I feel very similarly to you. Disco was interesting but seemed to misunderstand what makes Star Trek, Star Trek - for the first two seasons. Then they seemed to say, "Oh, you want HOPE and People Backing Each Other Up? YOU GOT IT!"
Now, while perhaps overly sentimental, it's Star Trek dialed at 11. I quite like it.
This is the problem I'm having with DISC now. I have no problem with sentimentality, and I get teary-eyed pretty easily, but DISC has gotten so "lets talk about our feelings" that there was an episode this season in which every single scene consisted almost entirely of talking about their feelings - even while the characters are in the middle of doing action-y things. I could barely stand it. If the show weren't so good-looking, sometimes I think I'd stop watching.
I don't care for Martin-Green's performance, because on top of the above approach, she delivers every single line of dialogue like it's the most important thing she's ever said. It's very Shatnerian, really.
As for Captains, Kirk will always be tops with me - but I am very excited about Anson Mount's Captain Pike in STW.
Are we talking "best" captains, or
favorite captains?
Regardless, I'll stick with Kirk for both. I'd happily serve on that ship, because that guy can pull a rabbit out of his hat like nobody else, and would never ask a crewperson to do something he wouldn't do himself.
I haven't watched any of the animated P+ shows yet, but I will get to them eventually. I thought the first season of Picard was...good? I
love that they're finally exploring the setting post-
Nemesis, but the pacing was kind of off.