Such Sweet Sorrow (episode)

When the USS Discoverys crucial mission does not go according to plan, Burnham realizes what must ultimately be done. The crew prepares for the battle of a lifetime as Leland's Control ships get closer.
== Summary ==
=== Teaser ===
On a shoreline on , Sarek sits in meditation while his wife Amanda brings a smoking bowl of incense and sets it in front of him. As the sounds of a beating heart and heavy breathing drown out the crashing of the waves, Sarek's eyes open, his expression stricken. "Michael!" he gasps.
:"Personal log, Stardate 1051.8. We're in the process of abandoning our ship in order to destroy it. This is actually happening, yet somehow I still can't believe it. Long-range sensors show Control is on the move and gaining quickly. Its infiltrated our subspace radio relays, so we can't reach Starfleet for backup. Ship-to-ship communication is all we've got. Discovery contains the one thing in all the galaxy that Control needs, the data to become fully conscious. My mother sacrificed everything to stop Control from getting that data, and now she's counting on us to finish the job. But is this really the only solution? I look in the mirror and can hardly recognize myself anymore. All these questions without answers. There are seven signals, but we've only seen four. We have a time crystal that we don't know how to use. Captain Pike has always had faith that they play a part in some grand design. Now… more than ever… I wish I had his certainty."
Meanwhile, aboard the , Nhan and guide the crew to the evacuation points. Sylvia Tilly packs her keepsakes, including a photograph of herself with Burnham and a snow globe, while Saru takes the Kelpien knife that had belonged to his sister Siranna. On the bridge, Detmer brings the ship up close alongside the and deploys the evacuation corridors, connecting to the Enterprises secondary hull. As the bridge crew moves to the turbolifts, Captain Pike remains grimly seated in the command chair, as Saru stands at his side. Spock looks out at the Enterprise for a thoughtful moment before he joins the rest of the crew. Dr. Culber looks around sickbay one last time, while Stamets shuts down the spore drive in the engine room.
As the crew crosses through the evacuation corridors, Burnham stands alone in the science lab, staring at the time crystal, when Pike enters, telling her the ship is almost clear and it was time to move to the Enterprise. Burnham asks why the signal brought them to Boreth for the crystal, since her mother is gone, her suit destroyed, and now the Discovery will be destroyed as well to keep the 's data from being taken by Control. "It can't just be about endings, can it?" she asks. Pike tells her they could figure it out, but only if they were walking. Burnham, however, is adamant that her mother did not sacrifice everything to have it all be for nothing. Pike replies that sometimes people knew the role they were meant to play, and sometimes they didn't, and he was not sure which was better; Burnham adds that they didn't know if they had the strength or not, until the moment came. Just then, Saru calls over the intercom that the last of the crew is departing the ship. Pike acknowledges, and makes sure Burnham understands that before he leaves. As she reaches to take the crystal and place it in a containment case, she experiences flashes of the future, seeing the Enterprise under attack, and hears Leland's voice speak a single word: "Goodbye."
Meanwhile, on the bridge, Pike and Saru have their hands scanned to activate the remote detonation for the auto-destruct, and the lights turn out as the ship begins to power down. Crossing the evacuation corridor to the Enterprise, Saru reports that , environmental control, and artificial gravity generators would deactivate within five minutes, and that the entire crew was accounted for. The field generators and shields are also offline, and the warp core is prepared for overload. "There will be no half-measures, sir," Saru assures Pike; "she will go with the dignity she deserves." As the Enterprise and the Discovery crews mingle, Pike and Saru are joined by Burnham in the turbolift, which they take to the bridge. Burnham notes that Saru has Siranna's knife, to which Saru comments that she would not appreciate it if he left it behind, and it gave him hope that they would endure.
As they enter the Enterprises bridge, Admiral Cornwell vacates the center chair, returning command back to the captain, who remarks that "she looks as good as I remember". Una Chin-Riley welcomes Pike back, reporting that all major systems are back online, and they would have no more holographic communications – ever. Pike asks for a status update from Lieutenant Amin, who reports that Leland/Control and his Section 31 armada have increased speed. Lieutenant Nicola at communications reports that Captain has arrived and requests permission to come aboard, which Pike grants before ordering Number One to take them to a safe distance. Georgiou enters a moment later, commenting unfavorably on the orange coloration of the bridge, before speaking to Burnham about Specialist Gant and the nanobots that had taken over his body. When Burnham tells her it was not the time to speak of it, Georgiou remarks that it was good for Burnham to distance herself from something she loved (referring to the Discovery), but on the other hand she looked forward to hunting Leland down. Burnham believes that Leland didn't deserve what happened to him, but Georgiou is pragmatic, believing it was better him than her – or Burnham, as very nearly happened. Number One reports that they were at safe distance from the Discovery, and Pike orders the auto-destruct. As the computer counts down, the crew watches… and then the computer indicates the auto-destruct has failed, something that should not be possible. Pike orders photon torpedos fired, but the Discovery raises her shields, absorbing the impact. Another torpedo volley produces the same result. Spock and Burnham deduce that the remaining intelligence of the Sphere is the cause: it would not allow the data to be deleted. If the Sphere data has merged with the Discovery, Saru adds, it could take over the ship's systems to protect itself, thus preventing them from destroying the Discovery.
As Number One reports Leland's ships have entered range, Burnham begins seeing the bridge flashing, and suddenly finds herself back aboard the Discovery, the bridge on fire. Owosekun reports an undetonated photon torpedo is embedded in the Enterprises primary hull, just as the shields fail. Burnham, Tilly, and others are thrown to the deck by an explosion, just as Nhan reports they were being boarded. A moment later, Leland enters, holding a phaser rifle, and shoots first Georgiou, then Nhan, proceeding to gun down the bridge crew. Burnham painfully reaches for Georgiou's phaser, but Leland steps down on it and kicks it away from her, before drawing his own pistol. Leland lifts her off the ground with one hand and puts the phaser to her head with the other. "Goodbye," he says again, as he pulls the trigger, bringing Burnham back to the Enterprise bridge – just after the failed attempt to activate the Discoverys auto-destruct. As Pike orders photon torpedoes, Burnham all but shouts for him to stop, as she knows it won't work because the Sphere has merged with the Discovery and would use her systems to protect the data. Spock notes that she sounds certain, and Burnham confirms that she is. Leland's fleet will arrive in an hour, so Pike asks for options. Burnham and Saru both note that the Sphere will protect the Discovery, and Cornwell adds that they couldn't run, as Leland/Control would hunt them down. Spock notes that the Discoverys very existence is the problem. Burnham realizes he is right: so long as the Discovery exists "here and now", it would never be over, which meant they would have to remove it from the "galactic equation" entirely. When asks how to do it, Burnham replies that they would have to use the time crystal, certain that this was the reason why they had it in the first place. To ensure Control would never get the Sphere data, the Discovery herself will have to travel to the future.
=== Act One ===
In the Enterprises conference room, Pike asks the crew how they could send the Discovery to the future before Leland caught up to them. Cornwell points out that Gabrielle Burnham's suit was destroyed on Essof IV, and that was the only method they knew of. Saru remarks that Section 31 gave them the data on the suit, and they could attempt to rebuild it. Pike orders him to do so, and set it to his physical specifications. Stamets reminds Pike that the suit was tailored to Gabrielle's DNA, and Burnham adds that as her daughter, she has the closest mitochondrial DNA match, so she volunteers. Even if they could adapt the code to Burnham's biology, Stamets continues, the exoskeleton was made of a composite alloy they could not synthesize. Burnham recalls that the alloy was tritanium based, which could be found by melting down a bulkhead from a cargo bay. Number One asks Burnham if she even knows how to operate the suit. Burnham replies she's learned the basics from her mother's logs, and admits there would be some trial and error in opening a wormhole, but if the Discovery were on autopilot, it would follow her through. Cornwell then asks for the one detail not yet discussed: How will Burnham find her way back? Burnham is silent, unable to answer. Pike comments that everything they know about the red burst signals indicates it's part of a design, and he is willing to trust that. Georgiou is skeptical, asking if Pike believes a signal will reveal itself because they needed it to. Spock points out that the signals could only have been sent by someone wearing a time suit with knowledge of their specific circumstances. They had been running on the assumption that Burnham's mother was the only Red Angel, but the bioneural signature of the suit identified another: Burnham herself. Gabrielle's focus was entirely on the Sphere data, and she stated she did not know of the signals, which meant that it was Michael Burnham, not Gabrielle, who was the source of the red bursts. If so, Burnham wonders, then what was she leading them to? Spock admits that remained to be seen, but he agrees with Pike, that there is intention to her design. Stamets prepares to have the engineering teams begin work on fabricating a new suit, but Saru reminds them that they also need to find a way to activate the time crystal. Burnham recalls her parents used a stellar-lensing array, but they would need to locate an unstable red giant star. Number One comments that the odds of finding one in any given sector are fairly high, but one close to supernova, Stamets adds, is far less common; it could take hundreds of years to find one. Georgiou bluntly suggests firing an antimatter missile into a star's core to induce a supernova themselves; both Saru and Burnham are aghast at the idea, as it would destroy all life within several light years of the star. When Georgiou comments that she thought there were no bad ideas, both Pike and Cornwell are vocal in saying that was a bad one. At that moment, Nicola calls Cornwell and Pike to the bridge.
As they enter, they find a fifth signal has been detected, and Amin is still getting a lock on its location. Lieutenant Mann reports that Leland/Control is five minutes out. Pike orders red alert, and tells Saru that they will return to the Discovery with all essential personnel; they would have Stamets use the spore drive to jump them to the signal's location, while Cornwell takes command of the Enterprise to join them as quickly as possible. Anyone who was not working on the time suit, Pike adds, would be put to work modifying the Discoverys shuttlecraft and landing pods for combat, as they would need any advantage against Leland/Control's fleet, and advises Cornwell to do the same for the Enterprise. Number One reports she has already outfitted the shuttles and landing pods with enhanced phasers, and also commandeered the new experimental tactical flyers "assuming the shit would hit the fan". Pike and Cornwell wish one another Godspeed, and they would rendezvous at the fifth signal. The Enterprise goes to warp while the Discovery jumps ahead with the spore drive. Arriving first, Burnham reports that the signal has brought them to the planet Xahea, which gets Tilly's attention: She had met the Xahean queen, Me Hani Ika Hali Ka Po, and remarked that they shared a love of engineering. Tilly also remembers that Xahea had a vast natural supply of dilithium, and that Po had developed a method to recrystalize it, but wouldn't tell anyone how she did it, as she didn't trust anyone with that information. Pike comments that this makes her prudent as well as brilliant, and orders Bryce to open a channel to see if Tilly could convince Po to explain why the signal brought them there. Tilly believes she would be intrigued, as well as glad she wouldn't need to stuff herself into a cargo pallet.
In engineering, as Stamets instructs his team, he is approached by Culber; they both nervously begin speaking, before Culber lets him speak first. Stamets remarks that after Burnham sends the Discovery where it needs to go, he might take a break from starships for a time; he remarks he passed up a job at the Vulcan Science Academy some months before. "Forward motion," Culber says, understanding what he meant. Stamets admits Culber was right, that they both needed that "forward motion" to get on with their lives, and he hopes that however Culber lives his life from then on, and with whoever, that he was happy. Culber hopes for the same for Stamets, and that he planned to join the Enterprise when they caught up. Stamets goes to check on the team fabricating the suit, leaving Culber seemingly with something left unsaid.
In the transporter room, Tilly waits with a bowl of spumoni ice cream in her hand, commenting on Po's love of sugar, just as she beams aboard. Just as Pike begins to greet "Her Serene Highness" formally, Po enthusiastically embraces Tilly, noticing the bowl of ice cream, and commenting that her calculations for "small-particle dispersion in hydrogenated carbohydrates" were on point, but she ends up with "goo". Tilly first introduces Burnham, who Po believes looks taller in her pictures (wrongfooting Burnham somewhat), and then Captain Pike, who asks if she could "eat and walk", as they had work to do. In the science lab, Po notices the time crystal and a time suit, asking "which genius" built the latter; Burnham remarks that it had been built by her mother, to which Po remarks she had a "special mom" too. She clarifies that Burnham intends to use the suit to travel to the future and take the Discovery with her, then come back alone. Georgiou sarcastically comments that the whole endeavor would be pointless if Burnham had planned on coming back with the ship, to which Po smugly replies that since becoming queen, she has made "snark" illegal on her world, before handing a disgusted Georgiou her ice cream bowl. She begins drawing in the air with her spoon, leaving the others confused; Jett Reno recognizes it as calculating nuclear particle physics. Po believes she can modify her dilithium incubator to trigger a cascade of energy in the time crystal by combining it with dark energy, which would replicate the power of a supernova. The power required is more than the Discoverys EPS grid could handle, so Burnham suggests using the spore drive. Tilly points out that the spore drive would require at least twelve hours to recover, which would leave the Discovery unable to use it when Leland/Control's fleet caught up to them. Pike decides that if that was what was needed to power the suit, they would have to make it work. Po and Reno bring up another problem: using this method of charging the crystal would be (as Reno puts it) like using a waterfall to get a drink of water – "it'll work, but then you drown"; Spock explains that the continuous regeneration of energy would compromise the crystal's structural integrity, causing it to burn out. Burnham would thus be able to take the Discovery to the future… but she would not be able to come back.
=== Act Two ===
On the Discoverys bridge, Tyler is horrified when Burnham and Spock reveal that it would be a one-way trip: to ensure Leland did not get the Sphere's data, Burnham would have to remain in the future – permanently. When Detmer asks where in the future, Burnham explains that, provided she did not get lost in the wormhole, in theory her mother would have returned to her anchor point on Terralysium, and so Burnham hopes she will end up there as well, and as there was no technology on Terralysium, they would be safe. Tyler points out the phrases like "in theory" and "hopefully"; Burnham could end up anywhere, a fact that Georgiou bluntly remarks they were aware of. This is apparently what Burnham was meant to do, and tells her comrades to "trust the mystery". Detmer asks if they were sure there was no other way; Pike grimly replies that if there were, they would have found it. Burnham would open a wormhole with the suit, and the Discovery would follow on autopilot. Their job was to clear a path; anything in the vicinity would either be destroyed or pulled into the future with Burnham, and Pike is emphatic they cannot risk that. Tyler condemns the plan as "crazy", and reminds them they had a spore drive. Stamets tells him they need the spore drive's power to charge the crystal, and by the time it was operational, Burnham would be long gone. Saru reports that the Enterprise is 57 minutes out, and Control's fleet is ten minutes behind them. Pike reminds the crew that this is what they had trained for, and orders "eyes up" for Burnham. As the crew comes to attention, Burnham fights back tears as she expresses her love for her shipmates, and thanks them for the "greatest moments" of her life. Pike adds his thanks to the crew, and orders them to get the crystal charged.
In engineering, working on the incubator, Po notes that Tilly is afraid, and assures her that it will all be fine. Tilly feels that she gives her too much credit; Po disagrees, saying that Tilly taught her how to "walk tall and into the heart of it", just like Tilly herself would when she commanded her own ship one day. When Tilly thanks her for helping save the galaxy, noting that she could have stayed out of it, Po reminds her that her people and her world were at risk, too. Tilly remarks on how "beautiful" hearing her say that sounds, and even the "bizarre and super weird" incubator seemed so to her as well. Po finishes her work preparing the incubator, and Tilly comments she would miss her – only to be surprised when Po says she is staying on board. Tilly protests, as she is the queen of Xahea. Po calls her world her "sister", and that she would die to protect her; that was the only queen she knew how to be. "Besides," she adds, "what am I supposed to do, wave a hanky from my throne?" She reminds Tilly they were a team now, cheerfully adding that they were stuck with her before she carries the incubator away.
In the corridors, Georgiou condemns as "stupid" Burnham's plan to send herself into the future "like some galactic rubber band with a martyr complex", and that it did not need to be like this. Burnham is emphatic that it does, for reasons Georgiou did not understand; Georgiou counters that she understood too well that Burnham had a reputation for being selfless, and that she was not the only person who would exploit that. Burnham dismisses her concerns: She was using the suit and doing what needed to be done, and if they were both alive afterward, then she would listen to Georgiou criticize her "gaping character flaws". Georgiou stares in stunned silence as Burnham walks away.
As she walks through the corridors, she is astonished to see Sarek and Amanda approaching her. She asks how they knew; Sarek explains that their katras guided them, as they had not been able to reach her through Starfleet; Control had disabled Starfleet's subspace relays, leaving the Discovery with ship-to-ship communications only. Sarek realizes that Burnham was truly leaving; she believes it is the only way to keep Control from getting the Sphere data. A tearful Amanda tells her she does not need to go through with it, but Burnham is certain that she does. She had lost everything when the Klingons attacked Doctari Alpha, leaving her broken and alone. Sarek and Amanda had helped put her back together, "piece by piece"; even though they had a son, they took her in as their daughter, and even as she tried to push them away, they never let her go. No matter what happened, she promises them that she would carry what they gave her everywhere she went, and that she would not let them down. Amanda expresses pride in her, and in her courage, for what she was about to do. Sarek remarks that every parent's secret wish was that their children would make right the parents' own mistakes and admits he had not been an ideal father – or husband. Amanda calls him "impossible", to which Sarek half-seriously replies he would accept "improbable", earning a laugh from Burnham, before he asks for forgiveness from them both for his failings. Burnham gladly agrees, and asks that Spock be taken care of. Sarek replies that he would always be there for his son, even as he kept his distance as Spock had wished. Burnham reminds them that Spock loved his father deeply, and she did as well. Amanda expresses their love for her as well, before departing aboard Sarek's ship to return to Vulcan.
=== Act Three ===
As the time for her departure approaches, Burnham watches one of her mother's mission logs in her quarters, in which Gabrielle remarks that time travel was not for the faint of heart, and that she says a silent thank you to whoever invented polyphobic metamaterial before each jump; without it, she would be dead from radiation, temperature fluctuations, or painful blood clots. She believes Humans were not meant for it, but that it was the easy part; navigation was trickier, expressing her wish that whoever was watching was not crazy enough to try a jump themselves, but if they were "half as stubborn" as she was, she would explain how to do it the right way. As she begins to explain, Pike's voice sounds on the intercom that the Enterprise was twenty minutes out, calling Georgiou to his ready room and Burnham to the bridge. As she leaves, she runs into Tilly, who remarks on Burnham's announcement that she was leaving forever and that she hadn't been there "to sob and wail and throw myself at your feet"; Burnham points out that she had been busy, and begins to explain what their goodbye needed to be. Tilly remarks that it needed to be "nonexistent", as that's not who they were, or who "any of us" were either. Taking her by the hand, she leads her into the corridor, where much of the senior staff are waiting: Spock, Saru, Stamets, Reno, Owosekun, Detmer, Bryce, Rhys, Nilsson, and Tyler. Speaking for them all, Tilly tells Burnham they planned to stay with her. Burnham protests, saying that she couldn't allow them to do this; Reno replies that they were not asking permission. Burnham insists they have lives and families, people who love them, and that they would never see them again. Saru reminds her that their families accepted the possibility of losing them when they joined Starfleet, and that committing to a life among the stars was "a resolution to leave some things behind". When Burnham reminds them she doesn't know what the future holds, Stamets replies no one does – they only had now. Spock makes clear that they were going with her, and that any further argument would be futile. Burnham is trying to find words, but Saru points out that they were out of time – which was a problem, Tilly adds, as the crystal wasn't charging as fast as they had hoped. Reno volunteers to help, and the crew heads to the turbolift. Tyler takes Burnham aside to speak with her in private.
Burnham realizes immediately that Tyler is not going along with her. Tyler believes he needs to remain behind with Section 31, operating in the "gray areas", so that nothing like Control could ever rise up again; otherwise, they could end up with the same timeline, no matter where Burnham ended up. Pike calls on the intercom again, reminding her that the Enterprise was eleven minutes out; Burnham acknowledges she was on her way. As she makes to head for the bridge, Burnham turns back and tearfully embraces Tyler one last time, before making her way out.
The crew begin preparing farewell messages for their loved ones. Saru records a message for Siranna, explaining there was a battle coming and that he did not know if the signal would reach her in time, and admits the odds were not in their favor; if they never saw one another again, Saru wanted his sister to know how much he loved her. Tilly's message is for her mother, Siobhan, in which she expressed the hope she had made her proud, but even if she hadn't, she had made herself proud, and she knows her mother could feel it. Owosekun records a message for her family, in which she admits she scared them by making her own path, hoping they would see the message one day and that they would forgive her for it, and that she would carry them all with her. Detmer records a message to her friend Tazzy, who helped her with all the tests she failed, as well as adjusting to her implant after her injury. Stamets' message is for a sibling, who he calls his "best friend" who could translate their parents to them, even though he still did not understand their father at times; he remarks that he knew his sibling felt he was the favorite, but he admits he was just "louder".
Burnham enters the bridge to find Pike, now back in the gold tunic of the "newer" Starfleet uniform; it was now time. He orders Detmer to put distance between them and Xahea, so not to bring them into the fight; Saru reports there is no indication Po has left the ship, to which Pike remarks that it was a "diplomatic meltdown" they'd have to deal with another day. He does not need to ask if the entire crew is committed to joining Burnham, so he remarks there is one last bit of "housecleaning" before he returns to the Enterprise: the Discovery is going to need a new captain – and without a word, he turns to Saru.
=== Act Four ===
As the Enterprise arrives, Pike addresses the Discovery crew for the last time, telling them that it has been one of the greatest honors of his career to serve as their captain, calling them both exceptional officers and exceptional individuals. He thanks Detmer and Owosekun for saving him during the mission to the first signal on the interstellar asteroid; he applauds Nilsson for stepping up for Airiam in a way that honored her; he commends Bryce and Rhys for remaining cool under pressure; and he admits he will "miss the hell" out of Saru. To Spock, he confesses "there aren't words", and also remarks that Nhan has volunteered to stay as well, which Saru gladly accepts. Lastly, he turns to Burnham, commenting that most people never got a chance to learn what was in their own hearts, and even figuring it out, it's not they would have expected or chosen, thinking to his vision from the time crystal. He expresses his gratitude to Burnham for being there to watch her discover her own heart. He expresses to them all his belief that they would face their destinies with bravery and honor, even those moments that would test the strongest among them. He leaves Saru the conn as Burnham leads them through the wormhole; as he begins to explain what would happen after that, Saru replies that he thought it best to focus on their tasks, and that they would discuss the captaincy later. Number One hails from the Enterprise, informing Pike that Leland/Control's fleet was less than five minutes out. Pike asks Bryce to ensure everyone who planned to leave the Discovery had done so, and instructs the remainder of them to go back to work. Burnham calls the crew to attention as Pike leaves.
While both the Discovery and the Enterprise launch their compliments of small craft, Tilly, Stamets, and Reno continue to work on charging the crystal; at the rate they were going, Stamets warns, the crystal would not be charged before Leland/Control arrived. Tilly replies that was why she asked for their help. Reno realizes the cage containing the crystal was interfering with the charge, but without the cage, "everyone will see visions of the future, and their heads will explode". Stamets asks for ideas; Reno suggests moving the charging unit inside the cage, while Tilly suggests widening the diameter of the cage opening. Stamets rejects both – with the former, it would redistribute the charge to the point of instability, and with the latter, making it wider would cause the crystal's effects to seep out, which was what the cage was meant to avoid. Bryce's voice sounds on the intercom for the final shuttles to begin boarding, as transporter power would be diverted to defense systems in three minutes. Reno orders both Tilly and Stamets outside and not to let anyone else in, and assures them she would be fine. As they leave, Reno deactivates the crystal cage, and begins to experience flashes of the future.
On the bridge, Saru asks Bryce to open a ship-wide channel, calling all crew to stations, and ordering red alert. He informs Pike that they were ready to proceed. Pike arrives in the transporter room with Georgiou and Tyler; he remarks that he has not been sure what to make of Georgiou lately, but is glad to have had her on the same side. Georgiou cheerfully remarks on "more fun to come" if they survived. Pike wishes her luck, and remarks to Tyler that he was glad to have him on the same side, too. Tyler asks if that meant Pike trusted him; when Pike wonders why he asked, Tyler replies that there was something he had to do, and that he would have to leave before the battle began. Georgiou activates the transporter, and then confesses to Pike that she was from the mirror universe. "What mirror universe?" Pike replies, with a conspiratorial wink, as the transporter effect takes him.
Detmer communicates to all ships that Leland/Control's fleet has arrived. As Pike steps onto his bridge, Number One reports nine more ships arriving; Burnham can see that the fleet has surrounded them. Aboard the Enterprise, Pike orders shields up; on the Discovery, Saru tells the crew to prepare for battle.
TO BE CONTINUED…
== Log entries ==
* "Personal log, Stardate 1051.8. We're in the process of abandoning our ship in order to destroy it. This is actually happening, yet somehow I still can't believe it. Long-range sensors show Control is on the move and gaining quickly. Its infiltrated our subspace radio relays, so we can't reach Starfleet for backup. Ship-to-ship communication is all we've got. Discovery contains the one thing in all the galaxy that Control needs, the data to become fully conscious. My mother sacrificed everything to stop Control from getting that data, and now she's counting on us to finish the job. But is this really the only solution? I look in the mirror and can hardly recognize myself anymore. All these questions without answers. There are seven signals, but we've only seen four. We have a time crystal that we don't know how to use. Captain Pike has always had faith that they play a part in some grand design. Now… more than ever… I wish I had his certainty."
== Memorable quotes ==
"Welcome home, captain."
"Good to be back. Wish it were under better circumstances."
"Don't we all."
"All major systems are back online, and we'll have no more holographic communications… ever."
"Probably for the best."
:- Number One, Katrina Cornwell, and Christopher Pike on Pikes return to the Enterprise
"Orange. Really? Ugh."
:- Philippa Georgiou, first seeing the bridge of the Enterprise
"Actually, our odds might be a little better than that. I took the liberty of retrofitting our shuttle and landing pod complement with enhanced phasers, and I commandeered the new experimental tactical flyers, assuming the shit would hit the fan."
"Well done, Number One."
:- Number One and Christopher Pike, on Number One's initiative
"One of the fun things about becoming queen of the most politically relevant planet in the galaxy is that I don't have to listen to any snark. I made it an actual law."
:- Po, shutting down Georgiou's sarcasm
"I wish there was more time. There isn't. I love you… all of you. Thank you for the greatest moments of my life."
:- Burnham, bidding farewell to her shipmates
"It is the secret wish of every parent that our children make right the mistakes we ourselves have made. I know I have not always been the ideal father. Or husband, Amanda. I am…"
"Impossible."
"I will accept 'improbable'."
"Well, that's big of you, father."
:- Sarek, Amanda, and Burnham
"Commander, our families accepted the possibility of this moment when we joined Starfleet. Committing to a life amongst the stars is, in itself, a resolution to leave some things behind."
:- Saru, to Burnham, speaking for the crew
"Serving as your captain has been one of the greatest honors of my career. You are exceptional officers. Exceptional individuals, every single one of you. Lieutenants Detmer and Owosekun, I wouldn't be here if you hadn't saved my life on the way to that asteroid. Lieutenant Nilsson, You've stepped up for Airiam in way that honors her. Lieutenants Bryce and Rhys, you're calm under pressure. And Commander Saru, I'm gonna miss the hell outta you. Lieutenant Spock… there aren't words. Commander Nhan has requested to stay aboard Discovery."
"If I can be of help, that is."
"Well – it would be our privilege to have you, commander."
"As for you… most people will never get a chance to learn what's in their own hearts. If we figure it out, it's often not what we not expected, or even what we would have chosen for ourselves. I am very grateful, commander, to have been here to watch you discover your heart. Thank you. I know that you… I know that all of you will face your destinies with bravery and honor. Even those moments to come that will test the strongest among us."
"Thank you… sir."
:- Christopher Pike, Nhan, Saru, and Michael Burnham, during Pike's goodbye to the crew of the Discovery
"I'm Terran, by the way. From your 'mirror universe.'"
"What mirror universe?" (Pike winks at Georgiou as he is beamed off Discovery)
:- Philippa Georgiou and Christopher Pike, on Georgiou's origins
== Background information ==
* This episode is part one of a two-part season finale. 
=== Title ===
* The title comes from William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet: "Parting is such sweet sorrow that I shall say goodnight till it be morrow."
=== Cast and characters ===
* Yadira Guevara-Prip (Me Hani Ika Hali Ka Po) first appeared in the episode .
=== Music and sound ===
* A few musical cues from this episode were released in the soundtrack collection Star Trek: Discovery - Season 2. The first, "Failure", plays in the episode's teaser, from the moment when the joint Enterprise-Discovery crew realize that their attempt to destroy the Discovery is unsuccessful, and continuing during Burnham's vision of the future; the second, "Essential Personnel", is audible while Pike plans to return to Discovery with all essential personnel, the ship journeys to Xahea, and while Tilly then explains her familiarity with the planet's queen; the third, "Goodbyes", is audible when members of the Discovery crew bid their farewells to their loved ones, starting with Burnham and Tyler saying their goodbyes to each other; and the fourth, "Pike On The Bridge", accompanies Pike's farewell speech to the Discovery bridge crew.
=== Continuity ===
* This episode picks up where left off.
* An additional stardate for this episode (specifically, when the red burst occurs) is given in .
=== Reception ===
* 
* Alex Kurtzman described Olatunde Osunsanmi's work on this episode as "an unbelievable job in a crazy-short period of time." 
=== Production history ===
* : Title publicly revealed 
* : Premiere airdate on CBS All Access
* : International release date (outside Canada and the USA)
== 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
* Shazad Latif as 
;And
* Anson Mount as Christopher Pike
=== Special guest star ===
* Michelle Yeoh as 
=== Guest starring ===
* Jayne Brook as Katrina Cornwell
* James Frain as Sarek
* Yadira Guevara-Prip as Me Hani Ika Hali Ka Po
* Mia Kirshner as Amanda Grayson
* Tig Notaro as Jett Reno
* Ethan Peck as Spock
* Rebecca Romijn as Una Chin-Riley
* Sonja Sohn as Gabrielle Burnham
* Alan van Sprang as Leland (Control)
* Rachael Ancheril as Nhan
=== Co-starring ===
* Emily Coutts as Lt. Keyla Detmer
* Patrick Kwok-Choon as Lt. Gen Rhys
* Oyin Oladejo as Lt. Joann Owosekun
* Ronnie Rowe Jr. as Lt. R.A. Bryce
* Sara Mitich as Lt. Nilsson
* Julianne Grossman as Discovery Computer
* Samora Smallwood as Lt. Amin
* Hanneke Talbot as Lt. Mann
* Chai Valladares as Lt. Nicola
* Nicole Dickinson as Yeoman Colt
=== Uncredited co-stars ===
* Avaah Blackwell as Osnullus bridge officer
* Ante Dekovic as Kroad
* Kevin Lee as Enterprise operations crewmember
* Pamela Mars as Discovery bridge crewmember
* Unknown performers as
** Enterprise sciences officers 2
** Enterprise sciences officers 3
=== Stunt doubles ===
* Christine Ebadi as stunt double for Rachael Ancheril
* Shara Kim as stunt double for Michelle Yeoh
* Daryl Patchett as stunt double for Alan van Sprang
* Melanie Phan as stunt double for Michelle Yeoh
* E. Nova Zatzman as stunt double for Mary Wiseman
=== Stand-in ===
* Stacy-Ann Buchanan as stand-in for Sonequa Martin-Green
=== References ===
antimatter missile; auto-destruct; autopilot; Barzan; blood clot; boatswain's whistle; bowl; cargo pallet; class M; composite alloy; Control; dark energy; dilithium; dilithium incubator; DNA; ; EPS relay; evacuation corridor; Gateway Arch; goop; ice cream; landing pod; katra; Kelpien knife; LEAL helmet; mirror universe; Missouri; mRNA; nova; nuclear particle physics; pair production; phaser; photon torpedo; polyphobic metamaterial; radiation; reaction rate; red burst; red giant; rubber band; Section 31; sector; shields; shuttlecraft; siege weapon; Siranna; snow globe; ; spore drive; spumoni; St. Louis; Stamets' sibling; Starship class; Starfleet Charter; stellar-lensing array; sugar; supernova; T'Khut; tactical flyer; Tazzy; Terralysium; Terran; throne; thruster; time crystal; time suit; time travel; tritanium; ; Vulcan Science Academy; Xahea; Xahean; wormhole
==== Other references ====
* Xahea: catalog number; Celsius; day; diameter; galactic coordinates; gravity; Grid 07, Quad 09, block 3, sector 1; hour; kilogram per cubic meter; kilometer; mean temperature; moon; orbital period; rotation period
* Enterprise dedication plaque: ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; chief of staff; ; ; ; ; ; CNC; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; Fleet Ops; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; Research and Development; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; : ; ; Science Ops; ; ; ; ; ; Starfleet Command; ; Tactical Ops; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; yard engineer; ; 
=== External links ===
* 
* 
* 
de:Solch süße Trauer
es:Such Sweet Sorrow, Part I
fr:Such Sweet Sorrow, Part I (épisode)
pl:Such Sweet Sorrow, Part 1