Previously on Star Trek: Discovery:
- What is this?
- Provisions. From my ship.
And your crew fell in line behind me.
You have failed.
Ambassador Sarek,
it's good to see you again.
As discussed, this is my ward.
The only female Michael I ever heard of
was Michael Burnham, the mutineer.
You're not her, are you?
Captain Gabriel Lorca.
Welcome to Discovery.
What am I doing on this ship?
Question is,
what am I gonna do with you?
We are creating a new way to fly.
If the Discovery can be anywhere
and gone in an instant,
that's how you b*at the Klingons.
We believe the enemy
may have identified Discovery
as our secret w*apon.
Didn't realize
there were more of us here.
- What's your name, soldier?
- Lieutenant Ash Tyler.
Getting out was always a two-man job.
Just waited till I found the right man.
Your eyes. That happened
when you destroyed the Buran, didn't it?
We choose our own pain.
Mine helps me remember.
This is Captain Lorca.
Two to beam out, now.
Live long and prosper,
Ambassador Sarek.
And you, Adjunct V'Latak.
Our mission requires
that we leave at once.
Plot a course for the Cancri system.
May I inquire as to the nature
of our diplomatic mission?
Allow me to be diplomatic
and ask that you do not.
In times of crisis...
ignorance can be beneficial.
We are set to launch.
- Two more laps before breakfast.
- We've done ten.
You still need to shave 6.5 seconds
off of your time.
- Does six seconds really matter?
- Six-point-five.
And yes, they matter,
if you're gonna make captain.
It's been my experience
that what I lack in athletic ability
I more than make up for
in intelligence and personality.
We may wanna focus
on those attributes.
Everyone applying to the
Command Training Program will be smart.
Personality doesn't count.
That's just something
people with no personality say.
Wait, which in no way means you.
You absolutely have a personality.
Six-point-five is not an arbitrary number.
Your time will earn you
a physical endurance commendation.
Today, your goal is 6.5 seconds.
Then, getting a transfer on
a Constitution-class, like the Enterprise.
After that, first officer track.
See your path, stay on it.
Reach your destination.
Cadet to captain.
Just like that.
What's it gonna be, Tilly?
How you holding up?
I waited seven months to do this.
Don't worry about me. Clear.
Door right, stack right. Go.
- Where do you hail from, soldier?
- Seattle.
- Clear.
- Clear.
What about your family?
Never knew my father.
Mom said I didn't miss much.
She d*ed while I was at the Academy,
on her way to the moons of Grazer.
A rogue comet.
First vacation in 12 years.
High, low.
Two survivors.
One injury.
Mission success.
Hologram battle simulation complete.
Your mother was a teacher, right?
Yeah, third grade.
Issaquah Elementary.
Twenty-four kilometers outside Seattle,
which makes you
not exactly from Seattle.
I like to split hairs.
I do my homework.
Think I let just anyone walk on my ship?
No, sir. Assuming I checked out?
We wouldn't be playing with these toys
if you didn't.
Twenty-four kills. You?
Twenty-two, sir.
Looks like I'm the one who needs
to get his eyes fixed.
- Captain, out of respect...
- Don't apologize for excellence.
I want my chief of security
to sh**t better than I do.
Ensign Rause,
please report to the shuttle bay.
You offering me a slot, Captain?
Well, I figure I've seen you fly, sh**t...
- fight like a Klingon.
- Klingon guards b*at on me for months.
- I was bound to pick something up.
- No, most people would've given up.
You learned.
My last chief of security and I
went through a lot together.
I need someone I can trust.
Someone that understands w*r.
What it takes to survive,
what it takes to win.
I think that's you.
Is it?
I'd be honored to serve on the Discovery.
I won't let you down, sir.
Good.
According to our flight plan,
we should be arriving momentarily.
Why have we not yet dropped out of warp?
Our course has changed.
You know the actual nature
of my mission.
This mission does not reflect
true Vulcan ideology.
You are one of them.
- A fanatic.
- Your fascination with humans
can no longer be tolerated.
Your obsession has blinded you
to the truth.
Humans are inferior.
My sacrifice...
will be a rallying cry
to those who value logic above all.
Vulcans will soon recognize
and withdraw from the failed experiment
known as "the Federation."
Computer, green juice. Extra green.
Computer, cancel that order.
That's hardly the correct ratio
of protein, carbohydrates, and fat.
Computer, three-egg-white
breakfast burrito with black beans.
- Computer...
- Make it two.
Computer, add salsa.
Computer, add roasted-tomato salsa.
Cooked tomatoes are a great source
of lycopene.
- Remember that.
- Oh, my God. You are so scary.
Two appetizing
and nutrient-filled burritos.
New guy, 3 o'clock.
Lieutenant Ash Tyler.
Scuttlebutt is he took out
six Klingon warriors
in hand-to-hand combat
when he and the captain escaped
- that Bird-of-Prey.
- Six? I've fought Klingons. I doubt it.
Now the captain practically wants
to adopt him.
I can't imagine Captain Lorca feeling
that way about anyone.
Why? He practically adopted you.
I believe every word of it.
Kind of feel like it makes him hotter.
Ensign Molina,
please report to engineering.
Scuttlebutt is you took out six
Klingon warriors in hand-to-hand combat.
Can't believe everything you hear.
Please, sit down.
I'm Cadet Sylvia Tilly.
Uh, this is my mentor, Michael.
Commander Wilson,
report to the transporter room.
You're Michael Burnham.
The same. You probably can believe
everything you hear.
I assess people in the here and now.
You're a functioning crew member
of a Federation starship.
Right here. Right now.
Crazy kids.
Michael.
Michael, what's wrong?
I should go.
- You okay?
- Yes.
No.
Sarek.
My mind to your mind.
My thoughts to your thoughts.
I believe this is one of our most
promising groups of graduates.
We can't let them do this to her.
She has worked her whole life for this.
She's excelled. You have to do something.
- This is not fair.
- There is no logic in your request, wife.
Fairness is quantifiable.
The Vulcan Expeditionary Group
has rated her abilities as insufficient
and rendered their decision.
Their decision is wrong.
She graduated at the top of her class.
Her test scores are better
than any Vulcan.
There are other metrics.
Spiritual discipline, martial arts...
- logic.
- Please, I want to go home.
Humiliation is a human emotion.
I'm sorry, Sarek.
You were wrong to believe in me.
- No, no, no.
- I can't compete here.
I do not have the required abilities.
- I am not good enough.
- Nonsense.
Sarek, make her see the truth.
She cannot thrive in the Vulcan service.
Perhaps I can find a place for her
in Starfleet,
where the requirements are less extreme.
What are you doing here? This is my mind.
- You brought me here.
- Leave now!
Sarek!
Ever since the bombing, part of me,
my katra, has been with you.
My thoughts to your thoughts.
Sarek.
It's okay, Burnham. You're in sick bay.
- What's the matter with her?
- I have no idea.
Nothing shows up on any of her scans.
- It's not me, it's Sarek. He's in trouble.
- How would you know that?
I share part of his katra.
His eternal life force.
Like a Vulcan soul.
I've heard stories.
I just assumed it was an ancient myth.
How can you share a soul with Sarek?
- You're not Vulcan.
- I was raised as one.
After my parents were k*lled
at a Vulcan outpost...
Sarek and his human wife, Amanda,
took you in.
Your story is well-documented.
He believed I could serve
as humanity's potential.
How could he put that pressure
on a child?
But not everyone agreed with him.
A group of logic extremists...
didn't want humans in their culture,
tried to stop him by k*lling me.
They bombed the Learning Center
- where I was educated.
- Vulcans tried to m*rder you?
Renegade Vulcans, a small faction.
And they didn't try.
Doctor, they succeeded.
I was dead for three minutes.
The katra has a healing power.
Sarek used it to save me.
A kind of soul graft.
It's a procedure that's frowned upon,
and rare.
So, you're... linked with him?
He gets wounded, you feel pain?
- Has this happened to you before?
- Once.
The start of the w*r.
He sensed my distress...
and came to me.
But this is different.
I can feel him slipping away.
I don't think this is a conscious effort.
Sarek is delirious. He might be dying.
Captain...
Please.
Captain, help me find him.
Michael Burnham is correct.
The Vulcan High Council has confirmed
that Ambassador Sarek's ship
was sabotaged
by logic extremists.
I'm told that the Vulcans
were secretly invited to a meeting
with two independent Klingon houses,
in an attempt to forge an alliance
to end the w*r.
Klingons don't normally send
party invitations.
Indeed.
But both of these houses were ousted
by General Kol's new ruling council.
It is their wish
to undermine his authority.
- And the Vulcans believe that?
- Not without reservation.
The meeting was organized
on neutral ground
by the elders of Cancri 4.
Sarek was chosen
to vet the legitimacy of their claims.
He's demonstrated a unique ability
to forge relationships with races
that do not follow logic-based ideology.
Vulcans went behind Starfleet's back
'cause they thought they could clear up
our illogical mess.
So, where is the ambassador right now?
Lost in a nebula near Yridia.
Starfleet Command
is assessing the situation
to organize a recovery operation.
Well, the longer you assess,
the greater the chance Sarek dies.
And so does the best chance for peace.
- I'll go get him.
- Absolutely not.
There are protocols to be followed.
You can tell the Vulcans they're welcome.
I'm happy to clean up their mess.
- Discovery out.
- Captain...
We have arrived at the Yridia nebula.
Start scanning
for the ambassador's emergency beacon.
- How are you feeling?
- I still sense Sarek,
but it's growing erratic.
I think he's getting worse.
- Don't worry, we'll get him back.
- Captain.
Scanners detect no signs
of the ambassador's ship.
The nebula's radioactive gases
are rendering our sensors inoperative.
All right, we'll send out probes,
scan sector by sector.
Considering the size of the nebula,
uh, that method could take months.
Well, any other options, Number One?
Me.
Now, that's my kind of crazy.
You're talking about building
a synthetic mind-meld augment.
- Groovy.
- Clearly your trip
down the mycelium path
has lightened your mood, Lieutenant.
Once you're past getting
stabbed by needles, it's pretty great.
I'm guessing from your reaction,
modifying this neural enhancer
is a viable method
- to achieve what I need.
- Sure.
Hey, why not?
Now, we boost you neural impulses
to reconnect with his katra,
then pump those same signals
into your noggin and voilà.
Sarek Vision.
I gotta say, this katra stuff is way cool.
An uncharted superhighway
connecting all of consciousness and life?
We have exactly no time
to discuss the metaphysical implications.
I sense that Sarek is unconscious.
I wanna use this mind-meld
to wake him up
so he can activate his ship's transponder.
- Right. Like a psychic hit of speed.
- I was thinking adrenaline sh*t, but okay.
There is one wrinkle, though. Um...
Radioactive interference from the nebula
is gonna diffuse your signal.
You will never be able to maintain
a strong enough connection with Sarek
from out here.
So, we take the Discovery
inside the nebula
- and get closer to him.
- Oh, bad idea.
Guess what happens
if we mix those cosmic gases
with our concentration
of mycelium spores we have onboard.
Uh...
Huh.
- Okay, so we go in with a shuttle.
- Oh. You'd have to fly into that soup
with nothing but hope and a prayer.
Are you really that crazy?
Good to know.
I know, I know. Get to work.
As long as I don't overstay my welcome,
shuttle shields can handle it.
But I need someone
to work the neural enhancer.
I'd like Cadet Tilly.
She's smart.
- And I could use the moral support.
- All right, then you'll get it.
And you need a pilot
who can fly you through that storm
and, more importantly, get you out alive.
Luckily, I know a guy.
Attention, all personnel.
Clear dock 3 for shield test.
- Cadet.
- Sir.
Bring her back in one piece.
Not a scratch.
I'm talking about her.
Cadet Wells,
please report to engineering.
Or don't come back at all.
Captain. Incoming
transmission from Admiral Cornwell.
Transfer it to my quarters.
I'm afraid that won't do, sir.
What do you mean, that won't do?
Her cruiser just dropped out of warp,
and she's requesting permission to land.
Here.
All right. I'll see her in my ready room.
What the hell do you think you're doing?
I thought Terral was gonna throw a fit.
- And he's a damn Vulcan.
- I did what I thought was best.
You launched
an unauthorized rescue mission
using a convicted mutineer.
Not to mention a POW
who has barely had time to recover.
- Can you even trust this guy?
- Yes, Admiral. I checked him out.
Tyler graduated with honors
from the Academy
before he saved my life.
You are captain of the most
advanced ship in the fleet,
the cornerstone of our entire defense
against the Klingons.
You cannot treat Discovery
like it's your own fiefdom.
Is it true what I heard
about Lieutenant Stamets?
He engaged in eugenic manipulation?
He got the spore drive working again.
- Yeah, he saved the ship and the crew.
- I appreciate that.
- But there are rules...
- Rules are for admirals in back offices.
I'm out there trying to win a w*r.
Then don't make enemies
on your own side.
What are you doing here?
What's really going on?
I came to see my friend.
Okay. Why don't we stop talking
like Starfleet officers, Kat, and, uh...
start talking like friends?
Hey, where's that old Burnham bluster,
huh?
The bad-ass lady who's always
pushing me to be the best I can be?
Do you know what helps me
when I'm freaked out?
Talking.
You know where Sarek's mind is?
Where his dying thoughts
have taken him?
- To me.
- I mean, that's kind of beautiful.
No.
No, you don't understand.
I was supposed to be his proof
that humans and Vulcans could coexist
as equals.
But I ended up being
his greatest disappointment.
That's what he's reflecting on.
I was rejected
from the Expeditionary Group
for being too human.
My failure is his last thought.
He doesn't believe in me,
but I'm supposed to save him.
We're at Sarek's
last known location.
Can we do this
before we get torn to pieces?
Or you can keep chatting. Up to you.
Okay. Good to go.
Provided this thing
doesn't fry your brain.
Now, if the bio-readings
show something weird...
They will. Sarek is delirious.
I can't allow him to push me out again.
But fighting him
is gonna put a massive strain on me.
Then... how do I know
if I should pull you out?
Don't.
No matter what the sensors say,
you leave me in there.
Okay?
Go.
She cannot thrive
in the Vulcan service.
I'm sorry.
You were wrong to believe in me.
Do you remember,
on your tenth birthday...
we took a shuttle and we went
to the seventh moon of Eridani D?
I recall.
To experience a book exchange.
An ancient human ritual.
This gift...
comes with a mother's advice.
You've proven
you're as accomplished as any Vulcan,
which is gonna serve you well.
As long as you never forget...
that you're human, too.
You need to nurture that side.
There's Sarek.
He's talking
to the Expeditionary Group director.
She got in, didn't she?
Michael's application...
was rejected.
If this is your attempt at humor,
you're gonna need more practice, husband.
- It is not.
- Why?
No human has ever been accepted
into the Vulcan Expeditionary Group.
Success was always an unlikely outcome.
What is the reason
that they could possibly reject her?
Obviously, I had hoped for better.
I don't wanna be here.
- Michael.
- Please, I want to leave.
- Listen to me.
- Why are you doing this?
I told you before,
you're not welcome here.
You called me here.
Your katra pulled me.
This is my mind. Stay out.
You're near death.
I can help you like you helped me.
Give me a chance. Please.
You will fail.
- What's happening?
- I don't know.
- Then wake her up.
- She said not to. It'll sever the link.
I outrank you.
Damn it. Fine.
Nothing like a single malt,
straight from the motherland.
I still think about the bottle we k*lled
that night we went
to see the Perseids meteor shower.
- You don't remember?
- No, I was just...
thinking how long ago it seems.
Yeah.
We were so young.
With grand plans for the future.
Well, some of us still have.
I know.
I worry about you, Gabriel.
Some of the decisions
you've been making recently have been...
- troubling.
- Well, w*r doesn't provide
too many opportunities for niceties.
You're pushing this crew.
You're putting the ship in harm's way.
You've been ignoring orders.
I'm in the front line, Kat.
You gotta make decisions in a second,
sometimes less.
Which is why Starfleet needs you
at your best.
- I'm not sure we're getting it.
- I'm not sure the Klingons would agree.
I'm not talking about your record.
I'm talking about you.
I don't think you've been the same
since the Buran.
Hmm.
I passed every test.
Cleared for duty every time.
But you know that, don't you, doc?
Yes, I've... read your psych evals.
- You passed with flying colors.
- So, what's really the problem?
Less than a week ago,
you were being tortured.
Now you're back in the chair.
How do you feel about that?
Are we in session?
I didn't know you were practicing again.
'Cause...
if I have your undivided attention...
for 50 minutes...
I can think of a whole bunch
of other things we could be doing.
Laying in a course back to Discovery.
- No, you're not.
- He actually is, though.
- I'm not leaving here without Sarek.
- Those are not my orders.
Hey.
Sarek keeps blocking me.
I can't fight you, too.
All right. What can we do?
I don't know.
His thoughts are fixed
on my graduation day,
but the emotions from that memory
- are too difficult for me to handle.
- Maybe it's hard for him, too.
Or not. He's a Vulcan.
Why is he thinking of your failure?
Where's the logic in that?
I've been close to death.
Right up next to it.
You don't think about who's failed you.
None of that matters.
You think about who you love.
What you wish you'd done differently.
What does he wish he'd done differently?
I'm going back in.
She cannot thrive in the Vulcan service.
Sarek.
You continue to demonstrate
an inability to learn.
- You cannot defeat me.
- What are you hiding?
What don't you want me to see?
Is it worth dying over?
I can save you, Sarek.
But you have to let me into your mind.
Let me in. You had faith in me once.
I'm asking you to have faith
in me again.
I never lost faith in you.
The failure on this day...
was mine, and mine alone.
I will show you.
The Expeditionary Group has examined
Graduate Burnham's application
- with great interest.
- Acceptance with honors is her due.
By conventional decision parameters, yes.
Your hesitation is to do with her nature?
Certainly, her nurture is unquestionable.
I have created in her a being
of exquisite logic
to rival the best of our species.
An accomplishment you have achieved
not once but twice.
Your ward, Michael, and your son, Spock.
What has my son
to do with this situation?
He has not yet begun his studies
at the Science Academy.
Upon completion, he will apply
to the Vulcan Expeditionary Group,
and then there will be not one
but two non-Vulcans in its ranks.
- Spock is...
- Half-Vulcan.
Another of your experiments.
The integration of humans
into our culture is an admirable goal,
but it must be titrated.
In honor of your position
and reputation...
I will accept one...
of your not-quite-Vulcans.
You... ask me to make
an impossible choice.
Your reaction to this is quite illogical
and suggests a conclusion
based on emotion.
You chose Spock over me.
Didn't you?
You were forced into that decision.
Why not tell me the truth?
Spock went against my wishes...
and joined Starfleet
over the Vulcan Expeditionary Group.
The choice I made merited nothing.
What would be gained
by telling you that?
Instead, you made me believe
I failed you.
You manipulated me.
Do you have any idea
what living with that lie did to me?
I did not.
But I do now.
I failed you, Michael Burnham.
And for that, I have...
so much...
Shame?
Yes.
Show me how to save you
like you saved me.
My mind to your mind.
My thoughts to your thoughts.
Wake up, Sarek. Tell us where you are.
I got his transponder.
You did it.
I'm sorry. I'm not used
to having anyone in my bed.
You sleep with a phaser in your bed,
and say nothing's wrong?
- Kat...
- All these months...
I have ignored the signs,
but I can't anymore.
The truth is,
you are not the man I used to know.
- Of course I am.
- I'm not like the rest at Starfleet,
blinded by your victories.
You lied on those psych evaluations.
And you did it so brilliantly
you fooled everyone.
That what you're doing here?
Came to evaluate me yourself?
I have watched you change
these last months.
It's upsetting.
- Kat...
- Now I see,
it's worse than I even thought.
Your behavior is pathological.
That's what tonight was, right?
Trying to get me to back off?
It sure wasn't what it was like before.
But this is bigger than us.
You said it yourself.
We're at w*r.
I can't leave
Starfleet's most powerful w*apon
in the hands of a broken man.
Don't take my ship away from me.
She's all I got. Please, I'm begging you.
You're right.
It's been harder on me than I let on.
I lied about everything, and I need help.
I hate that I can't tell
if this is really you.
Captain,
Lieutenant Tyler has just returned.
They have Ambassador Sarek,
but he is severely wounded.
On my way to sick bay.
He'll live. But Dr. Culber says he can't
meet the Klingons in this condition.
The window for the talks closes
in a few hours.
Even if the Federation wanted to step in,
they couldn't get there in time.
Admiral Cornwell could.
I mean, we're already halfway there.
She could take an envoy,
small enough so as not
to rattle the Klingons.
I know her.
She'd do anything
to keep the chance of peace alive.
You did well, Burnham.
You should be proud.
Much as it would displease
my Vulcan mentor,
I'm feeling a lot of emotions right now.
I'm not sure pride is one of them.
But I do wanna thank you.
Sir. You didn't have
to mount this rescue mission for Sarek.
I didn't do it for him.
I need a team around me
that's gonna help me carry the day.
And that includes you.
So I'd like to make it official.
There's a post waiting for you
on the bridge. Science specialist.
- Don't even think about saying no.
- I accept.
Good.
I'm grateful...
to serve under a captain like you.
Any available offload team to cargo bay 5.
Good to see your strength returning.
It is...
unfortunate that I will not be able
to continue my mission of peace.
What do you recall of your rescue?
Of what transpired between us?
I was unconscious, was I not?
You know what happened.
You could talk to me about it.
Help me understand what you did.
It could make us grow closer,
not further apart.
That's what families do.
Technically, we are not related.
You can do better.
But I won't push you.
We'll have this conversation one day.
Father.
I don't wanna ruin your career.
But when I return,
we'll talk about how you step down.
And after you get some help,
maybe we'll get you back in that chair.
Well, may fortune favor the bold, Admiral.
Good luck with your negotiation.
Attention all B deck crew,
transpo drill has been canceled.
Shaving off my time.
I gave you bad advice.
There are a million ways
to get to the captain's chair.
Find your own.
I have.
Green tea.
Exceptional source of antioxidants,
alkaloids, and amino acids.
How's your Vulcan dad?
Stubborn and impenetrable...
as always.
He claims he doesn't remember
any of the mind-meld.
Well, good thing I was there, then.
Mind-witness.
I always knew I could never be
who he wanted me to be.
But I realized today...
that it goes both ways.
I'll never get from him what I want,
either.
That's tough.
It's okay.
Part of me feels unburdened.
Still, I'm sorry.
For that other part of you.
Thank you.
All my life...
the conflict inside me has been
between logic...
and emotion.
But now it's my emotions
that are fighting.
I think about him and I wanna cry.
But...
I have to smile.
And I feel angry...
but I wanna love.
And I'm hurt, but there's hope.
What is this?
Ah...
It's just... being human.
Michael Burnham.
Pleased to meet you.
Ash Tyler.
- We've met.
- Have we?
Let's try it again.
CANCRI IV NEUTRAL TERRITORY
Greetings from
the United Federation of Planets.
Unfortunately,
Ambassador Sarek is unable to attend.
I'm Admiral Cornwell
and will speak in his place.
Thank you to the elders of Cancri 4
for hosting this meeting.
We hope it is the first step
toward creating new alliances.
We are certain it will be.
Are you there, General Kol?
I am indeed, Dennas.
And I am pleased to see
how you have taken care
of our Cancri hosts.
I was hoping
to get a high-ranking Vulcan,
but she is so much better.
You have proven yourselves worthy.
You shall be welcome
in my new United Klingon Empire
and will receive the ability
to cloak your ships as a result.
I look forward
to meeting you, Admiral.
It was a trap, sir.
Klingons have taken the admiral.
Their ships are en route to enemy space.
- Shall I...?
- Notify Starfleet Command.
Ask for orders.
- Is there a problem?
- No, sir.
Uh, just...
in the past... we have engaged
in alternative thinking on these matters.
What if we go after her
and it's another trap, Mr. Saru?
Did you consider that?
Starfleet can't afford to lose
the Discovery.
She's bigger than all of us.
If so ordered,
we will try and rescue the admiral,
but not without authorization.
I will hail Starfleet now, sir.