The odd thing about the episode focusing on Hendrick's 'shortcuts' is that the episode never seems entirely clear on what Hendrick's job actually is. If he's a doctor, a medical researcher - as Franklin's complaints imply - then sure, he should be focusing on original work. But most of the rest of the episode implies he's an archeologist who happens to also be familiar with alien biology - in which case, digging up dead worlds isn't a 'shortcut' - it's what he's trained to do!