The book that Dr. M'Benga reads to his daughter, "The Kingdom of Elysium," was authored by the (fictional) science-fiction writer Benny Russell, portrayed by Avery Brooks (as Captain Sisko) from Far Beyond the Stars (1998) (also directed by Brooks).
Crimson Guard = Redshirt Security.
There are at least 12 cargo bays on this version of the USS Enterprise.
The premise is similar to The Royale (1989), where superior aliens created a world for an Earth character, based on a novel which he happened to be carrying. There are also elements of Our Man Bashir (1995), where a Starfleet crew lose their memory while acting out a Holodeck based on an adventure novel, and think of themselves as the book characters.