We're 8 episodes into the 10 episode arc of the life of Jean-Luc Picard, well after the voyages of the Next Generation. And I have to say that I'm finding it totally enjoyable.
Jean Luc (or annoyingly "JL") starts off as a broken old man, working in the vineyards after his stint in Starfleet, and some less-than-stellar experiences in the end. Its interesting to see him develop his character and act less aged, and regain that spark that made him the inimitable captain.
The crew is interesting and has a fair amount of depth to them. You feel something for them, and its worth it in a way.
And I love the way it connects to the treks that came before. There's a link to Voyager, and 7 of 9. There's a link to TOS and the way the Romulans were presented. You've got the Vulcan/Romulan link. There's the Irumadic syndrome Picard has, and that we learn about in the last episode of Next Gen. There's a link to Hugh the individual Borg. There's a link to the AI in Discovery (or at least there seems to be).
And then there's Soji, the android, who appears to be related to Data - or is it Lore?
And there surely is some connection back to Q. All the signs point that way.
Now its fun to go back and watch various episodes of TNG, VOY, and TOS that are called out in the story. It helps understand this complicated story. Its really cool.
As for the comment that this is somehow not trek, I have to disagree. This is certainly not TNG - this is a darker, more pessimistic concept. Certainly after war with the Borg, the Dominion, and other events, this has to have reshaped the utopia.
And besides, there are certainly undertones of this darker world in the other shows - but they are presented in a more subtle way in general. They just don't dwell on it. Corruption, double agents, conniving, deceit. These were all shown in Starfleet. And DS9 was no walk in the park; it was certainly dark and had an unusual tone. So this is an extension of that.
I would say overall that CBS has done a really amazing job with the Star Trek franchise. I have to imagine that Gene Roddenberry would be surprised at what its become - but you have to change with the times. Maybe he would have seen that too.
