1. Picking pattern? I wish. .
seems like thumb and first finger ought to cover most of it; one version of the truth is “everything begins with the thumb”, in direct contradiction to “ting-a-ling” triplet pattern diatonic 6th’s, so probably best to at least try stuff both ways.
On spanish guitar we tend to play those triplet picking 6th’s on high E and G string starting with the thumb “low high low”, “high low high”, right?
The steel cliche is the reverse, first finger/high note first.

Just one example, we can pursue it further if anybody’s interested.

2. The end of TNG is F major tuning, analogous to E major up 1/2 step.
F C F A C F, low to high.
90% of the Zero slide stuff on both guitar and steel was F major, because that’s what Lindley used live with El Rayo-X, and he was my #1 influence at the time.
There’s situational regular tuning slide on different tunes randomly, “felt like it”, and F# major for Forever is Nowhere, and a bunch of gigs where i played everything in C6 on the Mustang just because, (C E G A C E low to high) but mostly F major for Zero.

E7 didn’t show up until SKB for me, started using it on 8 string, eventually went with the six string because it was easier logistically. Less stuff to carry. .
I’m sure I’ll be sticking with it for the foreseeable future.
Tunings are slow to reveal themselves for me at least,
Ten years gets you started, ,

Aye, if I live ten I’ll be 77. Ha!

Still, I am enjoying it thanks to you.