Even then, Trek hasn't really pushed the boundaries for a good long time. When it hit it big by TNG/TOS Syndication, it ended up being the cash cow, and thus not worth risking for such controversial things.

At most, it's just been nudging the norm, but the kind of radical shove that TOS had, and nearly got it pulled off the air twice is basically nowhere to be found.

At most, we got one or two token characters or plots, but a lot of it is mostly the norm, or just a little ahead of it.

Compare it to something less established and free to take on more risk, like the Orville. Since it doesn't have the big brand that networks want to keep reaping without sowing, it gets a lot of flexibility Trek doesn't really have any more.

I have to say, I tried really hard but holy crap was the "in your face-ness" of it a problem for me and one of like 5 reasons I can't stand it.

It's definitely not any of the concepts, etc. Good to see diverse, women-strong, etc casts and plots. But a lot of it was written A) incredibly poorly, like to try to appeal to middle schoolers, B) it couldn't stop telling us REALLY LOUD and artificially how progressive it was, and it was jarring and annoying.

Edit: and I'd argue they dropped nearly all of the progressive parts of, say TNG. Or, like, where adults acted like grownups.

Yeah.. exactly. Although after all that I only fully gave up on the show when they jumped forward in time to a depressing future in which the Federation had dissolved. Like, way to completely and utterly miss the point of the setting. I’m gonna go cry into my earl grey now.

Each one talking like a kid who just shoved a whole pack of Big League Chew in their mouth from all the prosthetics also bothered me.

Even worse than how bad the Ferengi were with that