Star Trek: Discovery 4.09
Okay, I must admit that when Saru asked Hugh Culber, not Michael, for dating advice re: T'Rina, I was a bit crushed on that adorable fanfic's behalf which I linked the other day, but hey, otoh: given one of Michael's boyfriends turned out to be a sleeper agent and the other is about the risk intergalactic war by wanting to use a weapon of mass destruction on an unknown enemy, maybe Culber just has the more inspiring track record. :) More seriously, Saru/T'Rina are a lovely subplot to watch, and long may they continue to be so. Nice continuity with Saru worrying about Su'kal, too.
On to the main show. Nhan's return was a welcome surprise, both on a Doylist and Watsonian level. With so many people (Tilly, Adira, Gray) this season going on a break and last season Nhan and Georgiou, it really felt good to see her again. Also it does make sense that both the President and Admiral Vance would on the one hand have someone on board who unlike Michael and Saru doesn't have personal history with Book, but otoh also isn't a stranger possibly antagonizing people in an already tense situation. We've come far from the ST cliclhé of the unwanted Guest Star Admiral throwing their weight around only for the regular Captain to show them up.
I also like that Michael and Book did achieve a compromise (for all the good it it did, more about that in a minute). Again, this fits with both their characterisations and Book not suddenly having lost his mind, but still able to take in new information, so to speak, and I like that Michael continuing to try for an alternate solution isn't framed as either foolish or The Right Thing Because She's Boss And To Hell With Everyone Else. She tries until the proverbial last minute, but she is willing to otherwise let the bloody solution go forward rather than risk everyone else's lives.
Unfortunately, none of them was genre-wise enough to know that Tarka would just go ahead anyway, and Book, at least, should have been. I mean, come on. The guy had made it clear that for him, it was all about getting that energy source, which for him depended on dropping the bomb, so to speak, and which he wouldn't get in a diplomatic solution. (Had made it clear to Book, that is; I don't think anyone else has a clue about his true motivation.) Tarka does not get narratively rewarded, however, since the DMZ is immediately replaced by Species 10-C, and he discovers what it seems had not occured to him before, that its energy comes from a long distance source, not from something he can grab nearby. At which point one can only hope 10 C is the kind of species which can eventually be reasoned with, since they appear to be the proverbial 900 Pound Gorilla.
Last week it was Joann Owesekun's turn, this week the Bridge Crew members to get a bit more sceen time by being put on a (aborted) mission are Bryce and Rhys (spelling?) ; I'm assuming this is a continuing trend so we can get to know them better, and I approve. (Also, Linus makes an appearance which isn't comic relief, note.) It addditionally makes the point that the original two different approaches of how to deal with the DMZ - Book's and Michael's - are still hotly debated among the crew, which is the kind of thing bringing home this is a bunch of individuals with their own opinions (though yes, the actual shuttle mission isn't the time).