"Red Directive"
Logline
Captain Burnham and the crew of the U.S.S. Discovery are sent to retrieve a mysterious artifact hidden inside a 800-year-old Romulan vessel – but find that they’re not the only ones on the hunt. Meanwhile, Saru is offered the position of a lifetime.
Written by: Michelle Paradise
Directed by: Olatunde Osunsanmi
"Under the Twin Moons"
Logline
On Saru’s last mission as Captain Burnham’s Number One, the team ventures to a seemingly abandoned planet to hunt for what might be the greatest treasure in the galaxy.
Written by: Alan McElroy
Directed by: Doug Aarniokoski
With Stamets talking about legacy and Saru and Tilly leaving or talking about leaving, it really does feel like a final season. If I didn't know otherwise, I'd think they knew it going in. I hope it can maintain that to the end.
What the actors knew and what the writers knew are not necessarily the same thing though. The writers could well have had a much better idea this would be the end of the road, and left them selves avenues accordingly.