My one exception is pre-Disney Mandolorians. Nothing is sexier than freefalling from orbit on the back of a 6 legged robot dragon with nothing but your platemail and a vague goal of scaring the shit out of locals.

My knowledge of Star Wars is almost entirely pre-Disney, but I am completely lost here. What is that describing?

the federation not using it's tech to the fullest.

Funny you say that, since the Federation arguably doesn't.

Just look at warp drives, for example. A galaxy-class can go from reverse to full forward in a third of a millisecond. Smaller, newer ships like the Intrepid, of the Sovereign, would be both faster and even more agile.

Federation starships should be zooming about the battlefield like dragonflies instead of slowly flying around each other like star wars ships. Though it makes some sense why they won't, since the viewers would have a fit about it being unrealistic.

You'd enjoy the opening to Starship Troopers.

The rest of the book is neonationalist garbage but the openinging sequence is good. And the likely inspiration for the drop you described.