I have to say I was absolutely blown away by Ad Astra Per Aspera because it so clearly showed, but didn't explicitly hammer in, the complicity of the majority and their complete lack of understanding of how laws can be applied separately to a minority group.

Pike said "put me on the stand and let me tell a story and we'll get out of this mess" because it's always worked for him to get out of rule-breaking. April became upset that it was so obviously pointed out how the law applies differently to him, and yet after his witness statement he was still stuck on "I didn't get to tell a nice story about Una" as if that would have sorted everything out, because it's always worked for him to get out of rule-breaking - even after it was shoved in his face how differently the law applied to him.

Even Chin-Riley herself started with "put me on the stand and let me tell a story and explain myself" because it always worked for her previously, because she had always been seen by the Federation as a member of the acceptable majority class, and she hadn't yet come to terms with how that would no longer work now that she had been deemed "unacceptable" by society.

As far as sci-fi goes, this was an excellent sci-fi story. It parallels a current issue in society without explicitly calling it out, which allows people to reframe and re-consider their thinking without being subject to pre-existing biases. It also showed off so clearly how a "utopic society" is only utopic for those deemed acceptable. This is what I consider to be "excellent Star Trek".

Not sure that I would rank TNG Measure of a Man or The Drumhead ahead of SNW Ad Astra Per Aspera.

Only rewatches and time will determine the final place of Ad Astra Per Aspera in the franchise, but I have a sense that it will become as significant or more than either of the TNG ones. While the decision was taken on the narrow application of an asylum provision for one individual, in terms of allegory, the episode echoes with the experiences of so very many marginalized groups and peoples.

What about The First Duty?

The first duty of every Starfleet officer is to the truth, whether it's scientific truth, or historical truth, or personal truth! It is the guiding principle on which Starfleet is based, and if you can't find it within yourself to stand up and tell the truth about what happened, you don't deserve to wear that uniform. I'm going to make this simple for you, Mr. Crusher; either you come forward and tell Admiral Brand what really took place, or I will.

Why do they need to be ranked?