Hope. Adventure. Discovery.
Why it is hard sci-fi
A return to the original-series episodic structure. Each episode is a single planetary or starship case with a working hypothesis at the start and a resolution at the end. The shows physics is the saga baseline. The shows hardness is in its commitment to the institutional design of Starfleet and to a working set of away-team protocols, captain s log entries, and after-action reviews. The shows engineering interest is in the procedural detail.
Science inside it
No new physics. The shows interesting models are its consistent commitment to Starfleets institutional design, a recurring engagement with first-contact procedure as a working ethical exercise, and a careful portrayal of the medical and engineering teams as collaborators with the command staff rather than as plot devices.