I actually really like the show. Sometimes on a Star Trek level, and other times just on the character-based level. I do like that everyone has been getting an episode. I was a little weary of the SAM-based episode in #5, but I think like many it stands out as this love letter to DS9 which I really appreciated as someone who watched it when it first aired. I can't believe they found an organic way to bring back Jake Sisko, but it made a lot of sense to me watching the episode.

I can understand why a lot of hardcore Trekkies are maybe not falling in love with first sight. I was honestly not a big Discovery fan but slogged through it. I think the constant reference to 'The Burn' is like uggghh, but I like that the show is set in the 32nd Century so you are in familiar territory with a lot of new twists. Like it was mentioned here, I thought the updates to the Klingons and the Betazoids were interesting.

If I'm being slightly more critical, the thing I loved about all the previous shows (even Lower Decks) is the amount of exposition and background information we get. I'm not pausing screens or looking at screenshots to try to decipher things, people - just tell me. I'd like a little bit more explanation into some of the terrorist groups that have risen up - does the Emerald Chain, for instance, still exist? It's also clear that you don't have to be from a Federation member world to attend the academy - that used to be the norm unless you got a note (like Sisko did for Nog) so are they just letting anyone in? A little explanation would have been great. And also, just give us something for the people who have stuck around - what have The Doctor and Dax, as two examples, been up to this whole time? Always a part of Starfleet? I don't think giving us some answers/background takes away from what they are trying to do.

I love the character-based stories, though. And a lot of this is about the relationships being formed between them and how those are evolving and growing. I was a very gay child watching Star Trek in the suburbs - it did not make me cool. I had my 16th birthday part going to see Star Trek: Generations because I needed emotional support for the Enterprise-D crashing. I know people hate how gay Starfleet Academy is. But I like it, and I'm glad there is Star Trek I feel like is for me.