I think the explicit political messaging in shows goes hand-in-hand with writing quality. If you give writers complete creative control to write what they want

I think the explicit political messaging in shows goes hand-in-hand with writing quality. If you give writers complete creative control to write what they want, you will have scripts that are lazy and full of pet topics. Star Trek TNG covered a lot of very political topics, but with a coyness that was earned. Compare that with modern Star Trek and it's... so on the nose.