My thoughts and reactions:

1) If Culber and Stamets truly end their relationship, that’s a bunch of bollocks.

2) I cried during the conversation Burnham had with Sarek and Amanda. That touched me very profoundly as someone who was in foster care and is only here today because a variety of people “adopted” me and let me know I had value, even though it took well into my adulthood to finally believe it.

3) I liked that another Short Trek was finally used. I’m thinking for the Short Trek about the ship herself being way in the future is going to result in somehow they figure out how to leave the Discovery there out of Control’s reach but the crew gets back. The crew has to get back because 1) We know Spock does for sure, and 2) There is this season. How they get the crew back while leaving the ship in the future, I have no idea.

4) Reno was great as always.

5) The crew standing at-ease with eyes at Captain Pike was also a touching moment. I find it interesting that they’ve replaced a salute or attention with eye with at-ease with eyes. But that is my former military background talking.

6) Tying in with number three, with the Discovery safe in the future, Control is left to assimilate cultures, adding their biological and technological distinctiveness to its own in order to get all the information that was in the sphere.

7) If Burnham stays in the future to fulfill her role as the second Red Angel and send two more signals, then who is going to replace her in Season 3? I’m extremely fond of Michael and the thought of her leaving is ugh, to say the least. I can’t see myself having the same connection with a replacement in one season, since they are so short. It’s like rebooting the show after two seasons. But also, if they give us another extremely well-written character like Pike, it could happen. I still don’t have faith in the writers, especially with how they’ve toyed with us and continue to toy with us on the Culber/Stamets front.

What say you @g-h-brothers and @ani-hatzis?