Coming Home (episode)

The DMA approaches Earth and Ni'Var. With evacuations underway, Burnham and the team aboard the USS Discovery must find a way to communicate and connect with a species far different from their own before time runs out. (Season finale)
== Summary ==
=== Teaser ===
As the DMA continues its course into the Alpha Quadrant, Lieutenant Tilly confers with her cadets at Federation Headquarters, which has gone to warp to oversee the evacuation of United Earth. She explains that each deck of the facility acts as its own lifeboat. Once their decks were filled to capacity, they were to report to their commanding officer and warp to Evacuation Base Gamma, emphasizing that they had to get as many people out as they could, and as quickly as possible. All available officers were overseeing the evac efforts. As of that moment, Tilly tells them, they are no longer cadets, but she then encourages them by expressing her belief that they were ready to act. She dismisses the cadets, and has Gorev and Harral follow her.
Federation Headquarters comes out of warp near Luna and flies into Earth orbit, with the fleet arriving as backup. Deck 29 soon reports they are at capacity, and Fleet Admiral Vance grants them permission to undock to proceed to the rendezvous point. One of Vance's aides reports that 17 ships have already left Ni'Var for the rendezvous, and asks if they should be rerouted to Earth. Vance replies that they should stick to the plan, since Ni'Var only has 86 warp-capable ships as it is. Tilly points out that the will not be at capacity even after evacuating all of Titan, and suggests rerouting the ship to Earth to pick up more refugees. Vance concurs, and so orders it. Harral hesitantly asks how many people can realistically be evacuated. Vance believes that with the four hours remaining before the DMA impacts, they can evacuate all of Titan, but maybe only 450,000 from Earth, and the same from Ni'Var. "That's it?" Gorev asks in disbelief, and the admiral's grim look is his answer. "Please hurry, Michael," Tilly quietly urges.
Aboard the , still held in Species 10-C's hyperfield, Captain Burnham asks where Commander Stamets is on getting them out of the membrane orb they were trapped in, and Lieutenant Commander Nilsson reports that he had a number of theories, but nothing concrete. Lieutenant has received no signals from the 10-C, and Dr. Hirai continues to request they release Discovery. Lieutenant Commander Owosekun shows that Booker's ship, now controlled by Tarka, is gaining speed and heading for the DMA power source, which is encased in a silicon-ellanium alloy much like the DMA controller. Nilsson adds that the alloy was incredibly effective at containing energy, but would not withstand external forces. Burnham realizes Tarka is going to hit the device with a gravimetric beam. President Rillak warns that if the 10-C think they were under attack, they would not come back to talk to them, not in time. Lieutenant Commander Rhys reports the 10-C are dispatching another orb to attempt to capture Booker's ship. Burnham orders Christopher to tell Stamets to "test faster", then has the diplomatic team assembled in the mess hall. When Rillak asks what her plan is, Burnhan replies she is confining them to quarters, and thinks Rillak should be there when she does.
Meanwhile, Tarka is attempting to pilot Booker's ship past the orbs the 10-C are dispatching, and asks Booker himself about his ship's morphing abilities. Imprisoned in a forcefield, Booker refuses to help Tarka any further, which confuses the scientist, as he was doing everything he said they would do, and that nothing had changed. Booker believes that everything has changed, and that the cost of their plan meant that this had to be the last resort. Tarka points out what General Ndoye had told them about the first contact team, thinking they could be dead while Discovery was still trapped. Booker firmly believes they were talking to the 10-C, and that their plan was working. He reminds Tarka of what he had told him about anger being productive, but it was also blinding as well. Tarka throws reason to the wind, shouting that he had waited for ten years, and he was going home to find Oros, end of story. He is able to find the morphing controls, granting him greater agility to avoid the orbs. Booker hopes there is a way out of this; Commander Reno, imprisoned with him, doesn't see a way, but points out the "upside": Once they impacted the hyperfield, they would be vaporized instantly. When Booker asks how that was an upside, Reno says only, "We'll die fast. I hate pain." The shaking of the ship pushes an object at Booker's feet: Grudge's collar. "Or maybe we'll survive after all," he says.
Back on Discovery, Burnham is adamant that the plasma did not just vent itself, and that the entire mission was compromised. Rillak believes there had to be a less public way to find out, as it would erode their trust in one another. Burnham insists she cannot allow whoever was responsible to roam the ship. Seeing them, Ndoye steps forward and confesses her role in the escape. United Earth was running out of time, and they were all gone; there was no clue where the orb was, or even if they were alive; meanwhile, she believed Booker and Tarka would be able to stop the DMA right now. Burnham points out that billions of lives were at stake, but Ndoye protests that Booker had given her his assurance. Burnham asks if that was before or after Tarka took him hostage. Ndoye realizes she has been deceived, confirmed by Rillak telling her that communication had been working, and her belief that they would have withdrawn the DMA. Burnham orders Officer to confine Ndoye to quarters; accepting this, the general assures them that she remains willing and able to serve. As Ndoye leaves, Saru calls over the ship's intercom: They have received a message from the 10-C.
As Burnham and Rillak transport to the captain's ready room, Saru admits he finds their response "bewildering": They have been asking the 10-C to release them from the orb, but the 10-C's reply indicates they already did. Zora confirms that the accuracy of their message was in the ninety-sixth percentile. Hirai speculates that perhaps the 10-C have confused them with Booker and Tarka, as they arrived together. Burnham asks if Zora can communicate that Tarka has gone rogue, but Zora warns it would take a considerable amount of time. T'Rina suggests telepathic communication to convey their desire to protect them. Saru warns that linking with an unknown species was incredibly dangerous, but Rillak points out they had less than four hours to stop the DMA. T'Rina raises a hand to one of the viewports, and outside, the orb glows red: she has made contact. The link causes considerable strain to T'Rina, including a nosebleed, before she finally breaks it and slumps into a chair. She tells the others that the 10-C are confused and terrified; they can't stop Booker's ship, and they no longer trust Discovery. They had to find another way to reach the 10-C, or their worlds were doomed.
=== Act One ===
T'Rina awakens in sickbay with Burnham, Rillak, Saru, and Doctors Culber and Pollard hovering over her. Pollard informs Burnham and Saru that T'Rina's heart rate and blood pressure were still elevated, but her neural activity was returning to normal. Burnham asks T'Rina if there was anything else she could tell them. T'Rina admits the connection was "unusual", as she was not linked to one of the 10-C, but all of them. Rillak asks if they were linked like the Borg, but T'Rina replies it was different, that the 10-C existed in a state of harmony with one another; she thinks they do not understand the concept of individual existence. Rillak hopes they can find a way to make them understand. Just then, Stamets reports he has found a way out of the orb, but it "won't be pretty". Asking the doctors to keep her posted, Burnham transports with Rillak to meet with Stamets. Saru lingers; seeing this, a smiling Culber silently indicates he and Pollard should leave. Alone with T'Rina, Saru apologizes for having to leave, but thinks on what she had said before about avoiding personal closeness; he too had been hesitant to have such a personal relationship since leaving Kaminar. However, he finds that placing such limits did not protect him, so much as "dull the brightness of [his] days". With that, he departs, leaving T'Rina in thought.
Meanwhile, Tarka has brought the ship to the power source; once he has it, he would return Booker and Reno to Discovery, and it would be over in fifteen minutes. Reno points out that another orb could crash them into the hyperfield, but Tarka is confident the 10-C would not risk coming so close to the plasma streams. He then takes a different tack in appealing to Booker, pointing out that would be there in his new universe too, and invites Booker to come with him; he could get back his family, Kyheem and . Reno counters that he wouldn't, because the people Booker knew were gone; they might look the same, but they would not be the same. Kyheem, Leto, Reno's wife , and all the others they had lost would still be gone. Booker agrees with her, and tells Tarka to let them out of the forcefield before he does something they will all regret. Tarka says only that it would be over soon, as he returns to work. "It sure as hell will," Booker says to himself, as he continues to use the collar.
Stamets reports to Burnham and Rillak that he could get them out, and that they should survive; Rillak wonders about the "should", and Stamets answers only that it was the best he could do at that time. Ensign Adira Tal shows the amount of energy Booker's ship used to escape the orb, and given Discoverys larger size, it would take them a lot more. As of that moment, there was only one process capable of discharging that kind of energy without immediately killing them: the spore drive. Stamets explains that the normal operation of the spore drive converted that energy into momentum to propel them along the mycelial network, but if the ship remained stationary, all that stored energy would have to go somewhere. Rillak asks if that meant the energy would release into the orb and break them out, and Stamets confirms this… but adds that it would also burn out the spore drive in the process, which could only be repaired at spacedock, a journey that would take them decades with conventional warp drive. Seeing no other option, Burnham gives him the go-ahead.
Back on his ship, while Tarka remains focused on his goal, Booker explains the collar to Reno: Grudge hated holograms, and the collar had a built-in disruptor that could disable holograms… or a forcefield projected by holo-emitters. He is able to use the disruptor to open a small opening in the forcefield – "a cat door", as Reno puts it.
At the same time, Stamets reports he is ready to jump. Burnham asks Hirai if any new message has come through; Hirai reports he is still sending a message that they were there to help, but had received no response. Burnham orders black alert. The ship begins its rotation in place; Stamets reports the spore drive is holding, but power throughput is near capacity. Christopher reports minor hull breaches on multiple decks but no injuries; Lieutenant JG Linus shows no changes to the orb. Adira warns that the entire EPS grid was about to overload, but Burnham orders them not to stop it. On the bridge, several consoles overload and explode, as does the reaction cube in engineering. But the shockwave of energy released shatters the orb and frees Discovery. Lieutenant Commander Detmer confirms they were out of the orb, and impulse engines were back online, but warp drive would take some time; Rhys confirms the same for weapons, and Nilsson reports the spore drive is down as expected. Burnham asks if any more orbs were heading their way, and Owosekun reports there were not; the 10-C were just letting them go. Rillak is optimistic that they might turn things around after all. As they clear the gas giant, Burnham orders Detmer to catch up to Booker's ship as quickly as she could; unless they stopped Tarka, the 10-C would not talk to them.
Meanwhile, Booker has escaped the forcefield, and uses the holo-disruptor to breach Tarka's personal shield and knock the scientist out with a single punch. Reno accesses the controls, but finds the ship is locked on autopilot and that they would reach the power source in ten minutes. Booker doesn't see any way to override the system in time, adding that communications were also locked out. He takes his combadge back from Tarka and tells Reno to use it to return to Discovery and tell them what was happening, to tell Burnham that he loved her, and he would understand whatever she needed to do. Aboard Discovery, Owosekun detects the transport signal and identifies it as Reno; Burnham has her beamed to the bridge. Reno warns that Booker's ship would reach the power source in ten minutes, and relays Booker's message to her. Letting it sink in a moment, Burnham then asks for options. Booker's ship was protected by a pattern interrupter, so transporting them off wouldn't work; weapons were still off-line; and they could not use the tractor beam unless the gravimetric beam from Booker's ship was disabled first, otherwise they would destroy the hyperfield themselves. Rillak suggests using Ndoye's military knowledge.
At Federation Headquarters in Earth orbit, Tilly reports near-Earth debris being accelerated at twenty-one hundred kilometers a second by the DMA. Vance has Earth raise its planetary shields, and for transport shuttles to continue the evacuations. One shuttle is nearly smashed by an asteroid before a starship comes in to destroy it: the Mitchell, having arrived from Titan. Vance asks Tilly to remind him to give the captain a commendation if they survive, then asks if the President of United Earth has been evacuated yet. Tilly reports she has not, choosing to wait until the last possible moment while she helps the evacuation. The admiral orders that the evac captain keep a shuttle ready for her when they pull out. Gorev reports deck five of Headquarters is at capacity, and Vance orders them to get out while they could.
On Discoverys bridge, Ndoye asks if they have considered the obvious solutions, such as the tractor beam, and Burnham confirms they have. The general suggests a targeted hit, using a shuttle on autopilot, but Nilsson warns the gravimetric flux would disrupt navigation; someone would have to pilot the shuttle, and Owosekun adds that she would not be able to transport them out. It was a suicide mission: not only would the pilot of the shuttle possibly not return, but Booker and Tarka would likely die as well. Burnham realizes there was no option, and looks to Detmer, saying they would need a "great pilot". Just as Detmer prepares to take the job, Ndoye volunteers, reminding the captain that she had years of experience as a combat pilot; she had been defending United Earth and its people for twenty years, and her desire to do so was what led her to side with Booker and Tarka. Burnham has Owosekun transport the general to the shuttlebay; before this, she removes her United Earth commbadge and hands it to the captain, asking her to tell the President that she gave her all for Earth if she does not return.
=== Act Two ===
The oncoming debris from the DMA has disabled Federation Headquarters' bridge propulsion systems, leaving them stuck in Earth orbit. The starships and report their shields below ten percent, the was departing, and the was not at capacity but taking severe damage. The reports evacuation orders are complete. Vance reluctantly gives the order to cease evacuation efforts, and for all ships to depart Earth and Luna immediately; he would provide them covering fire as long as possible. He then turns to his crew and thanks them for their bravery, before giving the order to abandon ship and report to the Mitchell. Meanwhile, Earth's shields begin to fail, and several asteroids begin impacting on the surface. Tilly commends Gorev and Harral on the work they had done; Gorev wishes they could have done more, and Tilly agrees, but it was time for them to go. Both cadets transport to the Mitchell, but Tilly remains behind with Vance. She points out that those were her cadets out there, and it would be all for nothing if the ships didn't leave. Vance points out that there would be no way for them to transport to safety, and Tilly replies that she knows.
Back on his ship, Booker brings Tarka back to consciousness and asks him to help stop the gravimetric beam. Tarka refuses, saying that he was almost home. Booker tells him that Oros would not be there waiting for him, but Tarka is adamant that Booker doesn't know that for sure. Booker understands the pain of loss, "the hole they leave behind", and admits he finds it difficult to wake up some days without them. Tarka, tears running down his face, knows that Oros would have tried to stop him, just like Booker was doing, and asks why he wasn't there to stop him now. As the computer reports sixty seconds to breaching the casement, Tarka apologetically reveals he used a recursive fractal encryption code, and would not be able to stop it in time. Just then, the computer reports a proximity alert: Ndoye's shuttle, heading straight on a collision course. Neither man move to do anything to stop her as the shuttle crashes into the ship, disabling it. Owosekun is able to transport the general to sickbay, and also detects both Booker and Tarka alive, but is unable to lock onto them.
As his ship is ninety seconds from impact with the hyperfield, Booker tries to find a way to beam them back to Discovery, but Tarka knows there is not enough power. He disables the ship's to gain enough power to beam Booker out. Booker insists they both go, but Tarka refuses. Burnham, his life, was in this reality; Tarka's was in Kayalise, or somewhere beyond it. Perhaps he would get the interdimensional transporter he built to work, and see Oros again. Booker does not want to leave him behind to die. Tarka sadly bids him goodbye, and activates the transporter. With thirty seconds before impact, Tarka picks up his interdimensional transporter, and begins to activate it. Owosekun detects Booker's transporter signature, and attempts to beam him to the bridge. Before she can, however, Booker's ship explodes on impact with the hyperfield. Burnham stares in stunned silence for a moment, asking if they were able to get him back. The silence is the only response she receives. Breaking down in grief for her lost lover, Burnham is brought back into the present by Rhys, who reports another orb is coming. Attempting to compose herself, Burnham orders the crew to prepare to re-enter the orb, and finish what they had started.
=== Act Three ===
Another internal explosion on Federation Headquarters disables the last of their weapons, but the ships made it safely away – something Vance decides to celebrate as he hands Tilly a flask of Risian whiskey, a gift from Tarka when Archer Spacedock was completed. She reprogrammed the DOT-23s to reinforce power to the shields so Earth had a little more time. When Vance asks how long, Tilly estimates two hours. "That's more than enough time to get bogged down with life's greatest regrets, right?" Vance jokes, as he toasts with Tilly. Tilly admits she was happy with how her life ended up: she made friends who became her family, and got to see and do incredible things. She recalls a sunset with her first boyfriend, skipping a biology lecture and climbing onto Starfleet Academy's roof just to see it. Vance expresses amused gratitude that she didn't skip engineering. Tilly adds that some people never truly find their purpose in life, and she was glad she had found hers. Vance agrees with that, but regrets he didn't express it better, adding that he wished he'd spent more time with his daughter. Tilly asks if his daughter knew he loved her, and he confirms she did. She expresses similar feelings about her mother, and knew that a parent's love was the most important thing in their lives.
Back in the hyperfield, the orb containing Discovery is being pulled into the gas giant, where Owosekun detects a massive structure similar to the one they found on the dead 10-C homeworld, with thousands of life signs. Saru then reports a new message from the 10-C: "We now understand your request to leave the orb. You are not one. How many are you?" Hirai adds that the 10-C were asking them to join them, and were sending transport as before. Burnham has them report to the shuttlebay; with time running out, she has the bridge crew join her there as well. The egg-shaped transport delivers the crew and the delegates to the "surface", where they see several 10-C creatures approach them. Stamets reports he is beaming in hydrocarbons onto the orb's surface, but Zora would need to project the light map given the size of the space. Adira transmits the updated language algorithms to Saru's translation device. Stamets looks up in surprise to see Culber enter, thinking he would be on the surface with the others. After what happened to Booker, however, Culber wanted to be with his family. Saru reports that the 10-C are repeating their earlier message. Rillak suggests telling them that they were each an individual "one", and also one as a whole. Their appearances and experiences differ, but they all sought happiness, freedom, security, and equality. "We want that for our children, just as you do for yours," Rillak concludes, adding that there was so much that united them. Hirai sees they are sending a reply, and Saru sees it is a question about Booker and Tarka attempting to breach the casement. Burnham responds that they were once connected, part of the whole, but then they separated. The 10-C ask why. Burnham explains that one (Tarka) had lost someone long ago and thought the power source would reunite them; the other (Booker) had lost his homeworld to the 10-C's device, and didn't want anyone else to experience that. "Is that why you are here?" the 10-C ask, and Rillak confirms it, saying that this loss was about to happen again, to all of them. Burnham adds that they experienced the 10-C's fear and pain when they had to leave their homeworld, leaving so many behind, a feeling they were now sharing. Burnham pleads with them to stop the device, or it would destroy their worlds as well. "Do not let history repeat," Burnham finishes.
Saru looks relieved as he translates the 10-C's reply, while at Federation Headquarters, Vance and Tilly see that the DMA appears to have stopped. Saru reports that the 10-C have agreed to move the DMA away from their worlds. The debris field begins to pull away from Earth. All are relieved (Reno even joking to "Bobcat" Stamets that she has a cocktail in the works for the occasion), but the 10-C detect Burnham's sadness, and ask her why. Burnham admits that of the two who were separated and had died that day, one of them she had loved very deeply; he had been her "one". The 10-C emit a great flash of light, and suddenly Booker is standing before them, confused and disoriented, but alive. Burnham embraces him tightly. He asks if it worked, if Earth and Ni'Var were safe, and Burnham confirms they are; she asks if he was real, and he confirms he is. The crew (including Stamets, Culber, and Adira back on the ship) are overjoyed to hear and see that Booker is alive.
Booker looks up to see the 10-C for himself, and asks to speak to them; Saru will translate for him. He begins by asking how he was there. The 10-C respond that they detected the transporter signal, presuming its importance given the timing, and held it in stasis. He then asks about the DMA. The 10-C confess they did not realize they were higher life-forms, and pledge to scan more broadly and operate in uninhabited space. For Booker, this is not good enough, pointing out the toxic byproducts of the DMA's passage, and insists they have to shut it down for good, which would be the start of making things right. The 10-C are reluctant to do so, as they would not be able to keep the hyperfield intact. Booker replies that hiding behind a wall wouldn't keep them safe, that the void would catch up to them in time. He then begins to explain about the World Root, which connected all life on Kwejian. Wherever they were, whatever village or continent, it reminded the Kwejian people that they were all on the same planet, their fates always interconnected. "Maybe that's the lesson, if there is one," Booker muses, pointing out that both he and the 10-C had lost so many, but they could not do harm in their names or memories; they had to honor the fallen, all of them, because they were beloved, beautiful. As he speaks, a glowing pattern appears on Booker's forehead, a pattern replicated by the 10-C. The 10-C reply: "We have caused great harm. We are filled with regret and sorrow. We will make this right."
In Earth orbit, Vance and Tilly stare in astonishment as they realize that Discovery had succeeded, and drain their drinks to the dregs. Aboard Discovery, Burnham orders Rhys to cancel red alert. Around them, the hyperfield dissipates, and the DMA controller appears before them: the 10-C are using its wormhole one last time to send Discovery home.
=== Act Four ===
Discovery arrives in Earth orbit, as the crew mingle in the crew lounge. Saru expresses to Burnham his relief that Earth and Ni'Var were not more severely damaged; Titan had taken it the worst, but Earth had already sent aid. Saru remarks on how they had come a long way. Just then, Tilly and Vance enter the lounge in a joyful reunion. Rillak thanks Vance for his work, and the admiral replies that in this case, both had been where they needed to be. Tilly commends Adira on how well they've adjusted to socializing with the crew, and adds if things got hard, that was what family was for. Meanwhile, Saru joins T'Rina as she looks out over Earth; she had been thinking about Ni'Var, and Saru knows she must be eager to return home. She confirms she is, especially now that she no longer needed to worry about her homeworld's fate. She had also considered what Saru had shared with her in sickbay, having long told herself that balancing duty and personal relationships was not possible. However, she now believed she had been dishonest with herself, and thought it was difficult, but still possible… and worth the effort, for the right individual. Saru confesses that, when he had thought they would not survive, his main regret was that he had not spent more time with her; when he addresses her formally as "Madam President", she gently corrects him, asking him to use her name, as she takes his hand.
In her ready room, Burnham is joined by Rillak, who remarks on how the 10-C were "a hell of a thing". Burnham agrees, thinking about so many other species they hadn't met, how much they had to learn about their "small corner of the universe". She asks the President about her family; Rillak replies that her partner was evacuated with the Luna research team, while the rest remained on Earth, escaping the worst of the damage, and that she would see them soon. Rillak commends Burnham on how far she had come since their first meeting, and how she had felt Burnham had not been ready for the captaincy of the , but now felt she was. Burnham thanks her, but points out she would still refuse it, something Rillak was aware of. As the conversation becomes more serious, Burnham asks about Booker's fate. Booker violated multiple Federation statutes, including launching an isolytic weapon. Burnham makes clear she is not asking for leniency, and Rillak knows this, but she points out that "reasons do matter", as it was the only way justice could be just.
In Burnham's quarters, Grudge purring in her carry case, Booker begins to explain about what his future will be. Burnham asks the Starfleet security officer to give them privacy, and he does so, adding that he would be beamed to his shuttle in five minutes. As penance for his actions, Booker has been assigned to assist the Federation in aiding families displaced by the DMA. He admits he will miss the freedom of his ship, but he will take the work, all things considered. Burnham confesses that she feels unable to say goodbye, and Booker replies with a Kwejian phrase, "Kwakoni Yiquan", used by hunters with the tightest of bonds, meaning roughly "We've parted a hundred times. May we rejoin to part a hundred more." Burnham expresses her love, and Booker replies he loved her more, first knowing it during a "terrible scrap" on Tiburon, in freezing conditions. Burnham insists it wasn't cold, but Booker points out that she had been shivering all throughout. Burnham protests that she had been moving to keep warm, but Booker had pointed out at the time that this was what shivering was. He had taken a long look at Burnham at the time and thought to himself, "Alright, Book, what are you gonna do?" As he hands Burnham his long leather coat, he recalls that she had said they would be okay. Then, abruptly, he is gone, transported away.
As Burnham dictates the events in her log, the crew prepare for much-needed shore leave. Adira works with Linus, Detmer, and Owosekun in keeping tabs on the 10-C's promised work to clean up the effects of the DMA; Nilsson, Rhys, and Christopher are preparing to meet with Bryce, assuming Kovich lets him go; Stamets and Culber make plans to visit Earth, leaving Stamets looking forward to mavi not made by a replicator; Saru offers a bloom from one of his plants to T'Rina; and Booker, Grudge in tow, was on his way to a Federation emergency center on Europa. Meanwhile, the Federation continues to reconnect, with Ni'Var back in the fold, Tellar Prime never having actually left, and finally a meeting with the President of United Earth herself. Rillak greets her, and prepares to begin negotiations. The President stops her by saying no negotiations were necessary: she was prepared to have United Earth rejoin the Federation immediately. She also sees Ndoye is recovered from what the general calls a "close call", and half-jokingly asks if that could be her last close call. She then speaks with Burnham in private, noting on how strange it must feel to have come from a time before Earth left the Federation. Burnham is glad to see the Federation begin to be restored, but so many worlds remained to explore, so many people looking for understanding, connection, a better tomorrow. The President sees there is a lot of work ahead, and asks Burnham if she is ready for it; Burnham replies she is, as they rejoin the welcoming committee. The view pans out across the assembled fleet in orbit, ending with a full view of Earth itself.
== Background information ==
=== Production ===
* : Title publicly revealed by Paramount+. 
* Showrunner and episode writer Michelle Paradise indicated the final image of Earth at the end of the episode was "very much inspired by the 'Pale Blue Dot' of Earth" from Carl Sagan's Cosmos. 
* Despite closing certain series arcs, such as Earth's departure and return to the Federation, Paradise indicated "Coming Home" was never written as a possible series finale: "we expected that there would be more." 
=== Cast ===
* On casting Stacy Abrams, Paradise and the writers room realized halfway through breaking season season 4 that they needed someone to represent Earth. Paradise texted the idea to Alex Kurtzman, who responded with exclamation points. After discussing the character with Abrams over Zoom, she requested they "not reveal any plot spoilers to her." Paradise additionally noted that "there was never anyone else in consideration for the role." 
* Abrams said, on taking the role, "Whatever the story was, I wanted to be a part of it because watching Michael Burnham come into her power as captain, watching this party-crew reclaim itself — not only in a new era but in a new space that is so reminiscent of what they remembered but so different — that, to me, speaks of why we do the work we do in politics... It's about giving people hope and giving them a better life and creating this vision of what is possible." 
* On working with Abrams, Sonequa Martin-Green said: "She wowed us with her charm, humility, and generosity, and she whipped out some acting chops too! It was an honor for me as a Black woman to stand with her in the story. It's an experience I'll cherish for the rest of my life." 
=== Reception ===
* 
== Links and references ==
=== Starring ===
* Sonequa Martin-Green as Michael Burnham
* Doug Jones as Saru
* Anthony Rapp as Paul Stamets
* Mary Wiseman as Sylvia Tilly
* Wilson Cruz as Hugh Culber
* Blu del Barrio as Adira Tal
; With
* Tig Notaro as Jett Reno
; And
* David Ajala as Cleveland Booker
=== Guest starring ===
* Oded Fehr as Charles Vance
* Stacey Abrams as President of United Earth
* Shawn Doyle as Dr. Ruon Tarka
* Chelah Horsdal as Laira Rillak
* Tara Rosling as President T'Rina
* Annabelle Wallis as Zora 
* Hiro Kanagawa as Dr. Hirai
* Phumzile Sitole as General Ndoye
=== Co-starring ===
* Emily Coutts as Lt. Cmdr. Keyla Detmer
* Patrick Kwok-Choon as Lt. Cmdr. Gen Rhys
* Oyin Oladejo as Lt. Cmdr. Joann Owosekun
* Sara Mitich as Lt. Cmdr. Nilsson
* Raven Dauda as Cmdr. Tracy Pollard, MD
* Orville Cummings as Lt. 
* David Benjamin Tomlinson as Lt. jg Linus
* Seamus Patterson as Harral
* Adrian Walters as Taahz Gorev
* Michael Chan as FHQ Ops Officer
* Emmanuel John as FHQ Security Officer
* Jean-Paul Najm as FHQ Security Guard
* Fabio Tassone as Book's Ship Computer 
=== Uncredited co-stars ===
* Jayne Dineo as Discovery sciences crewmember
* Leeu as Grudge
* Pamela Mars as Discovery bridge crewmember
* Unknown performers as
** Officer 
** Vance's daughter
** Vance's wife
=== References ===
2258; 3170; 3180; alloy; Andoria; anger; Archer Spacedock; astrodynamics; autopilot; Bajoran; biology; black alert; blood pressure; "Bobcat"; Booker's ship; Borg; boyfriend; ; cadet; captain; Cardassian; cat; cat collar; cat door; citizen; CO; cocktail; collision course; combat pilot; continent; ; ; day; debris; decade; deck; defensive formation omega; deflector array; ; DMA; DMA controller; DMA power source; DOT-23; ; Earth; ; ellanium; emergency center; energy; ensign; EPS grid; Europa; Evacuation Base Gamma; family; fate; fear; Federation; Federation Headquarters; Federation statutes; first contact; first contact team; force field; freedom; friend; ; gas giant; gravimetric beam; gravimetric flux; gravitational lensing; gravitational wave; ; heart rate; history; holo courier; holo-emitter; hostage; hot and sour soup; hour; hull breach; hunter; hybrid; hydrocarbon; hyperfield; impulse engine; individual; ; isolytic weapon; Kaminar; Kayalise; Kelpien; kilometer per second; ; Kovich; (planet); Kwejian (species); Kwejian language; Kyheem; ; lecture; life sign; ; lifeboat; light map; love; Luna; ; mavi; memory; ; mess hall; military tactics; minute; mission; ; mycelial network; name; navigation; NCC; Ni'Var; nickname; ; ; organism; Orion; Oros; pain; ; pattern interrupter; percent; pickle; pilot; pink; plasma; plasma stream; President of the United Federation of Planets; President of United Earth; propulsion system; proximity alert; quadrant; recursive fractal encryption key; red alert; refugee; replicator; Risa; Risian; roof; sandwich; ; ; second; sector; shield; shuttlebay; silicon; Simms; Siobhan; size; snow; Sol; spacedock; speed; species; Species 10-C (aka 10-C); Species 10-C representatives; spore drive; Starfleet; Starfleet Academy; ; status report; subspace rift; suicide mission; sunset; telepathy; Tellar Prime; Tellarite; theory; Tiburon; ; Tilly's mother; Titan; toilets; tractor beam; transport shuttle; transporter; transporter signature; tricom badge; UFP-02; UFP-02 type; United Earth; United Earth Defense Force ship; universe; village; ; Vulcan; wall; warp drive; weapon system; whiskey; World Root; wormhole; year; 
=== External links ===
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de:Die Heimkehr (DSC)