After months spent reconnecting the Federation with distant worlds, Captain Michael Burnham and the crew of the U.S.S. Discovery are sent to assist a damaged space station — a seemingly routine mission that reveals the existence of a terrifying new threat.

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

Oded Fehr (Admiral Charles Vance)
Ian Alexander (Gray Tal)
Chelah Horsdal (President Laira Rillak)
Bill Irwin (Su'Kal)

Emily Coutts (Lt. Cmdr. Keyla Detmer)
Patrick Kwok-Choon (Lt. Cmdr. Gen Rhys)
Oyin Oladejo (Lt. Cmdr. Joann Owosekun)
Ronnie Rowe Jr. (Lt. Cmdr. Ronald A. Bryce)
Sara Mitich (Lt. Cmdr. Nilsson)
Raven Dauda (Dr. Tracy Pollard)
David Benjamin Tomlinson (Lieutenant Linus)
Orville Cummings (Lieutenant Christopher)
Luca Dougleris (Leto)
Rodrigo Fernandez-Stol (Commander Nalas)
Ache Hernandez (Kyheem)
Vanessa Jackson (Lt. Audrey Willa)
Jodi Jahnke (Kelpien Council Member #1)
Avaah Blackwell (Kelpien Council Member #2)
Alex McCooeye (Emporer Lee'u)
David Sobolov (Ba'ul Council Member #1)
Adrian Walters (Cadet Taahz Gorev)

• Star Trek Prodigy season 1 episode 5 airs the same day as this episode. This is the first time two Trek series have run concurrently since Deep Space 9's 7th season and Voyager's 5th in May 1999.
  
• Federation membership has grown to 59 member worlds, up from 38 one year ago.
  
• After 125 years, Starfleet Academy has reopened.
  
• Archer Spacedock was also unveiled, and will serve as a hub for starship refit and construction. When the spacedock is revealed, "Archer's Theme" from the Star Trek: Enterprise closing credits is heard.
  
• The title refers to the Kobayashi Maru scenario, a Starfleet cadet test first shown in the opening of Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan.
  
• Blu del Barrio (Adira Tal) has been upgraded to series regular and their name now appears in the opening credits.
  
• Tilly has been promoted to Lieutenant, and all of the bridge crew have received promotions in their rank from Lieutenant to Lieutenant Commander. Both Drs. Culber and Pollard have been promoted as well.
  
• Laira Rillak is the new president of the Federation. She is a hybrid of Cardassian, Bajoran and Human.
  
• Deep Space Repair Beta Six is located near Kwejian, Book's homeworld. The anomaly destroys Kwejian.