Will You Take My Hand ? ( episode ) With Georgiou at the helm of the plan to end the Klingon war once and for all , the USS " Discovery " crew struggles to fathom and tolerate her hostile tactics . Memories of past hardships are rekindled within Burnham . ( " Season finale " ) Summary . Teaser . As Klingon forces bear down on the Sol system , the mirrors their approach as it closes in on the Klingon homeworld , Qo ' noS . Specialist Michael Burnham muses on fear and how to defeat it , as Emperor gathers status updates from the bridge crew , the crew ( who are still under the impression that she is her counterpart ) reacting with surprise at the hostile and belligerent attitude the puts forward – declaring the Klingons to be animals , and uncaring as to what the ship ' s sensor s are detecting . Saru asks Burnham to assist him with an issue , before exclaiming unease at having to follow the orders of someone with such ideals , which Burnham responds to by noting that this was at the request of the Federation . Georgiou orders Burnham back to her station and challenges Saru , making reference to the fact that , in her universe , his species is a Terran delicacy . Burnham then attempts to expose Georgiou ' s origins by commenting on that remark and quizzing her on her counterpart ' s birthplace in Malaysia . The former emperor deflects the questioning easily , ordering the specialist to walk with her . Out in the corridor , Georgiou warns Burnham not to attempt such an action again , or she will find herself in the brig . Burnham comments on the Federation ' s desperation in agreeing to give the Terran command of the mission , which Georgiou notes is in exchange for her freedom . She comments on Burnham ' s actions at the Battle of the Binary Stars , suggesting that her failure was a lack of following through on her intentions . The specialist grabs Georgiou by the arm , and demands to know the real plan . Georgiou tells her that the Federation is losing the war , and that Burnham must decided whether she will stand with or against her , before walking away . Burnham resignedly agrees that she is with her . Act One . Georgiou and Burnham visit L ' Rell in the brig . L ' Rell is surprised to see Georgiou , since she and other Klingons had consumed her corpse , ( ) but Georgiou explains that she is not that Philippa Georgiou . Georgiou displays a map of Qo ' noS and explains that there are seven entry points to a dormant volcano system on the planet , and that she wants L ' Rell to tell her the best place for a landing party to start a trip there on foot . After L ' Rell refuses to , even after an additional plea from Burnham , Georgiou shocks L ' Rell through her restraints and enters the cell to torture her for the information , but L ' Rell does not break . Burnham screams for Georgiou to stop , and says there is another way to obtain the information . The two visit who has the memories of Voq , and he agrees to help . At a briefing , Burham explains that the plan is to release a drone to map the surface of the planet for military targets that can be attacked by Starfleet . Tyler tells the briefing that the best place to do that is a location with a shrine to Molor that is now on land that was given to the Orion s for an embassy and outpost . Georgiou decides that Tyler will accompany Burnham and Georgiou , as well as Sylvia Tilly . Tilly is initially under the impression that the Emperor is the Philippa Georgiou from her universe , but the Emperor quickly makes it clear who she is by telling Tilly she had fun with subjugating the Betazoid s and wiping out Mintaka III . Tilly is assigned the task of carrying the drone . The " Discovery " then jumps to Qo ' noS and beams down the landing party . Act Two . The party arrives at the outpost , and offers to trade Nausicaan weapons for two thousand darsek s . Tilly feigns hunger to pull Burnham to a food booth and ask if she knows what the Emperor is up to . Burnham does not , but Tilly tells Burnham she has her back . Georgiou and Tyler then arrive , and after informing Tilly that she was eating gormagander meat , they all enter a bar . Georgiou gives Tyler some darseks and tells him and Burnham to go elsewhere and buy information needed to find the shrine . Georgiou remains and purchases some time with a male and female Orion , while Tilly waits in the bar . Tyler and Burnham visit an establishment where a game is being played that Tyler is familiar with , through Voq ' s memories . Tyler plays the game and wins some money , while Burnham is clearly upset by the Klingons ' laughter . Tilly , moves about the bar and sits near an Orion who offers her the chance to inhale some volcanic vapor . After initially refusing , Tilly agrees to do so and subsequently faint s . Tyler returns from the game and tells Burnham none of the Klingons he played with were aware of the shrine . He wonders why she left the game so quickly , and she tells him the story of how her parents were killed by Klingons at Doctari Alpha . Burnham had begged her parents to put off a family vacation to Mars so she could witness a nearby supernova , which resulted in them being present for the attack . As they killed her parents , they laughed , which she was reminded of during the game . She is now seeing the planet as an actual home for people and not just the enemy . Tyler then observes some Klingons who appear to be followers of Molor , and he goes to ask them about the shrine . Georgiou , after the two Orions are finished , attacks them to get the information about the shrine ' s location . Meanwhile , Tilly is woken up by the Orion attempting to open her case . He explains about the volcanic vapors she inhaled , and tells her that they are fresh from the source and that Tilly ' s information about the volcanoes being extinct is incorrect . Tilly then realizes that a drone could not do its work as it would be destroyed by the volcanoes , and then opens the case to examine the drone . She then sees a hydro bomb instead of a drone in the case . She calls Burnham on her communicator to explain , but is knocked out by Georgiou . Tyler and Burnham meet with Tilly who explains that detonating a hydro bomb in an active volcano would lead to an apocalyptic explosion that would render the planet uninhabitable , which was Georgiou ' s plan all along . Burnham calls Saru on " Discovery " to have Georgiou beamed up , but the shrine is shielded . The bomb cannot be beamed up either , and Saru wants to contact Starfleet , but Burnham believes Georgiou is following Starfleet ' s orders . She requests a conversation with Admiral Cornwell . Act Three . After viewing a simulation of what the hydro bomb will do to Qo ' noS , Burnham pleads with Cornwell that genocide is not the way to end the war . Cornwell responds by saying that the Federation is close to defeat and that they don ' t have the luxury of principles . Burnham says that principles are all that they have , and that Cornwell sent the Emperor on the mission because she knew that the Terran could do what Starfleet officers could not . Burnham then notes that a year ago , prior to the Battle of the Binary Stars , she thought survival was more important than principles , but that she now knows that she was wrong . She threatens a mutiny to prove who they are as Starfleet officers , and the crew stands to support her . Cornwell then asks what Burnham is suggesting as an alternative . Burnham visits Georgiou in the shrine and tells her to stop her plan , though her freedom is still guaranteed . Georgiou says that when she did the same thing in her universe , it did not wipe out the Klingons , and that it won ' t now . She offers Burnham the chance to join her , but Burnham again demands the detonator and Georgiou pulls a weapon on her . Burnham tells Georgiou that she can either turn over the detonator and leave with her freedom , or kill her and escape with the Federation hunting her down as long as she is alive . Georgiou cannot kill Burnham , and agrees to turn over the detonator to Burnham . However , Burnham does not want it , and calls in Tyler and L ' Rell . As an alternative to her home planet being destroyed , Burnham offers L ' Rell the detonator , which she can then use to unify the Great House s under her rule . Upon L ' Rell taking the detonator , Georgiou then leaves the shrine . Act Four . Tyler tells Burnham outside the shrine that he is going to go with L ' Rell and try to help both sides , as he is no good to either side alone . They share a kiss and he departs . L ' Rell then addresses the Klingon Great Houses and tells them that she is the leader to fulfill T ' Kuvma call of unity for the Klingon Empire . The Klingons present scoff at her claim until she shows them the detonator . She then orders them to lay down their arms , and the Klingon fleet headed towards Earth veers off . Burnham is in Paris outside a Federation building . Her foster mother , Amanda Grayson , approaches her . Burnham is grateful to Amanda ' s advice when growing up about not forgetting her Humanity , something which Burnham did not appreciate until now . Sarek then arrives and tells Burnham how he is disturbed that he had nearly played a part in genocide , but Burnham says that he was desperate to save the Federation and that she understands . Sarek is grateful that she found an alternative , and he informs her that the President of the United Federation of Planets is as well . Sarek asked to be the one to inform Burnham of their decision to pardon her for her crimes , expunge her record , and restore her to her former rank of commander . He presents her with her Starfleet badge . Burnham and several members of the " Discovery " crew are presented with the Starfleet Medal of Honor , including Hugh Culber posthumously . Paul Stamets is promoted to Lieutenant commander , Tilly is given the rank of Ensign and accepted in the Starfleet Command training program . The " Discovery " then leaves to take Sarek to with Saru in command as acting captain , as well as to pick up their new commanding officer . Stamets tells Burnham and Tilly that Starfleet wants to find a non - Human interface with the spore drive and as such it will not be used . In transit , the " Discovery " receives a priority one distress call . After some initial difficulty , the call is identified by communications officer R . A . Bryce as being from Captain Pike , the commander of the . The starship drops out of warp and slows in front of the " Discovery " . Memorable quotes . " " Oh , shit ! That is not a drone ! " " " " First of all , um , so I ' m very high , uh . . . but you need to listen to me . " " " " A hydro bomb ? What kind of damage can it do ? " " " " Detonated into an active volcanic system , it ' s just apocalyptic . " " " " A phreatic eruption . Water flashes into steam and triggers a massive explosion . " " " " Landmasses directly over the reaction center will be vaporized . Ash will fill the atmosphere . Within weeks , Qo ' noS will be uninhabitable . " " " " We are no longer on the eve of battle . Even so , I come to 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 . " " " " It ' s the USS " Enterprise " . " " Links and references . References . aircar ; Andor ; arms dealer ; ash ; automobile s ; Betazoid s ; bioprint ; black alert ; bowline ; bread and circuses ; brig ; Ceti eel ; crew manifest ; ; darsek ; distress call ; Doctari Alpha ; Earth ; Eiffel Tower ; embassy ; ; esophagus ; Europa ; Federation president ; Followers of Molor ; genocide ; ; gormagander ; half - breed ; ; hydro bomb ; isik ; Jupiter ; ; Luna ; Malaysia ; Mars ; mapping drone ; Mintaka III ; Mo ' Kai ; Molor ; mutiny ; Nausicaan disruptor pistol ; Neptune ; optical data network ; Orion ; outpost ; paralithium ; paralithium cell ; pardon ; Paris ; phreatic eruption ; ; pirate ; polyalloy ; Praxis ; priority one ; prostitution ; Pulau Langkawi ; Qo ' noS ; railroad ; seasoning ; security scanner ; ; shrine ; space whale ; Spacedock ( Earth ) ; stabilizer beam ; Starfleet Command Training Program ; Starfleet Medal of Honor ; sulfur ; supernova ; tattoo ; T ' Kuvma ; Tellar ; ; Terran Empire ; train ; tranya ; Trill ; " t ' Sang " ; urination ; volcanic vapor ; volcano ; Voq ; ; water skiing