I tend to be apprehensive about new canon too (just in general, not limited to Star Trek) but I actually had fairly high expectations for this because I doubted that Patrick Stewart would agree to do the show unless the creators truly impressed him with their ideas, and I guess I trust his judgement!

I wonder if they'll mention Lore and/or Lal later on. Namedropping too many characters could be confusing to new or casual viewers — though I'm not sure if they consider accessibility to non-fans a priority or not. When they made a point of talking about Maddox and his disappearance, rather than just a quick mention, it made me think he might actually appear on the series. The actor who played him is still with us, but I don't know if there's been any word on whether he's involved.

A new episode tonight! Happy Captain Picard Day. I'll put the banner up. ;)