We have to remember TNG was gonig to be a VERY different show than TOS and even the movies. This was GR's second chance to make his own type of Trek. I think he may have lost sight of Trek needing classic action adventure, and in TV terms that equals shoot outs, hand to hand combat and a lot more space battles than early TNG seemed willing to do.
Generally more violence (as subdued as it was on family syndicated TV) than GR really wanted in Trek.