Is depicting scenes of sub-FTL deep space travel with burning engines accurate?

I've seen many sci-fi scenes that feature a ship underway on a deep space journey. As the ship passes the vantage point we can see engines burning during sub-FTL speeds (The Expanse most recently).

Is there resistance in the vacuum of space that would slow velocity, or is the ship implied to be under constant acceleration? Wouldn't the trajectory continue at the same speed and direction without needing engine assistance?

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Is depicting scenes of sub-FTL deep space travel with burning engines accurate?

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