History TearJerker / StarTrekDiscovery

* Stamets reaction when Burnham tells him that Hugh is still in the nebula and that Adira is with him. He becomes so distraught he immediately begins prepping ''Discovery'' for a jump despite the fact that the ship is still under the Emerald Chain's control. Burnham has to physically restrain him and finally neck pinch him to stop him. Then, she has to get him off the ship so that Osyraa can't use the spore drive to escape. Just before she does, he gives her an absolutely ''blistering'' WhatTheHellHero speech through clear emotional agony.
-->'''Stamets:''' We came to the future for you! We followed you! ''HUGH'' FOLLOWED YOU! We gave up ''everything'' so you wouldn't have to be here alone! How can you do this?!?
-->'''Burnham:''' I'm sorry...

* Even if Mirror Detmer might have been evil and just trying to save her own skin, it's oddly heart-wrenching to see the pained shock in her eyes when Michael suddenly stabs her. Made especially poignant as Detmer had tried to comfort Michael while she was in the brig, as she likely was one of Michael's closest friends and confidants (if not actually the closest). Detmer may also have been the only Terran (other than Georgiou, who's also had the benefit of living in the Prime universe) shown to display emotions like concern and affection, rather than simple bloodlust or cruelty.

* Mirror Owo falling to her knees upon seeing Georgiou mortally wounded. Even the normally bloodthirsty Tilly looks sad. For all the terrible things they do, it turns out Terrans are people too. Saru also comforts her in her final moments (in the MU).

* Mirror Owo falling to her knees upon seeing Georgiou mortally wounded. Even the normally bloodthirsty Tilly looks sad. For all the terrible things they do, it turns out Terrans are people too.

* Mirror Owo falling to her knees upon seeing Georgiou mortally wounded. Even the normally bloodthirsty Tilly looks sad. For all the awful things they do, it turns out Terrans are people too.

* Mirror Owo falling to her knees upon seeing Georgiou mortally wounded. Even the normally bloodthirsty Tilly looks sad.

* Georgiou pleading with her daughter one last time to choose a different path - even after having been betrayed twice - knowing that any moment, her loyalists will attack and Burnham may die in the attack.

* Even if Mirror Detmer might have been evil and just trying to save her own skin, it's oddly heart-wrenching to see the pained shock in her eyes when Michael suddenly stabs her. Made especially poignant as Detmer had tried to comfort Michael while she was in the brig, as she likely was one of Michael's closest friends and confidants (if not actually the closest). Detmer may also have been the only Terran (other than Georgiou, who's also had the benefit of living in the Prime universe) to display emotions like concern and affection, rather than simple bloodlust or cruelty.

* Even if Mirror Detmer might have been evil and just trying to save her own skin, it's oddly heart-wrenching to see the pained shock in her eyes when Michael suddenly stabs her. Made especially poignant as Detmer had tried to comfort Michael while she was in the brig, as she likely was one of Michael's closest friends and confidants (if not actually the closest). Detmer may also have been the only Terran (other than Georgiou, who's also had the benefit of living in the Prime universe) to display emotions like concern and affection, rather than bloodlust or cruelty.

* Even if Mirror Detmer might have been evil and just trying to save her own skin, it's oddly heart-wrenching to see the pained shock in her eyes when Michael suddenly stabs her. Made especially poignant as Detmer had tried to comfort Michael while she was in the brig, as she likely was one of Michael's closest friends and confidants (if not actually the closest).

* Even if Mirror Detmer was probably evil and just trying to save her own skin, it's oddly heart-wrenching to see the pained shock in her eyes when Michael suddenly stabs her. Made especially poignant as Detmer had tried to comfort Michael while she was in the brig, as she likely was one of Michael's closest friends and confidants (if not actually the closest).

* Even if Mirror Detmer was probably evil and just trying to save her own skin, it's oddly heart-wrenching to see the pained shock in her eyes when Michael suddenly stabs her.

* Even if Mirror Detmer was evil and probably just trying to save her own skin, it's oddly heart-wrenching to see the pained shock in her eyes when Michael suddenly stabs her.

* Even if Mirror Detmer was evil and was probably just trying to save her own skin, it's oddly heart-wrenching to see the pained shock in her eyes when Michael suddenly stabs her.

* Saru is, to say the least, extremely disappointed that Michael disobeyed his orders, as she not only did so in the midst of a crisis that ''Discovery'' was more than likely needed for, but undermined the authority of the very position she had encouraged him to take. As such, he officially relieves her of duty as his first officer, confining her responsibilities to the ship's science officer only. He may understand her reasoning behind her disobedience, and he is clearly hurt doing this, but it's evident that, in spite of all they've been through, she has once again violated his trust. What hurst most is that he knows the last time she did this got her discharged and imprisoned, and he had even stated earlier in the last episode that he hoped she would have learned the consequences of not following proper Starfleet protocol, even if what she thought she was doing was right. His faith in her, it seems, was misplaced.

* Watching Statmets, still clearly on a total vacation from reality, cradling Hugh's dead body while mumbling to himself is distressing on so many levels.

[[AC: "Callypso"]]

** The look on Spock's face as discovery flies away. His mouth is hanging open in shock, tears in his eyes. It's possibly one of the most emotional Spock moments we've ever seen.

[[AC: "The Battle at the Binary Star"]]

* Stamets forcing himself through 100 jumps in the spore drive, slowly being driven insane by the mental strain, and all the while his partner Hugh is forced to stand there and watch. By the end of the jump sequence is completely delirious
** At the end of the episode, everything looks like it might be ok for Paul, who has finally agreed to step away from his work on the spore drive and get medical treatment for his mental state, but as he goes to complete one last jump to get them back to the Starbase, the spore drive malfunctions, sending him into a catatonic state.

* Stamets is deeply mentally compromised, caught in some sort of break from reality. Not only is this distressing, but him unknowingly throwing Hugh, the man he loves, across the room in the middle of one of his hallucination episodes is heartbreaking. Tilly even looks close to crying
** For that matter, just Tilly sitting by his bedside and trying to remind him how annoying she is in an effort to bring him back to normal. Its both very funny but also very heartbreaking

* Watching Statmets, still clearly on a total vacation from reality cradling Hugh's dead body while mumbling to himself is distressing on so many levels
* Michael meeting with this MirrorUniverse version of Saru who is a submissive slave, expecting to eventually be killed and eaten as a Terran delicacy is horrific.

* When it looks like its about to be a DeathInTheLimelight for Saru, we get a final conversation between him and Michael where they settle their differences, and admit that they've come to see each other as replacements for the siblings they've both left behind. Saru even asks Michael to be the one to kill him before he is driven mad, and gives her his logs to serve as inspiration for future Kelpian officers

* The opening scene and monologue of Michael running to the spore lab and the look on her face when she gets there and realises that Tilly is gone. It really hammers home just how close the two have become, and how loosing a character like Tilly would be emotionally crushing.
** In that same monologue, the 'defining word' that Michael says for Stamets is Widower.
* Hugh is alive, but trapped in the mycelial network.
** He may be alive, but he's been driven practically insane after months of running for his life from a hostile sentient fungal species that is intent on decomposing him.
** Hugh and Paul's goodbye when the realise that Hugh can't go back to the discovery with them is so painful. Especially Hughs speech about the reason he loves Paul being that Paul is dedicated to life.

** When Sarek is arguing with Amanda about whether or not to turn in Spock, he points out that if Michael does not turn him in, it could jeopardise her career. Though he initially presents it as logical decision between choosing which child is 'salvageable', as the argument intensifies Sarek finally cracks and begs Amanda to not force him to have to loose both of their children at the same time. He's clearly on the edge of tears, which is saying a hell of a lot for a full blooded Vulcan

** special mention goes to the moment where he blows up at Paul, leading to Pauls voice cracking over asking Hugh why he's so angry at him.

* The reveal of what broke Spock and Michaels relationship his heartbreaking. In an effort to protect him, Michael pushed Spock away by effectively calling him a freak of nature.
** The hardest past in the juxtaposition between Spock of the past literally crying himself after Michaels words, and the Spock of the present coldly telling her it was the logical thing to do as it made him cut off his 'useless' human emotions.

* Michael finally learns the truth about her parents death. They were not simply peaceful scientists who where killed by in a random Klingon attack, but rather they were Section 31 officers who were killed because Leland negligently failed to stop Klingons tracking them down to reclaim a time crystal they stole to power their work.
** Especially distressing as Michael has spent pretty much her whole life blaming herself for their deaths because she wanted to stay home and watch a meteor shower instead of go on holiday.
** Look if it makes Michael 'not a Vulcan' Burnham cry, then it's going to make us cry.

* Spock and Michaels final conversation. After years of antipathy and tension, they've only just started to heal their relationship, and now they're going to be losing each other forever. Michaels final words to her little brother are a plea for him to be open to the wonder that the universe may bring him, to seek out those who seem closed off and different to him and try and empathise and understand, because they might be the people most in need of help, and also the ones who are most able to help keep Spock from closing himself off from his emotions again. It manages to get Spock tearing up.

--> Michael: I love you too little brother
** The look on Spock's face as discovery fly's away. His mouth is hanging open in shock, tears in his eyes. Its poossible one of the more emotional Spock moments we've ever seen