I'm 2 episodes into this and it does seem like a 'real' Start Trek series and not a wild off shoot.

Sure, it's a prequel and a lot of the Star Trek crew are on board including Spock, Nurse Chapel and Uhura. And James T. Kirk's BROTHER???

The pilot was a little heavy on the Discovery episode "Through the Valley of Shadows" but I can understand why. Those events take place 10 years in the future so they can do a bunch of seasons before he ends up in the the wheelchair.