Season 3 was just pure riding on nostalgia without any message on its own. It's a hollow shell, which is really disappointing considering the first two seasons were so good.

I often read people being thrown off by the Duty! Honor! Service! But. I think it's just a slight shift in Starfleet. Duty always came first, and there are a couple of TNG episodes where Picard is very adamant about it. I don't see it shouting as a captain, but as a young cadet? Sure. And Honor, with Klingons being part of Starfleet, could be a cultural shift. Who knows. Maybe it will be discussed in the show, that would be cool.