I just wish the franchise would move forward already. This will be the fourth series (movie and tv) that we have seen now with only picard moving the franchise forward.
I'm not sure why this matters. A story about a ship flying through space having adventures and weird encounters is what it is. It doesn't matter when it takes place. It really doesn't.
And, let's be completely fair. Star Trek has had
way more hours of "moving forward" that was all met with diminishing returns/appreciation than we've had of prequel / backstory stuff. Honestly, the "moving forward" in itself got bland and stale. Another new ship with another new captain and another mix of trope-ish characters with "new" technology that doesn't contribute anything different than the "old" technology. I find the idea of exploring unseen stories with legacy characters far more invigorating than creating yet another show about the USS
Ennui with your standard trope crew, the transphasic metaphysics warp drive (that still moves at the speed of plot), etc. Additionally, and I know people hate to hear it, but you also have
The Orville out
simultaneously, which is basically that same formula again, and it's pretty successful. So why create that same thing all over yet again?
We've seen all that before. We've spent 100's and 100's of hours in that space. It got stale and frankly kind of sad.
Now you have a set of characters and performers (Pike, Spock, #1) who were really well liked and appreciated by the fanbase......why the hell wouldn't they give them their own show, in favor of just some other random collection of characters aboard yet another new ship?
We know Pikes eventual fate and they will have to adhere to continuity when it concerns Spock. Too bad Anson wasnt chosen to play a lead in a show set during Picards era.
Again, not sure why it matters. Backstory provided on characters who we know vs. risking creating new characters nobody likes or gives a shit about....it's the same fundamental risk either way. Except they know people like Pike and Spock.....so.....?
I would have liked to see a show with an all new cast of characters.
They did that all through the 90's with massively diminishing returns.