I really hope it wasn't done to clear the way for the old class.
That’s what grates with me the most. I like Rios and Jurati, and the actors who portray them. I don’t particularly care for the rest of the TNG characters (Picard and Data were the only ones I ever really liked) and they’ve well and truly had their time in the sun. The idea that enjoyable characters are being shoved aside - or worse - for them is putting me off S3.