In the spirit of brining down the level of intellectual sophistication here, I have a few recommendations I've enjoyed.

- All 18 Expeditionary Force books by Craig Alanson

- The first 5 Starship's Mage books by Glynn Stewart. UnArcana Stars (book 6) went in a direction that made the government look extremely incompetent.

- Jacques McKeown series by Yahtzee Croshaw

- Murderbot Diaries by Martha Wells

- Bobiverse series by Dennis E. Taylor