duplicated, and the answer is that both have equal claim to rights and life and go on with their lives. The bigger problem return the transporter is logistical: it's a superweapon. Mining - obsolete, use the transporter. Ship repair? Just beam new parts directly into place. Surgery? Beam organs in and out. TNGs transporter has more problems in this regard due to just how powerful it's shown to be. What the transporter should be able to do is near endless and makes a lot of other things in the setting obsolete or quaint (but that's Star Trek - being inconsistent due to episodic events is just what goes with the setting).