Just a couple weeks ago, I actually had a short discussion in which I specifically mentioned Betelgeusians as an example of a lesser-known alien that would be neat to see again. TBH, I wouldn't have guessed that Cosmo was a Betelgeusian, but when I compare the new version with the old, I can definitely see the similarities. His look might not be super faithful to the old design, and yet, it does seem to more closely fit the description of something that could have conceivably evolved from "bird-like leopards," an idea I always had a little trouble buying when I looked at the original version.
I gave this episode a 9, which, in hindsight, might be overly high, but I was just happy to have the show back, plus that last scene surprisingly succeeded in making me rather misty-eyed, which I think is a first for Discovery.*
EDIT: *On second thought, I might have had a similar reaction to "An Obol for Charon."