Having the read the discussion going to and fro in the thread, I realized that I quite liked how the show goes and my opinion has more to do with actual politics than any perceived "ideal" of how Star Trek "should be".
When ST originally aired, in many ways it was radical, to the point that hard-line jingoists would've called it leftist subversion. It was a liberal utopia where post-scarcity made the necessity of all the "hard choices" espoused by traditional hegemonists not only redundant but downright petty, a future where there were no menial limits to embracing Enlightenment principles to their fullest. It was probably TNG that cemented this "ideal" into an actual ethos by having Enterprise captained by an avowed humanist, a telling change from TOS where this role was reserved for on of the "support elements" (McCoy) of the triangle.
...however the world we acutally live in has taken a strange turn since then. Liberalism has seemingly conquered the world and became the bona fide "basis" of western civilization, civil liberties are pushed ever farther so even previously unthought fringes of society are being considered when the impact of policies is weighted. Did the ST utopia come to pass? Are we living in an era where Enlightenment has finally brought us into the light?
Not quite, and the creators of Discovery have a keen eye to see the dichotomies and falsehoods present in our facade of freedom. Just as in our life, some are suspicious of the multi-cultural, seemingly benevolent amalgam that is liberal democracy. Does it truly bring freedom to its members or only a semblance of it?
The hardest push comes from the traditionalists, the zealots. In either TOS or TNG their credo would've been a macabre, a crude "backwards" ideology to be morally overcome within a single episode and the outright reformation of said societies is postponed due token acceptance of the difficulty of creating political change without resorting to totalitarian methods.
Discovery grants these "old types" some much needed depth and poignant verity. Is the liberal Federation credo actually superior? While its ideals are charitably acknowledged and even portrayed and self-evident virtues, the society and state apparatus built up around them are anything but. The dethronement is twofold:
1. The Federation simply doesn't *get* the Klingons. It's so enamored with the self-evident universality of its Enlightened ideals that the notion of others operating on other modes of thought is simply inconceivable. This faith goes to lengths so even a Machiavellian *understanding* is beyond the reach of those "believing" the idea...
2. ...which on some levels turns out to be a hollow edifice. The very fact that the Federation falls back on authoritarian discipline even though the protagonist has been demonstrably *right*, highlights an institutional double-think. Should Burnham have got away scot-free? Of course not. Even though she was right in the intellectual sense, and *was* acting out of a deep loyalty, her *methods* were unacceptable.
However, try and imagine how a trial like this would've gone in either TOS or TNG! A crucial element missing is *compassion*, in ST judgements are handed down not merely to uphold the social order, but also out of an obligation to do what is *right* (>insert your flavor of Freudian Trio analysis here<). It could be argued that such a portrayal is missing as it would've undermined the entire character arc of our protagonists, so far reaching conclusions shouldn't be drawn from the short sequence... except it's kind of an emissary of things to come. *This* Federation compromises, even the short previews we've seen indicate that not all is well in this utopia... kind of like our own world. When attacked by religious fanatics, we've reverted to older, meaner ways instead the compassionate, *enlightened* response our nominal ideals would've dictated.
So is Discovery a good show? It's too early to tell, but I really like how it approaches traditional ST themes and explores them in a new way informed by how the liberal dream in the real world has turned out.