Yes, you're absolutely right; we have maybe half Trek's budget. If
someone said, as you posit, "Here...stick this futuristic Pepsi can in
the background of one of your episodes, as was done with Enemy Mine, and
you'll get five hundred thousand dollars you can use to make a better
show," I'd do it in a hot second. Absolutely. Because it would let us
do bigger, and better, and spiffier episodes, tell even grander stories,
hire REALLY big-name actors for guest spots...yeah, I'd do it.

It's just that it didn't happen *here*.

jms