For me, a good road pedal is one I can forget about. Shimano pedals last forever, done.

There are advantages to speedplay (float), look (weight), and house brands (price). I've simplified those, don't feel inclined to go crazy over it. Never ever thinking about them again is the winner for me, Shimano pedals on all my bikes.

I wouldn't overthink a pedal choice. Just go over to the bike shop, pick one, and run with it.

Whatever’s comfortable, convenient, and compatible. I’ve used Look Keo Blades and now am on Garmin Vectors which are basically the same cleat. Good firm connection, seem sturdy when climbing, power transfer feels good, right amount of float, and easy to clip in/out. I’ve heard good things about speedplay but haven’t used it.

Only pedal system I tried and don’t like was my MTB Shimano A-350’s... never could get them to feel right.

If you’re happy with what you have and it works for you, I don’t think pedal aerodynamics are going to overrule that. Unless you’re at the extreme pointy end of cycling.

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If you have any fit issues, then Speedplay is probably the best choice. Custom axel lengths, easy to shim, adjust float tension...

Shimanos are the winner for reliable walkability too - best rubber bumpers. Plus they are easily serviceable if they do ever wear out, which they don't.

That's a good place to start but it's not like those with specific pedal preferences are necessarily doing it just to be difficult.

If you've no issues with cheaper, simpler pedals, then that's the way to go. Why not?
However, there are real benefits to some of the other options if they address a problem you have.

I started with Shimano SPD, but my knees weren't happy and I always felt unnecessarily and uncomfortably restrained. I switched to Speedplay and have never had a problem since. They're more expensive but not crazy unless you want to waste money on their titanium ones, for example. There's a small amount of maintenance required, but it really is a very minor consideration. Half an hour a year covers it despite the big deal many critics make about this!
The key benefits are comfort/adjustability (main reason to buy them). They are also quick and easy to engage and dis-aengage. They're pretty light, have very low stack and great corner clearance.
The main downsides are that they are not great to walk in (I believe the newer aero cleats address this but I'm still on older version), their basic models start at a higher price than the lower end pedals from other manufacturers, and there is no Speedplay based pedal power meter currently available.

I have tried it all, vector, looks, shimano, mavic and speedplay.

Never had an issue with any of them, but i had better feeling with the vector (same base as look) and mavic.

I am using speedplay for fit reasons and still getting used to it but its a very customizable system.

Been using Speedplay pedals for 10+ years now. Other than replacing cleats and going through a few sets of pedals (around 5k miles a year) I haven't had a thing to complain about. I love the dual-sided ability to clip in quickly that Speedplay allows.

I've also used mountain bike SPD pedals by Shimano, and they work well, but not sure you'd want to use them on a tri bike, as they aren't as aero as Speedplay.

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Those look a lot like the Performancebike.com Forte pedals that don't appear to be available from performance bike any more.

I have 2 or 3 pairs of those pedals and really like them. I don't care for the Look compatible cleats that come with them though.