Star Trek's Returning Discovery Character Is Almost A Whole New Person

Mary Wiseman's Sylvia Tilly was a vital component of Star Trek: Discovery across its five seasons. While her attentions were divided between the Discovery and Starfleet Academy later on, Tilly was a character who grew alongside the series, rising through the ranks, rising to prominence, and rising to greatness. Many Star Trek heroes hit the screen almost fully-formed, but in Tilly, Star Trek: Discovery charted a promising young officer's development across several years.

Quite fittingly, Star Trek is committing to that storyline by including Wiseman in Starfleet Academy. After choosing to follow the path of an academy instructor following the conclusion of Star Trek: Discovery, Tilly is now fully embracing her new career path by working with third-year students in the Beta Quadrant. She returns to base in Starfleet Academy episode 8, but as Tilly makes her Star Trek comeback, it's clearly a very different version of her character.

Tilly Is Almost Unrecognizable In Star Trek: Starfleet Academy

When Sylvia Tilly first appeared in Star Trek: Discovery, she was extremely shy, very uncertain, and constantly viewing herself as "in the way." Gradually, Tilly's confidence grew. Her friendship with Michael Burnham, her relationships on board the Discovery, and posing as the ruthless Mirror Universe version of herself all played their part in Tilly's transformation.

By Star Trek: Discovery season 5, Tilly had developed a self-assured attitude and an aura of belonging. She had overcome insecurity, laughed in the face of anxiety, and forged an identity of her own. Switching from the Discovery to Starfleet Academy was the final step in that journey - Tilly finding her true calling in life after a move to the 32nd century offered every member of the Discovery crew a blank slate.

Starfleet Academy episode 8 is the first demonstration of how much Tilly has changed since Star Trek: Discovery finished, and the result is stark. Tilly is now fusing the eternal chirpiness of her character with the no-nonsense attitude of a seasoned teacher, and tiny flecks of the Mirror Universe's evil Tilly sprinkled in for good measure. More than that, there's a charismatic, showperson quality to Tilly in Starfleet Academy.

That wasn't part of her persona in Star Trek: Discovery, even by the end, and it highlights how much molding Starfleet cadets into respectable officers has drawn Tilly further out of the shell she was hiding in back at the very beginning. This is, surely, the final form of Sylvia Tilly.

Tilly Now Needs To Return In Star Trek: Starfleet Academy Season 2

Sylvia Tilly's return is a highlight from Star Trek: Starfleet Academy episode 8, but she's far from the main focus. The episode's true purpose is exploring the emotional fallout from the USS Miyazaki incident two episodes prior. It delves into Tarima's trauma, the other cadets' mental health struggles, SAM's deteriorating condition, and the Doctor's emotional isolation after centuries of outliving his friends.

Tilly facilitates those storylines, but largely remains out of the spotlight. Nevertheless, her scenes demonstrate a clear shift in personality, and it's a shift worth examining in more depth. Granted, Star Trek had other business to attend to here, but with Starfleet Academy season 2 already confirmed, space should be made for Sylvia Tilly to lead her own story in the sophomore year.

Starfleet Academy even sets up Tilly as a semi-recurring character. As she leaves, Captain Ake asks, "Back soon?" to which Tilly replies, "Hell yes." And as an academy instructor, it would hardly be difficult for Tilly to maintain a presence in Star Trek's new show. Seeing this new Tilly in a high-pressure situation against a major villain, or mentoring a student with the same lack of confidence she once experienced, would represent a bold new direction for this ever-morphing character.