Nus Braka takes Anisha and Ake and makes one the judge while putting the other on trial in front of the entire Federation and anti-Federation worlds. Meanwhile, the skeleton crew on the Athena work to rescue their Chancellor and save the Federation.

As the cadets get ready to mark the end of the first year and the dedication of the new seat of the Federation, Caleb finally finds messages from his mother. He, along with three others, go to find her and it creates a situation where Ake, Reno and the Doctor have to leave Federation space to go save them.

Tarima returns but the physical damage she suffered from saving the crew on the Miyazaki forces her to move from the War College to Starfleet Academy. Lt. Tilly takes a break from teaching third years, at the request of Chancellor Ake, to teach theater to the first year cadets. And SAM’s very existence is on the line as her glitching becomes overwhelming.

The cadets from Starfleet Academy and the War College are getting time away from school to celebrate All Worlds Day. But one cadet wants to stay at school while another secretly returns to try to cover up part of her past. A third cadet has to answer to his responsibilities and a fourth ends up in an unusual situation.

Cadets from Starfleet Academy and the War College go on a joint mission, but they get attacked by a race of cannibals, so Starfleet leaders turn to an unlikely source for help.

SAM must try to figure out how to improve relations between holograms and living people as she serves as an emissary for her people. She has to learn about a famous emissary from Star Trek’s past to help make her mission work.

A transport carrying members of the eight Klingon houses crashes while on the way to a refugee camp, and it’s unclear if Jay-Den Kraag’s family was among them. Meanwhile, the Doctor teaches the cadets about debate. And the cadets work on a solution to help the Klingon find a new home.

Daram and Genesis battle each other to be the best and address their parental issues. Meanwhile, Caleb learns more about being a team and takes time to talk to Tarima about her decision to join the War College. And the cadets try out for the Calica team.

The cadets take their first classes at the new Starfleet Academy. Meanwhile, Chancellor Nahla Ake leads talks to help the Betazoids, who became protectionists and isolationists after “The Burn”, return to the Federation.

Years after “The Burn” that caused massive destruction in Star Trek: Discovery, Starfleet Academy is set to reopen with its first new class in more than a century. But a space pirate intercepts the ship as it delivers the first cadets to Earth for training.