As a kid i loved watching the next generation and deep space 9 with my dad. Ive always liked sci fi, more of a (stargate fan) and wanted to get back into star trek, but Im just so lost on timelines and whats going on. There are like 6 kirks and I have no idea how/where to get started with watching this again.
Lower Decks does have some legacy characters as guest stars. Riker, Paris, Troi, Q, Quark, Kira and a few others all make appearances. But those are cameo type appearances and the focus of the show is on new characters.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Star_Trek:_Lower_Decks_characters#Guest_characters