[narrator] Previously on Star Trek: Discovery:
[Book] Michael, I was on my way to the Bajoran exchange
when this guy sitting next to me... I think his black box
is one of the ones you're looking for.
It's on Hunhau, Emerald Chain territory. I won't be long.
This was three weeks ago.
If Book found a third black box and it shows the same variants,
the Burn didn't happen all at once. We have got to get to Hunhau.
-At the moment, we cannot. -Yes, sir.
You're the only one who'd say yes to going on an unsanctioned mission.
-Are you in or out? Georgiou? -You had me at "unsanctioned mission."
The spore drive's new and improved.
I redesigned it so you won't have to use those shunts.
A little gooey.
Commander Burnham left to pursue a mission of her own,
against my direct orders.
Sir, you know Michael is one of the people that I love most in this world,
but she made a choice, and now because of that,
you don't have one.
-You have to tell the admiral. -That is astute, ensign.
Commander Burnham's mission was 100 percent rogue.
Until we solve the mystery of how the Burn happened and why,
I believe the Federation will never be,
can never be brought back together again.
We'll see what your intel brings, commander.
I will leave it up to you, captain,
to determine the consequences of her insubordination.
As of now, you're relieved of your duty as my Number One.
You will restrict yourself to chief science officer duties only.
[dramatic music playing]
[Burnham] Personal log, supplemental.
Even after a year of finding my way alone,
I truly believed I could find a way to fit back into this uniform,
on to this ship.
Now I'm not so sure.
I've become someone new.
Still just as committed to the Federation, to my friends,
but there's a distance between us now.
I'll never be at peace until I solve the Burn,
but I don't know if I can do it from Discovery.
This may not be my home anymore.
I don't know what that means...
or where it will lead me.
[tender music playing]
When are we getting out of here?
You really hate it.
[Book] "Hate" is a strong word.
But I'm also living on the Shuttlebay of a Federation starship,
and no one knows what to make of me.
Let's acknowledge this isn't a long-term situation.
-Where would we go? -Space.
-Mmm. And what about--? -The Burn?
Yeah.
The biggest, most dangerous cosmic puzzle of all time?
Have you always been this way?
My brother...
he called me on it.
How I take responsibility for everything.
Sounds like we'd have gotten on, me and your brother.
-Is that right? -Yeah.
We'd bond over your endearing messianic complex.
Hmm. Says the man who risks his life to save helpless creatures.
-Oh, yeah. -Mm.
Hey.
-Saru, uh... -Demoted me. Yeah.
Hey, um...
you put me in a really horrible position with Saru and with the admiral
when you went off on your own.
Would've been so much worse if I had told you.
My choice.
Not yours.
I'm sorry, Tilly.
This transition has been difficult for all of us.
I had to go.
I had to.
The truth is...
I don't know how I fit in anymore.
One one-millionth of a microsecond. You were right. That was the difference.
The U.S.S. Yelchin, the first black box you found,
when the Burn happened, it lost contact
at precisely 81986 mark 272139.
And now the Gav'Nor, a thousand light-years away,
lost contact one one-millionth of a microsecond later.
-The Giacconi? The recorder Book found? -Computer's still working on it.
With this data, we can triangulate and pinpoint the source of the Burn.
In two dimensions, maybe, but in three-dimensional space,
that leaves an area far too large to explore in several lifetimes.
So, we have to narrow it down.
-Somehow, we need to find more data. -Well, I flagged this...
when I was going through Federation databases,
it's an experiment, SB-19.
They spread sensors across dozens of light-years of subspace.
-They had a front-seat view of the Burn. -SB-19 reported no findings.
Either the sensors didn't record anything...
-Unlikely. -Or they didn't make their results public.
-The admiral might have access to it. -He's not my biggest fan right now.
This is bigger than you, bigger than him. It's bigger than everybody, heh, it's...
[suspenseful music playing]
What if you hadn't made it back?
What would I do?
[computer] Analysis complete.
The Giacconi lost contact
seven one-millionths of a microsecond after the Yelchin.
That confirms it.
[Vance] You're telling me these three ships were destroyed by the Burn
at different times?
[Burnham] The difference is in millionths of a microsecond,
but, yes, there is a difference.
Son of a bitch.
Are you familiar with an experiment called SB-19?
[woman speaking on PA indistinctly]
-We can't access it. -Why?
It's Ni'Var.
You'd know it by its former name, Vulcan.
Vulcans? The Vulcans changed their name?
It's not just the Vulcans who live there. They share the planet with the Romulans.
The Romulans were considered enemies in our time.
And for a long time after,
until Ambassador Spock brought them back.
History forgot this in your time,
but the Vulcans and the Romulans were two tribes of the same species
that went their separate ways.
Your brother started the process of reunifying them.
And he succeeded.
It took centuries after his death, but yes.
But the Vulcans always shared their research with the Federation.
[Vance] Maybe in the past,
but Ni'Var left the Federation nearly a hundred years ago.
[theme music playing]
[Burnham] Vulcan was one of the founding members of the Federation.
They would never abandon it. Must have been the Romulans.
No, the Romulans wanted to stay.
Even before the Burn, the Federation was running out of dilithium.
All member planets were ordered
to put their best scientists towards finding a solution.
Ni'Var's contribution was SB-19.
A system to transport starships thousands of light-years in an instant,
much like your spore drive.
-What happened? -Well, it was new technology.
Ni'Var's scientists felt, ultimately, that it was too dangerous.
And so they asked permission to shutter the program.
But it was the most promising dilithium alternative of the day,
so the Federation ordered them to proceed.
They think they caused the Burn?
No.
They think we forced them to cause the Burn.
[dramatic music playing]
So, they left the Federation and kept the SB-19 data from us.
Sir...
we have proof the Burn had a different origin.
I don't think any claims of proof will make any difference.
-They're convinced they're right. -Well, perhaps, then,
this new information would be sufficient to reopen diplomatic relations.
We have to tell them. There must be a way to get them to listen.
Spock's sister.
Sending Commander Burnham as our representative might tip the scales.
Admiral, I must inform you,
Commander Burnham was reprimanded for her insubordinate actions
and dismissed as my First Officer.
Insubordinate or not,
she's the only person who could open that door,
and with this new information--
Sir, I don't think I can genuinely represent the Federation right now.
[Vance] Find a way.
I'll bring the diplomatic corps into the loop.
And I'll send a full report to Ni'Var, headline:
"Michael Burnham is coming."
[Burnham] Listen to me, little brother.
This is the last advice I'll ever be able to give you.
There is a whole galaxy out there
full of people who will reach for you.
You have to let them.
Reach for them.
[exhales]
[computer] Ambassador Spock, circa stardate 45825.
Coordinates redacted, retrieved from classified archive.
The personal files of Admiral Jean-Luc Picard.
[Burnham] Play.
Closed minds have kept these two worlds apart for centuries.
We can choose to live with that enmity or seek a way to change it.
The union of the Vulcan and the Romulan people
will not be achieved by politics or by diplomacy.
But it will be achieved.
Like the first Vulcans, these people are struggling
for a new enlightenment.
And it may take decades or even centuries for them to reach it,
but they will reach it.
And I must help.
[tender music playing]
You know, I never let myself look back to find out who he became.
You guys are chronic overachievers.
How am I gonna do this, Book?
It's possible that a person who has a complex relationship with the future
is the exact right person to do this job.
I am sure you have heard.
I dismissed Commander Burnham as my First Officer.
Must've been very difficult, sir.
I would like you to serve as my acting First Officer
until I find a permanent replacement.
What? Sir, what?
[Tilly chuckles]
I never completed the Command Training Program.
You traveled through a wormhole 930 years into the future.
I am confident in saying your experience now exceeds the parameters
designed for the Command Training Program.
Sir, I'm an ensign. I--
I'd be responsible for lives.
Part of leadership is the acknowledgment that one is suited to it.
Many members of our crew have struggled with all that has changed.
I have watched you rise to the occasion.
I believe you can help them rise as well.
And I believe you will always put the needs of Starfleet and the Federation
ahead of your own wishes.
Sir, are you asking me because I'm qualified
or because I'm compliant?
I'm asking because I believe this is in the best interest of our ship.
Take a day to think about it.
Now let us jump to Ni'Var.
Status report, please.
Coordinates locked in. All hands ready to jump to Ni'Var.
-HQ confirms that Ni'Var is expecting us. -[Saru] Very well.
The people of Ni'Var have not been visited
by a Federation starship in nearly a century.
Let us remind them who we are
and how important they are to us.
Black alert.
[alarm wailing]
[dramatic music playing]
[Detmer] Sir, we are in Lagrange one for Ni'Var, formerly the planet Vulcan.
-Incoming transmission. -Open the channel.
I am T'Rina, president of Ni'Var.
[Saru] Greetings.
I am Saru of the U.S.S. Discovery.
The Federation sent word you're en route using a unique propulsion system.
I presume that is how you evaded our long-range sensors?
I assure you, we were not attempting to evade.
Discovery is equipped with a system
that allows us to travel across the mycelial network.
We've been briefed regarding the special circumstances of Discovery's crew...
and your special passenger.
Greetings, Madam President.
I am Michael Burnham, daughter of Sarek,
sister of Spock.
It is an honor to greet you.
I only wish Ambassador Spock could see the fruits of his labor as you do now.
I do believe he would find it all fascinating.
I would be pleased to speak further, but first, we must dispense
with the Federation's request for data related to SB-19.
We found significant new evidence related to the cause of the Burn.
SB-19 can help us with that.
SB-19 is an issue of great cultural and political sensitivity here.
Our inquiry is entirely scientific in nature.
Even science cannot be separated from cultural and political context.
There are always implications, as Spock himself learned.
Ni'Var struggles with the delicate balance of reunification,
which became more complicated after the Burn.
Any theory Commander Burnham is developing could tear open old wounds,
and we cannot afford that at this time.
-Madam President-- -Permission to access SB-19 is denied.
If you persist in requesting it,
I will have to be content with observing your spore drive in action
as you return to Federation headquarters.
Madam President, do the people of Ni'Var still honor any of the old ways,
in matters of scientific inquiry?
They do.
Then as a graduate of the Vulcan Science Academy,
I respectfully invoke the T'Kal-in-ket.
[tense music playing]
I will convene a quorum.
Commander?
Vulcans have engaged in T'Kal-in-ket since the time of Surak.
T'Kal-in-ket is a philosophical process designed to unearth deep truths,
credited as being one of the engines that led to Vulcan scientific advancement.
And once invoked,
the request cannot be denied.
So, you gave her no choice?
[Burnham] It's the only way we'll have that data.
This could help us solve the Burn.
What is the protocol?
I'll have to defend my hypothesis before the Science Institute.
I assume you are prepared.
Of course, sir.
Welcome to Discovery.
A special chamber has been prepared for the T'Kal-in-ket.
Madam President,
uh, will you permit me to give you a tour of our vessel?
You can forego the niceties, captain.
Your commander has already diplomatically forced me into a corner.
-Your shalankhkai will arrive momentarily. -My shalankhkai?
An ancient Romulan designation.
Vulcans know it as sha-set.
Ah, my advocate.
What's new since your time is that only sisters from the Qowat Milat order
can serve as advocates.
Forgive me, I'm not familiar with the Qowat Milat.
[T'Rina] The Qowat Milat are an ancient Romulan sect
that live and die by the precept of absolute candor.
A necessary outgrowth of a Romulan culture that trafficked in secrets.
They were essential in helping our ancestors trust one another
during the early days of reunification.
Today, they enable us to have a healthy discourse on the planet.
It's an ancient story, isn't it?
My people's fates are so intertwined and they are so similar in profound ways,
yet they do not trust each other.
I apologize for forcing your hand. I meant no disrespect.
You are brave.
And, technically, a citizen of Ni'Var.
You are within your rights,
but I'm sure you are aware that a classic tactic during T'Kal-in-ket
is to ruthlessly assail the credibility of the challenger.
I am aware.
If you are not proved to be credible,
it will be known that Spock's sister returned to us a dissembler.
That will have real and grave consequences. Do you understand?
Yes, ma'am.
One Qowat Milat sister has taken a particular interest in your case.
I suspect you may have a particular interest in her as well.
She'll be transporting in momentarily.
Be honest,
especially to yourself.
[dramatic music playing]
Mom?
Michael!
Oh, I hoped, but I never...
[T'Rina] I was informed your jump to the future is not widely known,
even within Starfleet.
The admiral was concerned that it could be polarizing,
given the Temporal Accords.
Yet there was no other way to explain to you the presence of Spock's sister.
I confess, I am astonished at the risk taken by your crew.
-Duty called. -I am grateful for your courage.
What do you make of this future?
[Saru] Well, I am troubled
that the Federation is so reduced.
But I am heartened that those who remain are committed to its core values.
You sound quite certain of that.
I have seen their commitment to member and non-member worlds alike.
[woman on PA] All personnel, Cargo Bay 3...
Forgive me if I'm overstepping,
but I know the Federation feels the loss of Ni'Var keenly.
I do hope that our visit
and Commander Burnham's discussions with the quorum
will open new channels of diplomacy.
That would require far more than one visit, captain.
There had been numerous issues. SB-19 was merely the final blow.
I would like to hear about them, if I may.
[tender music playing]
-Did you ever make it to Terralysium? -No, landed right back on Essof IV.
[chuckles] Wasn't pretty.
Colonists brought me to the Qowat Milat, who healed me.
-You could use a bit of that yourself. -What makes you say that?
Well, you seem...
between places.
This must be some of that absolute candor I've heard about.
Actually, "between places" was my gentle way of saying "lost."
-Thought I'd ease you in. -I'm not lost.
Of course, I'm happy to be back, um, but...
But you learned to live
and maybe even like a different kind of life?
Yeah.
[Gabrielle] When I landed here, the sisters helped me learn
how to just be where I am.
However unsettling it may be.
[man on PA] Lieutenant Doss, please report to the bridge.
I don't think I fit in here anymore.
Hmph. And it also sounds like that terrifies you.
-Not as much as the T'Kal-in-ket. -Mm.
You bit off a lot this time.
I'm right.
I know I'm right about this.
The Burn.
With your help, we can convince them to give us the SB-19 data.
You won't convince them.
The sisters of the Qowat Milat bind themselves to lost causes,
and right now, there's no cause more lost than yours.
No. No, no, no.
The whole point of the T'Kal-in-ket is to hear facts and to use logic.
-They'll see. -[scoffs] What they need to see.
Just like the rest of us.
N'Raj is a Romulan elder who longs for greater self-governance.
V'Kir is the young leader of a sect of Vulcan purists.
Shira speaks for the Romulo-Vulcans who are trying to forge a new path here.
They all have their own truths, facts and logic that are vying for air.
Okay, then we appeal to V'Kir.
A Vulcan purist must at least respond to logic.
I'm here for you. I am your advocate.
But I would be betraying my sacred duty if I didn't tell you the truth.
You're walking in there with a lot of blind spots.
The scarcity of dilithium was caused in part
by the sheer size of the Federation.
To solve that problem, it stretched member worlds
beyond capacity and comfort.
In its desire to serve the many,
the Federation ignored the needs of the few.
Did your ancestors not coin the phrase:
"The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few"?
When the people of Vulcan welcomed the Romulans home,
we were forced to confront centuries of mistrust and brutality on both sides.
Over time and with much effort,
we earned the wisdom to know when to let go of maxims and proverbs.
Of course, but perhaps the Federation has acquired
a newfound wisdom of its own.
It has been my experience
that we learn our greatest lessons when we pay a heavy price.
You must admit, the Federation has paid most dearly.
The T'Kal-in ket is this way.
[gong ringing]
[suspenseful music playing]
Thank you, quorum members and peers, N'Raj, Shira and V'Kir.
Thank you, Qowat Milat Sister Gabrielle.
Our purpose here is the excavation of truth,
tested by the scientific rigors of logic and fact.
So, let us begin with the facts.
We've already received and reviewed the data around your presentation
and found it lacking.
I move to dismiss and end this quorum.
But, Peer V'Kir, you have not fully heard me out.
In deference to Ambassador Spock,
I prefer not to speak in such terms to you.
But I will point out the puerility in your findings.
Ni'Var Science Institute has never disputed
that there's a source of the Burn.
If that is your new theory,
there is no need to waste our time.
But you think that the Burn started here.
I have evidence that shows that cannot be true.
How long has the Federation had evidence of this?
A great deal of suffering may have been avoided.
I uncovered this last bit of evidence only days ago.
[V'Kir] Her findings are based on fractions of microseconds
on the Burn-destruction time stamps of three starships.
Across thousands of light-years, those numbers could've been skewed.
We have accounted for subatomic lensing.
Her miniscule sample size is inconsequential
compared to what the Ni'Var Science Institute has already collected.
-Then why won't you share that data? -[Shira] The data is sensitive in nature.
We cannot risk it falling into the wrong hands.
We cannot risk how the Federation may use it.
Carrying the weight of responsibility for the Burn
has created great hardship for our planet.
-If they can prove-- -Peer N'Raj,
given the unrest in your own province,
how can you dispute that knowledge in the wrong hands is a dangerous thing?
And, Peer Shira, how many additional resources
have the Vulcans spent
quashing insurgencies in the Romulo-Vulcan regions?
We cannot allow further unrest.
Peer V'Kir, my brother would have found it illogical
to sacrifice knowledge to avoid risk.
She invokes her own brother in an effort
to win us to her cause through emotional appeal.
This is a forum for logic, Commander Burnham.
If there is even a chance we aren't responsible for the Burn,
we must join the investigation and share our evidence.
I would be willing to consider that, but I'm not convinced of your motives.
I want the truth. Nothing more.
For whom?
For the Federation or yourself?
For all of us.
This is immaterial and beyond the scope of this debate.
I am the chair of this quorum, and I move to dismiss.
Peer V'Kir has made a motion to dismiss.
-Is there consensus? -There is not.
I'll abstain at this time.
Three quorum members, three opinions, no consensus.
Let us take a moment to adjourn to be in our thoughts.
None of these canisters should be empty.
-Take them to the storage bay. Please. -[man] Aye, commander.
What's that look?
I need to talk to you.
Saru asked me to be his acting First Officer.
So, that would make you my superior officer?
Yeah.
Position only, not in rank.
Most of this crew has more experience than me, so...
I guess I'm just, like, wondering, like, um, what you would think about...
me taking it.
Honestly, the notion of taking orders from you
is deeply, deeply weird.
Almost, uh, disturbing.
What's your ETA on recalibrating for the jump back?
Tell Detmer to relax. I'll be ready.
-I need to-- -Yeah. I know. Thank you. Sorry. Thanks.
[chamber opens]
[Burnham] V'Kir made up his mind before he set foot here.
He believes he's protecting his homeworld.
Engaging with you means moving closer to the Federation.
He's weighing that as well. They all are.
He claims to be a follower of Spock.
-That means seeking the truth. -He opened himself up and spoke the truth.
As did I. I'm being truthful.
Not as truthful as you were with me about whether or not you fit here.
-That's personal. -It's relevant.
I thought you were advocating for me.
What do you think I am doing?
But this is a lost cause? Right?
They are not the only audience in the room.
You are Qowat Milat
and you are my mother.
Tell them that you know me. Tell them I can be trusted.
I'm sorry.
Based on what you're not telling them, you cannot be trusted.
[suspenseful music playing]
[gong ringing]
[woman]TheT'Kal-in-ket resumes.
I...
I have presented data that I believe shows that the Burn
was not caused by SB-19.
However, it is true that...
I cannot be sure.
With humility, I ask for your help.
And we are telling you that the SB-19 data
definitively concludes that the Burn started here.
Why don't you believe us?
Commander Burnham, are you speaking on behalf of the Federation?
Yes, I am.
[Shira] Then everything you say must be weighted with that fact.
Ni'Var did not take the decision to leave the Federation lightly.
You are asking us to trust that they will not use our data unwisely,
that they will not resume the original experiment.
[audience murmuring]
That is a big ask.
I know.
But the Federation can be trusted.
She's asking this quorum to take what she says on faith.
She demands trust, while her own actions are cynical.
I only seek to share information that can better both of our futures.
And we should believe you?
Yes.
[Gabrielle] Because you are honest when you say
the Federation has Ni'Var's best intentions at heart?
Yes.
But your own story is completely incongruous to those assertions.
What?
Didn't you mutiny against your friend and mentor, Captain Philippa Georgiou,
at the Battle of the Binary Stars
so you could deal with the Klingons as you saw fit?
-Yes, but they-- -Didn't she ultimately die in that battle?
Yes.
[Gabrielle] Less than 48 hours ago,
you were relieved of your duty as First Officer again
for disobeying yet another direct command from yet another captain.
This is who the Federation sends us after nearly a century.
And just moments ago, she shared her misgivings with me
about whether or not she even belongs here.
-Isn't that true? -It's not that simple.
It is.
So, I will ask again.
Why does this quorum,
why does anyone have any reason to trust you or the Federation?
Distinguished Peers, let me speak truth to you because she is unable to.
She did not have the childhood I would've wished for her.
I orphaned her.
She may have grown up here, but she was never Vulcan.
She is human, through and through.
And being human, she is governed by emotion
and a desire to insinuate herself into certain matters of import
to fill an emotional void.
I maintain that that void has made her vulnerable to manipulation
by the Federation.
I am not being manipulated.
Then you admit to letting them exploit the fact that you're Spock's sister?
I would never disrespect my brother. You know that.
Your methods and motives are clouded. Even to yourself.
You demanded this quorum without resolving to be honest.
You thought I would not fulfill my duty to truth because I am your mother.
But you're mistaken.
[tense music playing]
Fine. There are things I didn't willingly share.
But as my Qowat Milat advocate, I demand that you confirm the truth.
Didn't the Federation give me a mission and a purpose?
-Yes. -Didn't the Federation
give me a place and a family?
-Yes. -Didn't my crew and I risk our lives?
And work together in the past to save all sentient life in the universe?
[Gabrielle] That is true.
And isn't it true that the only reason we are all sitting here today
is because the Federation gave the U.S.S. Discovery
the resources and the mandate to solve the biggest,
most troublesome problems in the galaxy?
Yes.
Didn't you see all of us, imperfect and flawed as we all are,
-still live up to its best ideals? -Yes, I did.
So, I may question and I may fear
because the problems often seem insurmountable.
-But haven't we always risen to meet them? -Yes.
Why don't you believe me when I say it is the greater good I am fighting for,
that I have always been fighting for?
Then why are you struggling with whether or not you belong here?
I don't know.
Maybe because the stakes are so much higher now.
Everything is different.
And every day, there's this fear,
this fear that I'm doing it wrong.
Like I'll destroy the people I love.
What if I lose everything and everyone?
After all we've sacrificed.
I know.
Now she speaks truthfully.
I thank you for your candor,
daughter.
I appreciate your sentiments, but candor will not prevent another Burn.
Our society only wants stability and peace.
Peer V'Kir, we are to determine
if we're going to share the SB-19 data based on scientific evidence.
We are not here to decide what our society wants.
Vulcans will choose whatever serves them best
and insist it is only logical.
If the Vulcans won't share their data, then the Romulans will.
[audience murmuring]
[Shira] My brothers!
Peer N'Raj, this is not the way.
What way do you know? You sit in the middle,
-trying to be everything and nothing. -Friends!
This is not what my brother would have wanted.
He revealed the connection between your cultures.
I implore you, don't lose that.
Clearly more tenuous than we'd realized.
-Perhaps it is already lost. -[Burnham] No.
No, it is not.
Spock believed you could create something bigger than yourselves.
That's what this quorum is.
That's what Ni'Var is.
That's what the Federation is.
[T'Rina] You represent the Federation,
yet you invoke Ambassador Spock, who left it behind.
Doesn't mean he didn't love it. Doesn't mean he wouldn't have returned.
How and if he understood love is something we can never know.
I think I might know.
The Burn nearly destroyed the Federation.
I will not add the peace of Ni'Var to its list of casualties.
I withdraw my request.
[rings]
What about the data?
I'll keep searching.
I'll send whatever I find to the Ni'Var Science Institute.
You can do with it what you want. I ask you for nothing.
But I am giving you my trust, as a member of Starfleet.
[dramatic music playing]
[door chimes]
[sighs]
Come in.
I got where you were going back there.
You could've picked a better time to do some parenting.
Is this what you were like as a 12-year-old?
You know, the first thing you told me after all this time...
was that you didn't know how you fit in with your family anymore.
Michael, you don't need to choose between the person you used to be
and the person you are now.
You shouldn't.
Duty and joy go hand in hand.
Duty is there so you can continue to pursue your happiness,
and joy is there
so that you have something real to fight for.
[tender music playing]
So, what now?
I told you there was another audience.
When President T'Rina saw you, when you let her see you,
she decided that trusting you was worth the risk.
And she also said she wondered how much of the man Spock became
was the result of who his sister was.
You're staying on Ni'Var, aren't you?
I can't be bound to you.
You're not a lost cause.
But I finally get a chance to say something to you
that I've wanted to say for a very long time.
You always know where to find me.
You wanted to see me?
-You told them? -Of course I told them.
I-- I haven't given an answer yet.
Say yes.
-But I-- -Say yes.
-Say yes.
-Just say it!
Really?
-Why? -Because...
we know you, and knowing you, we'd all follow you anywhere.
Saru made the right choice.
Well, I'm gonna need all of your help.
Of course. But first, we'd like to present a list of grievances and requests.
-[woman] Yes. -[Rhys] I need
two weeks' leave on Earth. A place called Hawaii.
Yeah, the head in my 'fresher's leaking, so...
I'd like quarters with a window.
I'd like you to assign someone to help me analyze all this SB-19 data.
-No. You got it? -[Burnham chuckles]
[Tilly] Oh! That's amazing!
I really wanted to tell you...
Oh, did I miss the cool "say yes" part?
I'm sorry I'm late.
-I just wanted your blessing. -No, you don't need that.
How can I make it easier?
You lead me.
Wait, you mean, you're not leaving?
I'm here for the duration.
[Burnham chuckles]
Commander Burnham,
I want you to take that data to the science lab immediately.
You are going to figure out what caused the Burn
and help to rebuild the Federation.
-Yeah. -Yes. Yes!
We all will.
Thought you were going to ask me to switch my bed to the other side.
Yeah, no, that's happening.
Oh, well, whatever you say, Number One.
[Tilly and Burnham laugh]
[T'Rina] Thank you, captain.
This has been...
quite different from what I expected.
That was a compliment.
Ah.
If I may...
I understand the situation on Ni'Var is complex.
Contemplating a future within the Federation
may be premature at this time.
However...
I would very much appreciate
the opportunity to continue our conversation.
As would I.
In time.
Thank you, Madam President.
Live long and prosper, Captain Saru.
[tender music playing]
-You got the data, didn't you? -I did.
And you're not leaving, are you?
No.
I belong here.
With this crew.
True believer, right?
What does that mean for you?
I don't know.
[purring]
You feel like home.
So do you.
[theme music playing]