Ash Tyler ( Klingon ) Ash Tyler , formerly known as Voq , was a 23rd century Klingon warrior who underwent the " choH ' a ' " , an extreme , agonizing surgery so that he would appear to be Human during the . His DNA and memories were somehow spliced with captured Starfleet officer Lieutenant Ash Tyler in the experimental procedure , making him an artificial hybrid . His mission was to become a sleeper agent , and by the time the process was complete , Tyler ' s personality had completely subsumed Voq ' s . As Ash Tyler , he became the chief of security of the , where he began a relationship with Michael Burnham . Voq ' s memories began to resurface after his compatriot L ' Rell was captured by the " Discovery " , but the Ash Tyler persona ' s attraction to Burnham prevented them from being restored completely . However , after the " Discovery " was transported to the mirror universe , Voq met his counterpart , which caused his full Klingon personality to be restored . Voq unsuccessfully attempted to murder Burnham before being detained by the " Discovery " crew . Later , surgery caused the two personalities to merge together , leaving what was person now calling himself " Ash Tyler " guilt - ridden and ashamed . ( ) History . Under the guise of Ash Tyler , Voq believed he was held captive for 227 days , almost seven month s . His cellmate during his captivity was Harcourt Fenton Mudd . He was " rescued " along with Captain by the , all according to L ' Rell ' s plans . ( ) A week after this , Captain Lorca appointed " Tyler " as chief of security aboard the " Discovery " . ( ) Captain Lorca was impressed by his skill piloting a stolen Klingon raider during their escape , as well as his impressive marksmanship in " Discovery " s holographic combat simulator . " Tyler " appeared to have suffered from severe post - traumatic stress disorder as a consequence of rape , torture , and medical experimentation inflicted upon him during his imprisonment by his Klingon captor , L ' Rell . ( ) Furthermore , he harbored an internal rage towards Klingons , wanting to hurt them the way they hurt him . ( ) During his mission with Burnham to place sensors in the Klingon Ship of the Dead , " Ash " encountered L ' Rell in a room of corpses , and subsequently lapsed into catatonia . He was coached back to a conscious state by an injured Admiral Katrina Cornwell , who was a prisoner on the ship , and was able to defeat incoming Klingon warriors who were closing on their position . L ' Rell was subsequently taken prisoner and transferred to " Discovery " s brig . ( ) " Tyler " was still haunted by nightmares and flashbacks from his violations , and what was later revealed to be his surgical transformation from Voq to the Human form of Tyler . He took solace in his burgeoning romantic relationship with Burnham , who had shared trauma from the loss of her parents , her transient death , and the events from the Battle of the Binary Stars . When the " Discovery " found itself in the mirror universe , " Tyler " , who was experiencing nightmares of surgery being performed on him , went to confront L ' Rell in the brig . L ' Rell recited a Klingon prayer to him , which seemed to trigger a reaction . Disturbed by this , " Tyler " asked Doctor Hugh Culber to perform a medical examination on him to see if he was fit for duty . Culber discovered that , contrary to earlier examinations , his patient ' s skeletal structure and organs had been surgically altered and that his personality had been overlaid the personality of someone else . Culber said he had to ground " Tyler " because he was not sure that he was who he claimed to be . In response , " Voq " became self - aware and broke Culber ' s neck before accompanying Burnham and Lorca on a mission to the . ( ) While aboard the " Shenzhou " , Tyler and Burnham were able to gain the trust of a rebel council charged with leading the rebellion against the Terran Empire , which included and . Listening to the mirror Voq speak was enough to trigger dormant memories in Tyler ' s mind , which awakened the truth in him that he was , in fact , Voq himself . Having reasserted his Klingon personality , he physically attacked his counterpart , but was defeated in combat . Since Sarek confirmed , through the use of a mind meld , that Burnham ' s motives were altruistic , she and Tyler were allowed to return to the " Shenzhou " , where Burnham confronted him in her quarters and learned the truth of his Klingon origins . " Tyler " attacked Burnham and planned to kill her but was thwarted by the intervention of . Facing execution for apparently attempting to kill the ship ' s captain , per standard Empire orders , " Tyler " was sentenced to be beamed into space . Burnham , however , operated the transporter herself to ensure that " Tyler " could be quickly beamed aboard the " Discovery " . She had hidden stolen files about the on his person , which the " Discovery " crew planned to use to return to their universe . Once aboard , " Tyler " claimed that Burnham should have left him to die , but Saru quickly reminded him that was not in the tradition of Starfleet . ( ) Appendices . Background information . " Ash Tyler " was portrayed by actor Shazad Latif . Originally , CBS announced in December 2016 that T ' Kuvma ' s protégé , then named " Kol " , was to be played by Shazad Latif . In the final version of the series , Latif went on to portray " Ash Tyler " and T ' Kuvma ' s protégé was renamed " Voq " , while the name was given to a leader of a rival Great House . Ultimately , however , it turned out that the character of Ash Tyler was actually a construct for Voq to infiltrate Human society .