- Burnham and Adira visit the Trill homeworld while Saru's efforts on the Discovery to help the crew reconnect yield surprises.
- As a human host to a Trill Symbiont, Adira cannot remember becoming the host of the Tal Symbiont and cannot access the memories of previous hosts such as Senna. She cannot even remember how she became a host to Tal. She has no clue how she has intricate knowledge of Discovery's engineering systems, or how she can speak seven languages. Burnham takes them to the Trill home world in hopes that the Trill can help unlock their memories. It is a calculate risk as the Trill may not be a peaceful race anymore.
The Trill are also no longer part of the Federation, but welcome Discovery due to their need for new Symbionts. They are greeted by Trill commissioner Vos (Andrew Shaver). Vos says that the Symbionts carry the Trill history and that their population was decimated during the Burn.
Adira is ordered by Saru to visit the surface with Culber. Adira has a crush on Culber. Adira requests Burnham to come with her instead. However, many Trill refuse to believe that a non-Trill could host a Symbiont, and Adira is turned away. Burnham explains that Adira is not able to access the memories of her Symbiont. Vos says that in 2000 years there isn't a single instance of a Symbiont surviving in a non-Trill host. Vos suggests taking the Symbiont out, but that could kill the host.
Saru asks Stamets to figure out a non-human interface to the Spore Drive. He says in absence of Dilithium, the Spore Drive is now critical, and hence it cannot remain reliant on Stamets alone. They are now 932 years into the future, and hence technological advancements would make a non-human interface possible. Tilly suggests building a dark matter interface to the Spore Drive. Stamets is not happy with Tilly's idea and brushes it off.
A group of Trill attempt to kill Adira and take the Symbiont, but Burnham stops them and a friendly Trill, Guardian Xi (Andreas Apergis), offers to help. Xi says that there aren't enough viable hosts and hence Adira could be their future.
At the sacred Caves of Mak'Ala, Xi and Burnham help Adira connect to Tal's memories: when Senna died, Tal was transferred to Gray (Ian Alexander), Adira's Trill boyfriend. Adira and Gray were both orphans and they were on a Generation ship, trying to find the Federation. But after Gray became a host, he changed and acquired new skills from the Symbiont. Adira was not comfortable with the changes in Gray, but they both loved each other deeply. However, Gray was killed shortly thereafter during an accident on the ship. Adira offered to become the new host to save Tal and the memories of all previous hosts. The loss of Gray was a painful memory for Adira and hence she was repressing it, thus not allowing the connection to her Symbiont either.
After gaining access to Tal's memories, Adira is able to communicate with Gray's consciousness. After the joining, Adira takes the name Adira Tal. Adira chooses to remain on the Discovery.
Meanwhile, Saru attempts to improve crew morale with the help of Dr. Hugh Culber. Culber tells Saru that stress levels on the crew are off the charts. The Discovery could disappear in an instant and nobody would miss them or mourn them. They are not connected to anyone or anything. Saru asks the ship's computer for suggestions and for a moment, the Sphere data emerges from behind and digs deep into Earth's history to suggest comic routines such as Charlie Chaplin to entertain the crew. Saru opts for a private dinner with his bridge crew. Detmer is still off, and it is clear that something is bothering her. Everyone starts telling funny stories and eventually Detmer is asked to recite one. She tells about the time when no one can wipe Stamets' blood off the floor. Detmer confronts Stamets for thinking he is the only essential person on the whole ship, while she is the pilot. Detmer feels thankless and one by one everyone leaves the dinner. Stamets realizes his mistake and thanks Tilly for her contributions to his work. He agrees to work on the dark matter interface with Tilly Detmer admits to Culber that she is not OK. Saru screens a Charlie Chaplin movie in the shuttle-bay and everyone comes together. Detmer apologizes to Stamets. Saru tells Culber that the movie idea came from the Sphere data, who he thinks is trying to protect them.
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