@lockelyfox @owl This is pretty much my read of it all, too.

Surprisingly, the animated shows are the ones that didn't let me down in some way. Both quite satisfying in different ways.

For me:

- Discovery: it initially tried to be it's own thing while also claiming to be canon. This caused a lot of blow-back. But with each season they made changes to bring it more in line, and then eventually made one BIG change that let them finally be themselves. The show wears it's heart on it's sleeve, often criticized for how much emotion is involved, and the frequent tears. They aren't wrong, but it's also just earnest as hell. By the time they finally found a good groove, IMHO, it was too late and it was forced to end. Womp, womp.

- Picard: I had huge hopes for this, but 'schizophrenic' is a good description. There were some good ideas in here, but the writing struggled to bring it together. The second season was, up until Section 31, my least liked season of Trek... ever. It was like someone threw a shitload of Trek ideas and references into a blender. Still, I can cherry pick individual good moments.

- Picard S3: it's different enough to be considered it's own show. Think of it as one big 10-hour TNG movie. IN THE MOMENT it was fucking amazing, though the further out we get the more critical I am of it. But those are spoiler-laced story criticisms, of which I would never rob anyone. It's a good time while you're engaged with it, at least. ;)

- Strange New Worlds: sprang from S2 of Discovery as a spin-off, great cast, quite a few decent episodes. Closest we've ever gotten to a modern revival of TOS on the small screen. The most recent season had some real questionable writing choices, though, but YMMV.

- Starfleet Academy: it's been floated for decades, but I've never once been compelled by the concept. And I'm not really interested in 32nd century Trek. (Gimmie the late 2300s!) BUT... it ended up being a surprisingly positive, optimistic series with a terrific cast. It's first season just might be one of the strongest... ever? Unfortunately it's become a favorite target of right-wing weirdos, tanking it's reputational undeservedly.

- Lower Decks: incredibly funny writing, a terrific voice cast. The scrappy crew quickly feel like family. This is another show I expected the worst from, but it was exactly the opposite. I love this show. And if a genie let me sacrifice the entire run of Picard for another season, I would hesitate for maybe one or two seconds before pulling the trigger. My only criticism is that maybe it leans a bit too hard on nostalgia and references, but it's basically baked into the premise, so I can't fault it for doing it's job. ;)

- Prodigy: this one was a big mystery for a while. A CG series on Nickelodeon aimed at kids? Probably not for me. And I was completely wrong. Not only is Prodigy really good, with a great cast of characters and an interesting premise, but I'm thrilled that it will be a gateway for new fans to the series, while also being a great show in it's own right. (Spoiler: S2 is practically an 8th season of Voyager, and it's _incredible_.)

- Section 31: no.

So yeah, I can't say Trek hasn't been trying. And my god, it all looks REALLY good. High production values have never been a concern. For me, the criticisms have largely stemmed from the writing and the emphasis on nostalgia.

I bitch a lot, but I'm having a good time, in any event. 😉