Another enjoyable episode, if not a very standout one for me. Picking up on Unification was a great way of using the 800-year gap between the TNG era and Discovery's current one to follow up on a concept that would have taken a long time to show changes. I enjoyed the interactions between Saru and the Vulcan president, showing once again that Saru is a very capable leader who uses his empathy to great effect in this scarred universe. Like Earth, Vulcan/Ni'Var isn't doing that badly without the Federation, which I appreciated, even though the cracks are showing. The interactions between the 3 representatives also showed us quite a bit of what post-Unification society might look like. I'm not surprised that there are still many issues to resolve, knowing the Vulcan penchant for clinging to ancient forms and Romulan pride and passion would not make an easy blend. It's a pity we didn't get to see more of the planet itself though, or learn about what happened to the rest of Romulan space, and we didn't really get to know any of the representatives beyond them functioning as mouthpieces for their respective communities. My main issue with the fall of Romulus in the Picard era is that it assumes a vast intererstellar empire couldn't survive the loss of one planet, even if it was the seat of power. The fact that many ex-Federation worlds seem to be coping reasonably well after having left it underscores that, and is a welcome change from the Hobus (and Praxis) events of previous Treks.
Burnham for me continues to be a love-hate character. I have no issues with her instability this season and enjoyed the 'tough love' scenes with Gabrielle, though without having actually seen much of what Michael went through in the past year, I feel I sometimes have a hard time grasping how badly she's been affected by it. She seems... unstable, which amplifies her less desirable traits. I'm not so sure that her staying aboard Discovery is such a good idea anymore. She seems much happier when she is alone with Book, and her work on Discovery seems more fueled by not wanting to disappoint her friends than actually enjoying her job. And that's even without considering if her 'act first, think of the consequences later' approach even warrants her staying in any kind of leadership function, as this week she again put not only Saru but also the leader of a potentially difficult diplomatic contact on the spot. I cannot get myself to like Burnham as a character, but perhaps that is not required. Her story does remain compelling, and there is no doubt that her actions continue to be the main driving force behind Discovery's successes, if not always as intended.
Then again, there were also quite a few things in this episode that irked me. Tilly being made acting first officer being one. I like Tilly. She's smart, kind and compassionate and yet can set aside her feelings when objectivity is called for. Her advice last week to report Burnham's insubordination to Vance showed that, and it's clearly also why Saru values her so much. Having said that - she's not ready. Not even for an acting role. Being a first officer entails much more than advising the captain and applying technical skill. I cannot see Tilly doing personnel reviews, dealing out assignments, leading away teams or, gods forbid, taking over the center seat if Saru should be incapacitated in battle. There is also the matter of how it comes across to others when the ship's chosen representative is one of their least experienced. Perhaps in a few years, with more training. Perhaps if Discovery were just a science vessel with a small crew on research assignments. But not now. Not even if the rest of the bridge crew support it. It also suggests there is a great lack of experienced command personnel on the ship if no one else was sufficiently qualified to even get a mention. Certainly we have some crew of sufficient rank, but most seem to be in departments outside of command or likely have no wish to take up the post, like Reno. Unless Starfleet is really stretched for crew at the moment - and it very well might be - I really thought Vance would insist on assigning someone to fill the post. It would have made excellent sense to have someone posted to the ship with better knowledge of current events, technology and Starfleet's organization. Perhaps this move will yet surprise me with a good follow-up, but seeing is believing.
Finally, what I also did not like, it that this was again a very Burnham-centric episode. Discovery this season has done best when other characters get a chance to share the spotlight. Star Trek has had great episodes that focus on only one character, but most series at least spread the love around a bit among the cast. Exploiting Burnham's connection with Spock to get in the door with the Vulcans and Romulans was, for lack of a better word, a logical move, but it once again cut most of the other characters out of the story, especially with the further focus on her relationship with her mother. While I understand that Gabrielle might pick Vulcan as a good option to wait for Michael to show up, perhaps this reunion could have been moved to another episode to free up time for the B plot.
So, we're going for another 7.