Welcome to 1988 and beyond.It's not a matter of doing things like the 90s series. It's a matter of a return to the familiar. Klingons, Enterprise, Spock, Kirk, Uhura, etc. This is not creating something new or different but relying on familiar touchstones that will not offend people.
As much as I want a Pike show this trend seems very apparent to me, to create a safe Trek check list so that it feels familiar.