L ' Rell L ' Rell was a 23rd century Klingon warrior , and a follower of T ' Kuvma . Early life . L ' Rell ' s father was a blood kinsman of T ' Kuvma , while her mother belonged to the House of Mo ' Kai . When she came of age , her mother presented her with a knife and demanded she cut her own heart in half if she would not choose to belong to one House or the other , due to the heavy feuds between the Klingon Houses during this time period . Instead , L ' Rell chose to build a bridge , embracing T ' Kuvma ' s philosophy that the Klingon Houses should not be divided by bitter blood feuds but work together as one united Klingon people . ( ) Career . Serving the House T ' Kuvma . In 2256 , L ' Rell reported to T ' Kuvma that their flagship ' s long - range sensor s had detected Starfleet reinforcements en route , prompting T ' Kuvma to order Voq to light the Beacon of Kahless . ( ) Following the Klingons ' victory in the ensuing Battle of the Binary Stars , L ' Rell and Voq proclaimed T ' Kuvma as T ' Kuvma " the Unforgettable " to the Klingon High Council . After the Council leaders returned to Qo ' noS , she informed T ' Kuvma that all surviving Federation starships had gone into hiding and posed no threat . ( ) L ' Rell was one of T ' Kuvma ' s closest followers for many years , and did not object when he chose Voq as his right hand and heir . After T ' Kuvma was killed shortly thereafter at the Battle of the Binary Stars , she faithfully followed Voq as the new leader of House T ' Kuvma . When he asked her about this several months later , she said that she trusted T ' Kuvma ' s judgement , as he saw a devotion and sense of purpose in Voq that so many of the other Klingons from powerful Great Houses lacked . Moreover , she did not look forward to the compromises and restrictions that would accompany such a position of political leadership : as she explained , she preferred the greater freedom of action which would come as Voq ' s greatest champion , enforcer , and defender – without having to worry about political entanglements . When transported aboard the " Sarcophagus " and convinced most of its crew to mutiny and abandon Voq , L ' Rell appeared to go along with Kol ' s plans . Kol ordered her to kill Voq immediately , however , L ' Rell convinced Kol to exile Voq to the wreck of the . L ' Rell then transported aboard the " Shenzhou " herself and revealed she was still loyal to Voq . ( ) Serving the House Kor . Soon after , L ' Rell was the captain of a ship . This ship served as a prison ship . Among her many duties , she was an interrogator and torturer . Her prisoners included Harry Mudd and . According to Tyler , L ' Rell had taken an " interest " in him ; something which Tyler forced himself to utilize in order to stay alive , leading her to engage in non - consensual sex with the Human . A month after leaving Voq aboard the " Shenzhou " , L ' Rell captured , captain of the and interrogated him . She suffered burns from a phaser blast to the left side of her face during Lorca and Tyler ' s escape attempt . ( ) After recovering from her injuries , which left extensive scar ring , L ' Rell returned to the " Sarcophagus " , ostensibly to interrogate Vice Admiral Katrina Cornwell . L ' Rell attempted to ingratiate herself with Kol , arguing that her talents would be useful to his house . However , L ' Rell later confided in Cornwell that she intended to defect to the Federation and asked Cornwell to help her get aboard the . L ' Rell and Cornwell staged a fight in front of Kol ' s men , to win the general ' s trust . On board the " Sarcophagus " , L ' Rell hid Cornwell in a side room , but discovered to her horror that the room was filled with corpses – including her friends Grafk , Torath and Silrek . The outraged L ' Rell vowed to kill Kol and avenge her comrades . L ' Rell then feigned pledging fealty to Kol , but Kol saw through the deception and ordered her to be taken away for punishment . ( ) L ' Rell was placed in the same side room as Cornwell , and was present when Tyler and Michael Burnham infiltrated the " Sarcophagus " on a mission to penetrate the ship ' s cloak . As Tyler and Cornwell were beamed back to the " Discovery " together , she grabbed hold of her former prisoner and was brought along with the two Starfleet officers just before the " Sarcophagus " was destroyed . L ' Rell was then taken prisoner herself , and placed in " Discovery " s brig , where Tyler – still traumatized by the events on the " Sarcophagus " – visited her cell and demanded to know what she did to him . L ' Rell told him not to worry , that she would never let " them " hurt him , and then noting , " Soon . " ( ) Appendices . Background information . L ' Rell is played by Mary Chieffo . L ' Rell appeared in an extended scene from , in which she was present as T ' Kuvma turned towards with a flaming " bat ' leth " in his hand , said something to her , and then walked past her , carrying the " bat ' leth " with him .