I always say that watching Star Trek is like having a party with your nerdiest friends, where they entertain you but you don't have to reciprocate. The best shows are like that, they can entertain you forever, not matter how well you know each episode.
But these angst-filled shows just can't do that. (Firefly had a lot of angst, but it was also very funny and warm, so it got a pass.) And while I've rewatched BSG a couple times, because it's so good and I wanted to show it to others, but I'm never drawn to just put it on in the background. Discovery is the same way. It's a good show so far, but there's no warmth or light that makes you want to come back. I said early on that they want to get at the Game of Thrones crowd (just like the Expanse- another good show that no one needs to see more than once) and that's exactly what they've gone for. It's just cold, occasionally suspenseful drama, where the most compassionate characters are just constantly under some form of mental, physical or spiritual torture.
You want to know what happens next, but you really wouldn't want to spend time with any of the characters or live in the world. When the Orville gets cancelled (about seven episodes from now if FOX holds true to killing good shows) I'll gladly pop the entire series in a playlist and leave it running in the background any time.
There are very few characters in any of the past Treks that I wouldn't not rather have a coffee with over anyone in Discovery, and that's pretty telling.
