The real competency porn in Darmok is in the writing. Picard doesn't just learn the alien's strange way of communicating, the audience learns it along with him. It has the same ending as The Big Goodbye, with Picard striding onto the bridge and saying the exact right thing as no one else could, but this time we clearly understand the entire nonsense exchange. It's just perfectly done.
Saru actually has a similar moment of linguistic badassery in Discovery, not the episode's climax or anything, but it contributes to how much I appreciate his character as well.
Because it had already been done, of course! When Nemesis killed the franchise.