7 Questions the ‘Star Trek: Discovery’ Season Finale Needs to Answer

After so long a wait for the series to begin, its hard to believe that Star Trek: Discovery is about to hit its first ever season finale. Sunday night’s episode “Will You Take My Hand?” brings the first season of Star Trek: Discovery to a close, and there are plenty of narrative loose ends that still need to be tied up.

The season places the future of the United Federation of Planets on Michael Burnham’s shoulders. Admiral Cornwell and Sarek have shown themselves to be willing to do whatever it takes to win the war with the Klingon Empire, even placing the Emperor of the Terran Empire, Phillipa Georgiou, in command of Discovery. Now it seems that it may be up to Burnham, a convicted mutineer, to save Starfleet’s soul.

Showrunners Aaron Harberts and Gretchen J. Berg have hinted in a previous interview at just how much is riding on Michael Burnham in Discovery’s closing episodes.

“As the crew of Discovery deals with the fallout of Mirror Universe Lorca, they must end the war with the Klingons once and for all,” the showrunners said. “Burnham is going to have to strike unexpected alliances in a mission that requires the Discovery team to take the fight directly to the Klingons. Will there be redemption for Burnham’s mutiny against Georgiou or Tyler’s attacks on Culber and Burnham? As the first season wraps up, the stakes have never been higher for the U.S.S. Discovery and we’re excited to answer many of the questions that have been asked since the first episode, as well as tease what’s to come.”

New Star Trek: Discovery episodes become available to stream Sundays at 8:30 p.m. ET on CBS All Access. Keep reading to see which questions we want to be answered before Star Trek: Discovery takes its too-long break between season.

Will Emperor Georgiou Betray the Federation?

This question could probably be rephrased from “Will Emperor Georgiou Betray the Federation?” to “How will Emperor Georgiou betray the Federation?”

After all, Georgiou was the most powerful person in a universe where the only truly admirable quality anyone respected was ambition. It’s hard to believe she’ll be happy simply being a weapon for Starfleet.

Now she’s in command of what may be the most advanced ship in the fleet, and only Saru and Burnham are aware that this is not the same Phillipa Georgiou who commanded the USS Shenzhou.

It seems like its only a matter of time before Georgiou takes advantage of her crew’s trust and Starfleet’s willingness to do whatever it takes to win the war against the Klingon Empire.

What Is Sarek Up To?

Sarek, Burnham’s foster father, was with the boarding party that accompanied Admiral Cornwell in investigating Discovery’s return.

On Discovery, Sarek had a conversation with Emperor Georgiou. They traded notes on how their respective Burnham’s were raised before getting down to business, with Georgiou apparently pointing out an undesirable truth to Sarek.

After that, Sarek departed the Discovery. He had a long goodbye with Burnham. Later, Burnham remarked upon how unusually final this parting with Sarek seemed to be.

So what exactly is Sarek up to? We know he won’t die because he appears in in other Star Trek series that come later in the timeline than Discovery. We also know that he and most Vulcans are pretty practical in their approach to dealing with intergalactic politics. Is Sarek planning on going to extreme ends to finish off the Klingon threat?

What is the future for L’Rell and Ash Tyler?

L’Rell and Ash Tyler’s storyline in the first season of Star Trek: Discovery ended up being a bit less pivotal than some fans expected.

The idea that a Klingon could be disguised as a human onboard Discovery seemed like it should have been a game-changing reveal.

Instead, the reveal that Ash Tyler is Voq had almost no effect on the plot, though it did have huge effects on his relationships with L’Rell and Burnham (more on that later).

What may be more interesting is L’Rell. She is still totally Klingon but has collaborated with the Starfleet. She would rather see the Federation persist than the Empire once again fall into warring factions.

Can there be a future for either one of them, either with the Klingon Empire or in Starfleet?

Is Tyler and Burnham’s Relationship Really at an End?

Last week’s episode of Star Trek: Discovery, “The War Without, The War Within,” dealt heavily with the ramifications of how Michael Burnham discovered that Ash Tyler was actually Voq.

While in the Mirror Universe, Tyler suffered a mental break as the Voq personality tried to assert itself. He attacked Burnham and would have killed her if Burnham’s Kelpian slave hadn’t intervened.

Thanks to L’Rell, Tyler has apparently overcome Voq’s personality. The Klingon’s memories still exist, but the personality is gone. Saru and Lt. Stamets seem willing to give Tyler a second chance without the shadow of Voq in his mind, but Burnham is having a tougher time.

Is this the end for Burnham and Tyler, or is there a future?

What is the Future for Emperor Georgiou?

Whether or not Georgiou will betray the Federation is one question. What happens to her next is another.

Assuming that Georgiou comes out of the assault on Qo’noS alive, the Federation will have some decisions to make.

Does Georgiou continue to act as an officer of Starfleet? It seems unlikely that a former emperor would be satisfied with command of a single starship.

Then there’s the problem of the mirror universe. In the previous episode, it was decided that the existence of the mirror universe needed to be kept a secret. That’ll be a lot harder to do if a native of that universe is running around free.

What is Burnham’s Status in Starfleet Going Forward?

Michael Burnham’s future is one of the biggest questions remaining about Star Trek: Discovery.

Burnham is a convicted mutineer, the first in Starfleet history. By rights, she should be in prison, but Lorca’s intervention got her to the Discovery. Though she has no official rank, she was granted a position on the ship’s bridge as a science specialist.

Will that move hold up now that Lorca has been revealed to be from the Mirror Universe?

There’s also the question of continuity. In the Star Trek: The Original Series episode “The Tholian Web,” Spock states that there is no record of a mutiny ever taking place on a Starfleet vessel.

If Burnham were to somehow have her crime forgotten and her record cleared, then what Spock says in “The Tholian Web” could hold up. Admiral Cornwell has been a vocal critic of Lorca’s use of Burnham onboard Discovery, but she seemed impressed with Burnham in last week’s episode. Perhaps Cornwell will be moved to vouch for Burnham.

Even so, it would have to take quite an act to have a crime as serious as mutiny stricken from the record. Then again, having the lead character in prison would also be a strange move for a Star Trek series.

Who Will Command Discovery?

With the revelation that Captain Gabriel Lorca was actually from the mirror universe, his death, and the assumption that Lorca’s Starfleet counterpart is also dead, there’s the lingering question of who is actually in command of Discovery.

With the Federation struggling to survive the current war, the question seems moot for the time being, but once the dust has settled a decision about the future of the ship and its experimental, reality-hopping spore drive will need to be decided.

As the first officer, Saru took over command to get the ship home in Lorca’s absence. Once onboard, Admiral Cornwell took command. Now Georgiou commands the ship as it makes its way to Qo’noS.

Only Saru seems like a possible permanent replacement for Lorca, though it’s unclear if Starfleet believes him to be ready for the job.