Agreed, even as a huge fan of LD I could personally sense it being more difficult to write more stories for our lowly stalwarts of Starfleet in season 4. Better to be able to end still chanting "Lower Decks! Lower Decks! Lower Decks!"
I enthusiastically disagree. Lower Decks needs to boldly go and jump the shark more than traveling back in time to save a whale or talking to an old microwave that became a god.