I am very relieved. I enjoyed it a lot. No doubt about it being a bit exposition-heavy and a bit heavy-handed in parts but it's a minor quibble overall.
I was definitely getting Lal vibes from Dhaj as well!
It's just a trip to actually have real post-Nemesis Trek after all this time, and I think they nailed the feel of it. Patrick was predictably great and the mystery set-up is compelling and I want to see where they take it for sure, although I also agree that they did give a lot away in the trailers when it comes to people coming back. I guess they had to show a bunch of the returning cast for hype and all that.
Bruce Maddox. I wonder if they will get the actor back at some point or if it's just a neat continuity nod.
So the Borg cube being controlled by a Romulan faction of some sort and the twin is on board. They were really pushing how special and unique Data was (something that the Borg Queen realises in First Contact as well) and so I wonder if they need a positronic brain of that complexity for some reason to do with harnessing/upgrading Borg technology and that's why she was targeted.
Also, it felt NOTHING like Discovery!