Yes, for me the whole free navy plot line could have been way more concise; seemed like it dragged on for much too long. There is a similar show down, or whatever the right word is, in wheel of time.
Regarding the ending, I think I’ve been so upset with endings of other stories so many times that my standard is “satisfied” or “not satisfied”; I would say I’m satisfied with the expanse. I liked the ending, but it didn’t spark joy in me.
I’m so happy to see someone else hate Discovery and love lower decks and SNW. I have no idea why people like Discovery, so many plot holes in my opinion, I hate it.