I thought that point about the season finale was the whole point of the episode. Pike and his style weren't right for the situation. He was like a caricature of Picard without the tactical superiority to back it up.
It also might be another reason Enterprise was the ship kept out of the Klingon war.
I'd say TNG mostly stopped exploring new frontiers halfway through season 1. Farpoint promised exploration, but soon the ship is ferrying diplomats and scientists and answering Federation distress calls. The worlds are new to the audience, but not the characters.