'Star Trek: Discovery' recap: 'Will You Take My Hand?'

On the season finale of Star Trek: Discovery, Michael and a team go on a mission to Qo'noS in an attempt to save the Federation and stop the war.

Previously on Star Trek: Discovery, the Discovery crew arrived back in their own time period and learned what happened in their absence. Cornwell and Emperor Georgiou teamed up with a plan to stop the Klingons, with Georgiou taking over the Discovery as dead Georgiou.

“Will You Take My Hand” begins with the Klingons traveling towards Earth, while the Discovery travels towards the Klingon homeworld, Qo'noS. On the Discovery mirror, Georgiou asks the crew for updates and behaves sharply towards them, showing her Terran nature. Saru asks Michael for her help with a glitch, wanting to talk about Georgiou. Georgiou commands Michael back to her station and makes veiled threats to Saru. Michael then confronts Georgiou, trying to out her as mirror Georgiou.

Emperor Georgiou takes Michael off the bridge and the two talk. Michael asks to know the actual mission., Georgiou says the Klingons are almost to Earth and she is why the Federation has a chance.

Georgiou and Michael go to see L’Rell, who is understandably confused on how the Captain is alive. The Emperor questions L’Rell about what tunnels to take, but she refuses to help. Georgiou then attacks L’Rell in her containment room, but she still refuses. Michael makes her stop and says she has an idea and they go to see Tyler.

Tyler is sitting in his room, trying to tie a knot while a picture sits near to him sailing. He says tying the rope helps him remember his old life. Georgiou is terrible to him, calling him “it” and saying he is worthless. Tyler offers to help for Starfleet but looks at Michael when he says so.

The three look at a map of Qo'noS and Tyler tells them the best way to get in is underneath the Orion outpost. Georgiou wants Tyler to come along and says she has another person in mind. Tilly arrives happy to meet Michael’s mentor and is surprised when she realizes Georgiou is the Emperor. Georgiou says Tilly will carry the mapping drone equipment. She then commands them to dress for their undercover mission and says she will find something for them to take to pose as traders.

Dressed and ready to go, the team gathers in the transport room. Stamets readies himself for the jump and they go to black alert. They appear in the Klingon caves and the team transports to the surface. The Orion outpost is a hotbed of activity and they easily meet an arms dealer in the marketplace. Tilly pulls Michael aside to a food vendor, asking if she knows Georgiou’s real motives. Michael replies in the negative and says they must watch the woman. Tilly acknowledges how hard this must be for Michael. The others come over and they go to a club.

In the club, Georgiou sits in front of scantily clad dancers and tells the group to split up and buy information. Tyler and Michael leave and Georgiou takes a pair of dancers with her while telling Tilly to guard the equipment. Tilly wanders through the club, meeting a drugged up alien and takes him up on his offer of some kind of smoke so she is not thrown out. She inhales and falls over.

Meanwhile, Tyler and Michael find a group of aliens playing a game he recognizes. Voq was good at it and Michael tries to deal with her reactions to him talking about Voq’s past. He speaks Klingon with someone and joins the game. Michael watches and cannot stop thinking about Klingons and leaves.

Tyler finds Michael and says no one was able to help with his questions about the old shrine they are trying to find. The two talk and Michael tells him about her parents' death. She says her family had planned on going away but she wanted to see a supernova, then the Klingons attacked. While she hid they killed her parents, then ate the family’s dinner, laughing and chatting. She says she was reminded of that when they were in the other room. Michael cannot hate the Klingons completely and is concerned about the beings living their lives on the planet. He says Klingons would not have the same dilemma, but he did she replies.

Tyler sees some Klingons set their drinks on fire, saying that only followers of the shrine they are looking for do that before drinking. He goes to question the two Klingons.

Georgiou lounges with the male and female dancer. Then she questions them about the shrine at gunpoint. In another room, Tilly wakes to find the alien attempting to steal her case. She finds out what she inhaled came directly from the volcanos and is surprised, thinking they were dormant. Tilly wonders how the drone would survive because of the heat. She opens the case and finds a bomb. She calls Michael immediately, saying she is high but she needs to tell her she found out the drone is actually a bomb they keep on the ship. Georgiou appears and knocks Tilly out.

Michael and Tyler rush back to the club to find Tilly. She tells them the bomb will destroy the planet. Michael realizes this is the actual plan and alerts Saru. He says Discovery can find Georgiou, but cannot transport her because of the shrine’s shields. They cannot transport the bomb because Georgiou has already deployed it under the shrine. Saru says he will contact Starfleet, but Michael believes Georgiou is following Starfleet’s orders and wants to talk to Cornwell.

On the Discovery, Michael confronts a hologram call of Cornwell in front of the bridge crew. She admits the plan is Starfleet’s idea but says the Klingons are about to destroy the Federation. Michael accuses her of using Georgiou, a Terran to do their dirty work because they know it is evil. Cornwell claims they “do not have the luxury of principles,” while Michael yells “that is all we have.” Michael stands her ground that as Starfleet officers they must be better. Saru agrees and the rest of the crew follows. Cornwell asks what they suggest.

Michael goes to the shrine and tells Georgiou to deactivate the bomb. Georgiou is still promised her freedom if she complies. Georgiou says some Klingons survived in her world and then claims to be doing this to free Michael from some of her guilt. Michael calls her out on her lie and finally comes to terms with the fact that mirror Georgiou is nothing like her old mentor. Georgiou agrees but says she does like Michael and asks her to come along. Georgiou finally gives over the detonator after Michael says she will have to kill her and be forced to watch Michael die again.

When Michael gives the all clear, Tyler and L’Rell arrive Michael announces this is where the Federation won the war. She tells L’Rell about the bomb and Georgiou recodes the device to the Klingon. Michael says the Klingons respect strength and tells her to use the bomb as leverage over the Klingons. L’Rell is hesitant, but Tyler speaks to her in Klingon, reminding her of all she has done and what Voq believed. L’Rell accepts her new role and Georgiou leaves.

Back on the surface, Tyler and Michael have their goodbyes as he has decided to go with L’Rell. He thinks he can be the most help there and the two share a nice moment and embrace one last time. He says thank you and leaves her with one of his rope knots.

L’Rell addresses the Klingons near Earth. She tells them they have to reunite like T’kuvma said, and that she will be their leader. The group laughs at her until she shows them the detonator and tells them about the bomb, saying the choice is theirs to unite the Klingon Empire. The Klingon ships near the Earth leave.

On Earth, Michael meets with her adoptive mother, Amanda Grayson. Michael talks to her mother about her advice about being human when she was young and gives her thanks. Sarek interrupts and the two talk about the plan. He shares his admiration for her for finding a different way to stop the war. Sarek then reveals her Starfleet badge, saying her record is clear now and she is Commander Burnham again. He announces he will be traveling with her on the Discovery because they are going to Vulcan to pick up the ship’s new Captain.

Michael gives a speech in front the of the Federation as the Discovery crew receives medals for their actions. Stamets holds the medal for his deceased partner, Culber. Cornwell announces Tilly is now in Starfleet command’s training program, and Saru is the first Kelpien to receive the Medal of Honor.

On the Discovery, Michael offers to show Tilly around Vulcan. Stamets tells them Starfleet is working on finding a nonliving interface for the spore drive and he is glad to have a rest. Saru and Sarek arrive on the bridge and Saru tells Keyla to set course for Vulcan. Bryce picks up an encrypted distress call moments later and but cannot get the ship’s Federation ID. They drop from warp and try and contact the ship and discover it is Captain Pike from the Enterprise. The Enterprise appears and stops in front of the Discovery.

This was an enjoyable finale of the first season of Star Trek: Discovery. I loved the final moment with Georgiou and Michael as they had a quick banter and it seemed like a promise of more Georgiou in the future. Even though we know that Culber will somehow return, I wish Stamets had been given more time to grieve in this or the previous episode. Even a moment of the audience seeing him in his room, brushing his teeth and looking at the space beside him would have been nice.

Now that the season is finished I think it was pretty good on the whole, though I still wonder how certain things will fit into the overall Star Trek canon. Star Trek: Discovery has an abundance of interesting characters, and I hope in the second season we get to know the bridge crew because I am very curious to learn more. I liked most of the main cast, with Tilly, Michael, and Stamets being the standouts for me personally. “Magic to Make the Sanest Man Go Mad” was my favorite episode. There is so much potential in this series and the characters. I look forward to traveling with them and discovering even more about the Star Trek universe.

Star Trek: Discovery is coming back for a second season on CBS All Access, but the premiere date is unknown at this time.