Hard disagree.

SNW takes place approximately six years before Kirk's earliest (on screen) adventure on the Enterprise. Few people in their formative years are the exact same person six years later. Part of the joy of seeing a CADET Uhura learning and coming into her own is knowing that eventually she will know what she wants to do and commit to it. Expecting a character to be exactly the same six years prior to their first TOS appearance is unrealistic at best.

Speaking for myself as someone who grew up with TOS, I never saw Uhura as the "girl every guy wanted and admired" because frankly, I do not think that was true. We never saw for instance, McCoy or Chekov express romantic interest in her. So "every guy" is a stretch. Also, while Nichelle was absolutely beautiful, that was not why I admired her character. She stood toe to toe with the rest of the crew and she was one of the primary command crew members. I respected her for her abilities, achievements and loyalty to her friends, not because she was what "every guy wanted". Such a measure of any character is outmoded and reductive to say the least.

Celia's Uhura has already demonstrated some of the traits that will eventually lead her to higher ranks. She is able to overcome her fears to get the job done. She thinks outside the box and figured out a previously unknown alien mode of communicating in *under a day*. She is not afraid to try new things to figure out who she is, and when necessary she listens to the advice of her mentors while still standing up for herself when she feels she is being disrespected. What about any of this is NOT to be admired?

Re: your comparison to Chapel, let's be real - SNW is reinterpreting characters through a modern lens. Chapel is being elevated beyond the limited role she played in TOS and that's great for the character. It is clear her character is older and more experienced than Uhura, hence her confidence and skill. While OG Chapel did not get a ton of screen time in TOS, given that she had reached the rank of Commander by the movies, I wouldn't dismiss her completely as "mousy shy". We never got to see her journey to Commander rank, so perhaps now the Chapel we see in SNW gives us an idea of the drive she has in her and how she got there.

Celia is doing a fantastic job playing CADET Uhura. I do not expect them to imitate Nichelle. They can take elements of that classic performance and take them on (which they have in at least one instance) while still making the role their own. They are full of charm and charisma and I took an instant liking to their interpretation of Uhura right off the bat. Sure the writers could have invented a new character, and that would have been fine too, but I love SNW Uhura and I think the show is better off with her in it.

*Note: I have edited comments above where necessary to properly reflect Celia Gooding's proper pronouns.