While grappling with the fallout of her recent actions, and what her future might hold, Burnham agrees to represent the Federation in an intense debate about the release of politically sensitive — but highly valuable — Burn data.

Sonequa Martin-Green (Commander Michael Burnham)
Doug Jones (Captain Saru)
Anthony Rapp (Lt. Cmdr. Paul Stamets)
Mary Wiseman (Ensign Sylvia Tilly)
Wilson Cruz (Dr. Hugh Culber)
David Ajala (Cleveland Booker)

Michelle Yeoh (Philippa Georgiou)

Oded Fehr (Admiral Charles Vance)
Sonja Sohn (Gabrielle Burnham)

Emily Coutts (Lt. Keyla Detmer)
Patrick Kwok-Choon (Lt. Gen Rhys)
Oyin Oladejo (Lt. Joann Owosekun)
Ronnie Rowe Jr. (Lt. Ronald Bryce)
Sara Mitich (Lt. Nilsson)
Julianne Grossman (Discovery computer)
Oliver Becker (N'Raj)
Stephanie Belding (Shira)
Emmanuel Kabongo (V'Kir)
Tara Rosling (President T'Rina)

• This episode is a thematic follow-up to the TNG episodes "Unification, Part I" and "Unification, Part II". A holographic scene of Spock speaking of the unification of the Vulcan and Romulan peoples as seen in Part II is shown.
  
• Burnham and Tilly discover a Federation project named "SB-19" involved sensors that could help fill in triangulation data regarding The Burn. Admiral Vance informs them the data is not available because it belongs to the Ni'Var… formerly known as Vulcan. After Romulans settled on Vulcan, the unified planet changed their name to Ni'Var.
  
• SB-19 was an experimental propulsion system. They believed it was the cause of the Burn, and the fall-out caused Ni'Var to leave the Federation nearly 100 years ago.
  
• Burnham invokes the T'Kal-in-ket ritual to get the SB-19 data. She is assigned a Qowat Milat advocate, who happens to be her mother. The Qowat Milat were introduced in the Picard episode "Absolute Candor". She wears clothing and carries a sword very similar to Elnor and the sisters.
  
• Saru makes Tilly acting first officer.