Star Trek: Discovery 3.5 Review: Ups And Downs From Die Trying
8. Admiral Vance (UP)
Oded Fher guest stars here as Admiral Vance, the no-nonsense introduction to this new Starfleet. The Admiral is both curt and cautiously welcoming, even if he doesn't extend hugs of greeting as Discovery arrives. When he addresses Adira, it is made clear that he had a relationship with Senna Tal - but as he reminds Adira, they are no longer the same person.
The Admiral is businesslike and clearly has other things on his mind than ensuring the crew of Discovery feel warm and fuzzy. This is actually a strong point to the episode - this may be a wonderous journey for the crew of Discovery, but for him its a Thursday. Added to that, the Discovery is in clear violation (unintentional) of the Temporal Accords of the 30th century, and so Vance is faced with the dilemma of what to do with them.
Requisitioning the Discovery actually makes sense. They are joining the larger fleet, they are no longer autonomous. While Burnham struggles with this, Vance has little patience for an unruly Commander. While Burnham has come a long way in the previous year, reminding her of the chain of command is a bit of a welcome moment in the episode.
Fehr sells the authority of Vance, while not overdoing it in terms of brashness. He is able to listen to suggestions and reason, acting in the best interests of the situation. It would be a shame if we were not to see him again.