Synopsis: The U.S.S. Discovery and her crew return to their universe only to find that Starfleet Command is losing the war with the Klingon Empire.
This episode can be seen as an illustration of what happens when the conscious ego acknowledges bits of unconscious material and integrates them into itself.
In “The War Without, the War Within”Specialist Michael Burnham returns safely to the U.S.S. Discovery along with the Terran Emperor. Commander Saru tells Burnham that L’Rell has performed surgery on Lt. Ash Tyler, removing Voq from his body but not his memories. Burnham does not want to see him. Discovery is boarded by Admiral Katrina Cornwell and Sarek. Sarek performs a mind meld on Saru to make sure that the crew is from the Discovery, because Starfleet thought the ship had been lost. Cornwell then informs the senior crew that the war against the Klingons is going badly. She in turn, is briefed on the presence of the Terran Emperor. Cornwell goes to speak to the Emperor as well as L’Rell. When L’Rell tells Cornwell that the Klingons will not relent, Burnham asks the Emperor how she defeated them in the mirror universe. The Emperor tells her that the Klingon homeworld, Qo’noS must be destroyed. Burnham admits to Sarek that she has made mistakes. Sarek tells her not to regret loving someone. Cadet Sylvia Tilly says that we need to accept the darkness within ourselves and learn to fight it, as she pleads with Burnham to speak with Tyler. She does, and Tyler tells her he doesn’t know who he is anymore. Burnham tells him that reclaiming your life is a punishing and solitary task. Meanwhile, Cornwell has met with the Emperor to devise a plan and introduces her to the bridge crew as the long lost Captain Philippa Georgiou.
In this episode, Burnham brings the Terran Emperor aboard Discovery, where she is first segregated as a threat, she is othered. But as Cornwell admits, Starfleet is losing the war and ready to look for any means to survive. At this point, although she initially tried to separate Starfleet ideals from what she considered the amoral behavior of the Emperor, Cornwell goes to the Emperor to seek out her wisdom, her way of doing things in a non-Starfleet regulation manner. Cornwell decides to go through with the Emperor’s plan. This can be compared to when the conscious ego is weakened and allows bits of material from the unconscious to come to be acknowledged and integrated into itself, to make it stronger and the psyche more whole.
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