SNW is why I don’t have a lot of hope for whatever trek is next. That show smells like certain show runners lobbing in the dumbest ideas for stark trek, and a competent team of writers making it actually good.

“Hey let’s have… pike who… knows his fate because of time crystals and… Hey y’know that romulan captain episode is really popular. Just do that again but modern” honestly a terrible idea. Somehow the episode is actually pretty decent though. Like you said, works despite everything.