[narrator in Klingon] Previously on Star Trek: Discovery:
Yesterday we dined on the entrails of his brethren.
Today you seek his favor?
Transport our visitor to guest quarters on Deck 3.
- Tyler. - Is she alive?
[Saru] Specialist Burnham has returned safely.
[in Klingon] I end you in T'Kuvma's name.
- Can I...? - Focus on your recovery.
When I look at you now, I see Voq's eyes. I see him.
[Sarek] There is irony here.
The man you fell in love with was a Klingon.
Do not regret loving someone, Michael.
[Burnham] I need you to tell me, how did you defeat the Klingon Empire?
The Klingons are like cancer cells.
To root them out, you must destroy the tumor at its source.
The Klingon attack is imminent.
They're gathering forces to launch a strike on the Sol system.
We need to take it to them. At 2100 hours,
the USS Discovery will jump to the Klingon homeworld.
Allow me to introduce you to the person who will chart your course to Qo'noS.
Captain Philippa Georgiou.
[in Klingon] We have acquired the target.
[Klingons speaking indistinctly]
[Burnham] On the eve of battle on a cold and windless night,
an old general turned to a young soldier.
"Tomorrow, " said the master, "you will know fear."
The young soldier who had not yet experienced the agony of war
looked at the general with quizzical eyes.
"How will I know fear if I do not know what it looks like?"
The general replied,
"You will know fear because it speaks very fast
and it speaks very loud."
Status. Helm.
Bearing 94, mark 21, 12 light years from Klingon...
Do not show respect by referring to that green dot as "homeworld."
Klingons are animals and they don't have homes.
Call it Qo'noS, or the enemy planet. Ops.
Shields holding at 100 percent. Our scans show...
I have little interest in what we're scanning.
I care what's scanning us. Communications.
- Discovery is running dark, captain. - My favorite way to run.
[Burnham] If that is how fear acts, recognizing it is easy.
As the young soldier considered the general's advice,
she asked the question facing us now.
"Once I know fear, how do I defeat it?"
Specialist, I would appreciate your help with a glitch in the optical data network.
She does not embody Federation ideals. We're supposed to follow her orders?
The Federation put her here.
Burnham, I did not give you permission to leave your station.
What's wrong? Are you scared, Number One?
Where I'm from, there's a saying.
Scared Kelpien makes for tough Kelpien.
Have you gotten tough since we served together on the Shenzhou?
Affirmative, captain.
Very tough.
So much so that many find me simply unpalatable.
Mm, I don't know about that.
Where are you from, captain?
That saying about Kelpiens is so apt,
having experienced it firsthand. I wonder where it originated.
Don't be silly, Michael. You know I grew up in Malaysia.
But where exactly?
I went there with you once, but I can't remember the name.
Pulau Langkawi.
Right.
- Those beautiful beaches. - Indeed.
Let's take a walk.
Try to expose me again, and I'll lock you in the Brig.
Starfleet recruited a Terran. They are desperate.
The Federation had a problem. I offered them a solution
in exchange for my freedom.
And what's so bad about desperation?
You were desperate when you begged me to reveal how my empire beat the Klingons.
You instigate valiantly, then second-guess.
I read about your actions on the eve of the war.
You know your problem? No follow-through.
You should've killed my counterpart in her Ready Room,
attacked the Klingons, and then been a hero.
Tell me the real plan.
Never do that again.
Your Federation is losing.
The Klingon armada is already headed toward your homeworld.
My knowledge is giving you a fighting chance.
Are you with me or against me?
[door opens, then closes]
With you, captain.
You?
How? Our lord pierced your heart.
House T'Kuvma feasted on your flesh.
You have the wrong Philippa Georgiou.
Either way, I can tell you require seasoning.
My home.
There are seven chimneys on Qo'noS which lead into a dormant volcano system.
Of these, which is the best for a landing party to reach on foot?
I will tell you nothing.
This war ends when we crush you, united under T'Kuvma's call.
This war may rage on, but your war, your great dream of Klingon unification?
It's already lost.
[in Klingon] Go to hell, very small human.
You both talk too much.
- No! - Computer, reactivate containment field.
Control to my voice.
[grunting and shouting]
Tell me where my party should land.
[growls]
[grunting and shouting]
- Where? - [L'Rell yelling]
[coughing]
[laughing]
You have already lost.
[Georgiou shouts]
Enough!
[sighs]
There's another way.
[Georgiou] Admiral Cornwell briefed me on this half-breed.
I can see from a strategic standpoint its value as a weapon.
But as it's Klingon, it has been muted.
It is benign, useless to them, yet tarnished to the Federation,
so, what good is it to either side?
He has access to the Klingon's memories.
All I can see is who-knows-what playing with a string.
This is a bow line, it doesn't run, it doesn't slip.
It's the first thing I learned as a kid that made me, me.
Ties me to my past, who I am.
Voq's life, his memories, they're here, too.
Always with me.
I'm willing to share his knowledge. Not for you.
For...
Starfleet.
Do you want my help or not?
What do you know about the surface of Qo'noS?
The plan is to use a drone with rock-penetrating surveillance systems
to map the surface and identify military targets
in preparation for a full-scale attack.
Unfortunately, the cave Discovery will hide in
isn't connected to the dormant volcanoes. In order for the mapping drone to work,
it has to be introduced into one of these. As you're aware,
information regarding Qo'noS is virtually non-existent.
We're depending on black-market surveys acquired
by the Vulcans over a century ago.
This chimney's in the high council chamber.
All hybrid arrogance, that place. This one's now flooded by the river Skral.
Here, this is your best bet, the safest access point for the drone.
Centuries ago when the caldera was active, these vents were shrines.
Live sacrifices were thrown in to honor Molor.
When Kahless defeated Molor, those temples were abandoned, built over.
The ones that remained were shielded to make them impossible to find with sensors.
You'll have to do the leg work yourself.
What's there now?
The land was given to the Orions,
who built an embassy outpost over the ruins.
In my world, the Orions are delinquents, pirates, slave traders.
- It's not much different in ours. - Excellent.
He will accompany us and help us sniff out what we're after.
Will that be a problem?
- No. - No...
captain.
I looked over the crew manifest. There's somebody else I want with us.
Enter.
I am so pleased to see you, Tilly.
Thank you, I have heard and read so much about you.
Michael can attest, I always ask about Captain Georgiou.
Seeing your face reminds me of the great fun the two of us had.
Subjugating the Betazoids,
wiping out Mintaka Ill.
- Oh, she's not... - No.
So, she's from...
Mm.
You're the Terran emperor.
- Don't do that. - [Georgiou] You look so much like her.
Younger, maybe.
But all that killing ages a person.
- These are hideous, of course. - I know. [chuckles] What is happening?
She requested you for the landing party.
Oh, just so you're clear,
I'm not the same person I was in your universe.
Don't be so sure, Killy.
You will have the honor of carrying the mapping drone.
Go to quarters, dress as lowlives.
We need items to trade, so as to seem legitimate.
Gabriel must have found something interesting lying around in this universe.
You gonna be okay down there?
You don't need to worry about me.
- Ready, Lieutenant Stamets? - [Stamets] First an alternate universe,
now a Klingon cave on a hundred-year-old map.
Ready as can be, Mr. Saru.
- Black alert. To Qo'noS, please. - Aye, captain.
[computer] Black alert.
Black alert.
Shields holding.
Stabilizer beams are compensating for the planet's gravitational pull.
Am I good or what?
We are aboard and steady. You are clear to transport.
Energize.
- [Tilly] Not a lot of humans around here. - Except the dregs from our race.
Exactly, the Orions here aren't likely to trust us or give up any information.
[chattering]
Keep walking, Federation. No one wants you here.
Tilly.
Insult her again, your nose will be able to sniff the back of your head.
We're here to make a deal.
Show her the stash. Tell her what she's looking at.
Nausicaan disrupter pistols.
Latest spec, paralithium cell, with beam and pulse-firing mode.
Polyalloy casings, making it all but invisible to security screeners.
Two thousand darseks.
Let's see what else you got.
All this arms dealing has my appetite up.
Anyone else hungry? Anyone? Michael?
Greetings.
- Two, please. - What is that?
I have no idea. I wanted to talk to you.
I intuited.
- Any idea what she might be up to? - No.
All we can do is watch her and make sure she stays on mission.
I, um... I realize how hard this must be for you.
But I got your back.
Thank you.
- What is that? - Delicious.
- It's a space whale. - Gormagander?
Enough distractions. We're not here for bread and circuses.
[man in Klingon] Get out!
All of you!
On second thought, the circus is where we'll start.
- So, what should we...? - Shh.
I knew your whole universe couldn't be boring.
Use this. We'll be more effective if we split up.
Buy information, whatever gets us to that shrine.
Hmm. How much for a little me time?
Over there.
Bring your friend.
No, no. That's, uh, very generous. I think I'll stay out here. [chuckles]
She's not for you. Guard the drone.
[Klingons laughing and snarling]
[Tyler] Maybe they can lead us to the shrine.
[Burnham] If they'll talk to us.
[Tyler] The game is called t'Sang. Translates to "obliterate them."
- You know how to play? - I think I do.
And I think I'm good at it.
I mean, Voq was good at it. He was a decent gambler.
He felt the numbers always fell his way,
as if the universe was making up for his bad luck.
Like what?
He was born with a mutation that made his skin translucent white.
The others considered him a freak.
[in Klingon] What are you doing here, human?
Spying for the Federation?
[in Klingon] No, I'm looking to take a few hundred darseks from losers like you.
Let's begin your humiliation.
Do you have cash to play, little boy with a big mouth?
Out of my way.
[woman] Place your bets.
- Croupier! - Red. Red.
New player goes first.
Two! Two!
Victory! Destroy him!
Two!
Victory! Owned!
[laughing and shouting]
[man] Join me.
Thank you.
- Smoke? - Oh, that's so sweet. No, thank you.
I have a very narrow esophagus. It's strange but true.
So, that's bad for that. I'm not...
- [man] Get her out. - I would love some.
Just a little bit.
[chuckles]
Inhale.
Do you think, um...? Do you think I got...?
[laughing]
I got nothing. None of them know about an ancient shrine.
You won everyone over quickly.
A human speaking Klingon amuses them. Might as well be a dog on water skis.
- Is that an old Klingon saying? - No, I just made it up.
- I like to water ski. - You have a boat. I remember.
You raced out of there quick.
Are you all right?
I never told you about my parents, what happened to them.
No.
I mean, I... I've heard things.
I never wanted to push.
They were stationed at a human-Vulcan science outpost at Doctari Alpha.
[sighs]
My mom and dad had planned a family vacation to Mars.
But... I begged them to stay for three more days,
so I could witness a nearby star go supernova.
Then the Klingons attacked.
My dad tried to barricade the kitchen door,
while my mom hid me in a cabinet.
And I couldn't see, but I could hear everything.
They killed my dad first.
That was quick.
They took longer with my mom.
And when it was over, they sat down.
At our table.
Ate dinner, our dinner.
And they were talking, and laughing.
And just now, all that laughter...
How could you not hate them?
- And me, for what I've become. - It would be so much simpler if I could.
I look around here and I just...
I see people living their lives.
Maybe it's not normal to us, but in their own way, ordinary.
The emperor was wrong. This is a home.
If we give the Federation targets to attack, it won't ever be the same.
I can see both sides.
Literally.
The side I've chosen is where you stand,
where it's possible to feel compassion and sympathy for your enemy.
I can guarantee no Klingon ever felt that way toward you.
You did.
You see that?
Burning an extra drink, setting it on fire.
That's a step specific to the followers of Molor.
There's a chance they know about that shrine.
[Tyler speaks in Klingon]
Did you enjoy yourself?
- Did you? - I learned so many new things.
- We shouldn't charge you. - But we have to charge you.
Perhaps if you teach me something new, it will be fair trade.
Where is the shrine of Molor?
Hey, stop. Hey, stop. Shame on you.
You were asleep. I'm Orion.
What did, uh, we inhale?
My mouth tastes like... sulfur and ash.
Volcanic vapor, straight from the source.
Yeah, but not really, right? All the volcanoes here are extinct.
Oh, no, they're alive.
How's the drone gonna get down there? The heat will destroy it.
Give me that.
Oh, shit. That's not a drone.
Tilly to Burnham.
- Go ahead, Tilly. - First of all, um... So, I'm very high.
Uh, but you need to listen to me. There are active volcanoes beneath us now.
And the drone... Also, that's not a drone. It's, like, a hydro bomb.
- We keep them on the Discovery... - What did you say about a hydro bomb?
[grunts]
Tilly?
Cadet, respond.
I know where to find the shrine.
What's wrong?
It's Tilly.
A hydro bomb? What damage can it do?
Detonated into an active volcanic system, it's just apocalyptic.
A phreatic eruption, water flashes into steam, triggers a massive explosion.
Land masses directly over the reaction center will be vaporized.
Ash will fill the atmosphere within weeks. Qo'noS will be uninhabitable.
This was the plan all along.
- Burnham to Discovery. - [Saru] Go ahead.
Georgiou is about to instigate a catastrophic natural disaster.
She may already be in the shrine. Can you get a transporter lock on her?
[Saru] Affirmative. However, beaming her out is not an option.
The shrine's shields make it unsafe for biological transport.
- What about the bomb? Can you get it? - [Saru] We're too late.
The signal's fading.
We must contact Starfleet.
Sir, I think she's following Starfleet's orders.
[clicks]
I need to talk to Admiral Cornwell.
Is this how Starfleet wins the war?
Genocide.
You wanna do this here? Fine.
Terms of atrocity are convenient after the fact.
The Klingons are on the verge of wiping out the Federation.
Yes, but ask yourself,
why did you put this mission in the hands of a Terran,
and why the secrecy?
- Because you know it's not who we are. - It very soon will be.
- We do not have the luxury of principles. - That is all we have, admiral.
A year ago... I stood alone.
I believed our survival was more important than our principles.
I was wrong.
Do we need a mutiny today to prove who we are?
We are Starfleet.
What is it you're suggesting?
[Burnham] Change of plans.
Really?
- Says who? - Deactivate the detonator, Philippa.
Your freedom is still granted. Here's the proof.
[scoffs, then chuckles]
You talked them out of it, didn't you?
A planetary slaughter? Yes.
Oh, don't be so dramatic.
When I did this in my universe, it didn't wipe out the Klingons.
A decent number should be able to save themselves.
Plus they'll have an advantage: no Terran ships firing on them
- as they try to escape. - Turn it off.
Has it ever occurred to you that I was doing this for you?
By ending the war,
I set you free from the guilt and pain you carry because of it.
- Not buying it. - [scoffs] Worth a try.
- You really are nothing like my Georgiou. - No, and I never have been.
She's dead, Michael.
- There are no second chances. - No, I suppose not.
I do like you.
Why not join me? The bomb is in position. We have the detonator.
Starfleet and Klingon alike will be at our mercy.
I had much the same thought. Give it to me.
[phaser powering up]
Take your freedom... in exchange for the detonator,
or try to escape my ship and its crew,
and be hunted by the Federation for the rest of your days.
[chuckles] You think your Federation scares me?
Not particularly.
But the only way you're gonna get past me is to kill me.
[phaser powering up]
So, you have to watch me die. Again.
And did I mention being hunted for the rest of your days?
[groans, then phaser powering down]
The detonator is coded to my bioprint.
- Would you like it recoded to yours? - Not to mine, no. All clear.
What is this?
This is the place the Federation crushed the Klingons.
We planted a bomb in the heart of your homeworld.
Qo'noS will be destroyed.
- You bring me here to gloat? - [Burnham] No.
To offer you an alternative.
Klingons respond to strength.
Use the fate of Qo'noS to bend them to your will.
Preserve your civilization, rather than watch it be destroyed.
But...
I am no one.
You once told Voq that you didn't want the mantle of leadership.
[in Klingon] I am the torchbearer.
The one who lights the way for the leader.
Voq has always believed in you, L'Rell.
[in English] Time for you to leave the shadows.
- I'll leave you to it, then. - Be good, Philippa.
Or you'll come for me?
Make sure I don't have to.
Isik for your thoughts.
I always wanted to find out what one was. I never did.
L'Rell's arranged for a transport to a Mókai ship.
- They're in for a surprise. - It's not the human way
to make a message heard, but it's the Klingon way.
I'm going with her.
It's true what the emperor said.
I'm no good for either side. I...
Maybe I can be good for both.
- I've never been great at goodbyes. - Neither am I.
I've had too many of them.
Michael, in spite of everything that happened to you,
your capacity to love... literally saved my life.
I'm gonna miss looking at you.
I see you, Ash.
In your eyes.
Only you.
Thank you.
[sobs]
[communicator beeps]
Burnham to Discovery. One to transport.
[in Klingon] T'Kuvma knew that the most powerful empire was a united empire.
Twenty-four houses working as one.
He believed the quickest way to bring us together was war with the Federation.
But in this fight, we have lost our way.
A new leader is needed to fulfill my lord's vision.
I am that leader.
[all laughing]
[detonator beeping]
In my hand, I hold the fate of the Klingon homeworld.
Of the Klingon Empire itself.
We are proud.
We are honorable.
And we will be one again.
You will throw down your arms
or you will suffer the consequences.
The choice is yours.
The reunification of our race begins now.
[Burnham] Earth, Andor, Tellar, Vulcan.
Every planet of the Federation
has made the odyssey out of darkness into light.
So, too, have the Klingons. The war is over.
There were triumphs.
Victories of spirit.
Courage beyond reason.
But make no mistake, these were bleak times.
Times we cannot repeat.
Times we cannot forget.
Isik for your thoughts.
- What is an isik? - Oh, I don't know.
Something my mother used to say to me.
Thank you for coming. I'm glad to see you.
Is everything okay?
When I was growing up, you told me not to forget my humanity.
I didn't know what that meant. I didn't know how to do it.
I didn't even know why I would want to.
I get it now.
So, thank you. For not giving up on me.
That's what mothers do.
- Michael. - Father.
What the Federation chose to do on Qo'noS was unprincipled,
and I had a part in it.
The Klingons made it clear, they would fight us to extinction.
You were desperate to save us. I know the feeling all too well.
And yet... you were able to find another way.
I am not alone in finding your commitment to Starfleet's ideals commendable.
I asked if I may give it to you.
Your record has been expunged.
Your pardon by the president of the Federation is official.
Commander Burnham.
The Federation is as grateful to you as I am... to my daughter.
Your mother will stay in Paris for a few days,
I will travel with Discovery to Vulcan.
We're picking up your new captain there.
I'm glad we'll make the journey together.
We are no longer on the eve of battle. Even so, I ask myself the same question
that young soldier asked the general all those years ago.
How do I defeat fear? The general's answer:
"The only way to defeat fear is to tell it no."
No, we will not take shortcuts on the path to righteousness.
No, we will not break the rules that protect us from our basest instincts.
No, we will not allow desperation to destroy moral authority.
I am guilty of all these things.
Some say that, in life, there are no second chances.
Experience tells me that this is true.
But we can only look forward. We have to be torchbearers,
casting the light, so we may see our path to lasting peace.
We will continue exploring,
discovering new worlds, new civilizations.
Yes, that is the United Federation of Planets.
Today we honor Ensign Sylvia Tilly.
Accepted into Starfleet Command training program.
Yes, that is Starfleet.
[Cornwell] Lieutenant Commander Paul Stamets, Medical Officer Hugh Culber.
Yes, that is who we are.
[Cornwell] Commander Saru, first Kelpien to receive the medal of honor.
And who we will always be.
[all cheering]
[Tilly] Never been to Vulcan.
[Burnham] If there's time, I'll show you around.
It's strange that we're not jumping to Vulcan.
Well, Starfleet has committed to finding a non-human interface.
Until that happens, I'm happy to go the old-fashioned way.
[Tilly chuckles]
- Captain on the Bridge. - Acting captain.
Take your stations.
You may consult with Science Officer Burnham later.
[Sarek] Thank you, Mr. Saru, for permitting me this small indulgence.
I never tire of seeing home.
Of course.
- Have we cleared the Sol system? - Yes, captain.
[Saru] Set course for Vulcan, and engage at maximum warp.
[Detmer] Aye, sir.
- Incoming transmission. - From whom?
I'm having trouble identifying it. It's a priority one distress call.
- Identify the source. - I'm getting a Federation ID code.
It's choppy. Trying to clean it up, sir.
- Helm, slow us down. - Dropping us out of warp.
This is Captain Saru
of the Federation starship Discovery. Please identify yourselves.
[radio static]
Hail's from Captain Pike.
It's the U.S.S. Enterprise.
[Original "Star Trek" Theme playing]