For my money, sticking to prequels is where the problems start.
Disco, SNW: hard prequels bordering on TOS reboot in the case of SNW.
Meanwhile Picard and lower decks are very much grounded in nostalgia (hint: each have more Frakes appearances than DS9).
This era never really had the same bravery to do something new like TOS and TNG-era, IMO. I was a big fan of Disco’s move into the future (it’s just that Disco miss the landing every time for me).