A visiting reporter on the U.S.S. Cerritos puts Captain Freeman on edge.

Tawny Newsome (Ensign Beckett Mariner)
Jack Quaid (Ensign Brad Boimler)
Noël Wells (Ensign D'Vana Tendi)
Eugene Cordero (Ensign Sam Rutherford)
Dawnn Lewis (Captain Carol Freeman)
Jerry O'Connell (Commander Jack Ransom)
Fred Tatasciore (Lieutenant Shaxs)
Gillian Vigman (Dr. T'Ana)

Carlos Alazraqui (Admiral Les Buenamigo)
Alison Becker (Victoria Nuzé)
Sean Clements (B'Nir)
Kevin Dorff (Starbase 80 Officer)
Georgia King (Petra Aberdeen)
Phil LaMarr (Docking Bay Officer)
Lauren Lapkus (Ensign Jennifer Sh'reyan)
Jessica McKenna (Ensign Barnes)
Carl Tart (Lieutenant Kayshon)
Paul F. Tompkins (Dr. Migleemo)

• The U.S.S. Cerritos visits the planets Ornara and Brekka as part of the new Project Swing By, a second contact follow-up mission. Captain Picard and the U.S.S. Enterprise visited Ornara and Brekka 17 years prior, in the first season episode "Symbiosis".
  
• The Ornarans took some time to get over their drug addiction, but they turned it around and began a fitness lifestyle. When they arrive on Brekka, they find the planet deserted — and overrun by Breen soldiers.
  
• This episode introduces the Texas-class starship U.S.S. Aledo NA-01, the first fully-automated starship.
  
• Everyone assumes it was Mariner who provided Victoria Nuzé with the quotes for her Captain Freeman exposé, but it was actually everyone else. Freeman transfers Mariner to Starbase 80, the worst post in all of Starfleet.
  
• After being transferred to Starbase 80, Mariner resigns. The episode ends with her joining up with Petra Aberdeen, who was introduced in the episode "Reflections".
  
• Jet Manhaver is featured in the episode but does not have any speaking lines.