again, that is not a *(pointer), that is an instance of a class, aka an object. '.' remains working on objects exactly the same. and C++20 removing .unique() will fail. there's no pointer to perform indirection on.
Smart pointers are designed to act as a better replacement for pointers, and the unified access syntax removes barriers. There isn't a whelk's chance in a supernova that the committee wouldn't insist that a new way of dereferencing pointers be carried out with smart pointers too - and if the latter isn't feasible, the former won't be perceived to be either.