I didn't like this episode quite as much as the pilot, but I respected it a lot more.
Whereas the pilot was trying to play to a lot of traditional trek tropes that have been well-established even in the modern era, here we see something we've not really seen since the Berman Trek era - Space Drama! Kurtzman Trek has really leaned into the action and peril, to the point that sometimes pointless action filler (or something endangering the ship and/or characters) was inserted even into quieter, more character focused episodes. They have the confidence here to jettison any action worse than Caleb getting squirted with mucus.
That's not to say there are stakes - stakes of potential quadrant-wide importance with the rejoining of Betazed to the Federation. I think the "adult" side of the story is handled well enough. Vance gets a real role here, trying with Ake to convince the president of Betazed. Some of the worldbuilding still seems a bit confusing to me still (is this "wall" covering a good-sized chunk of space, since Caleb's mother was on some asteroid there?) but I'm willing to let it slide. I love that at the conclusion they realized that the president wasn't just a reactionary isolationist that they needed to somehow convince, but that there needed to be a give and take - seemed like a very Trekkian conclusion. I also just love the Federation not being HQed on Earth, as I'm sick of the Federation being depicted as "human+friends."
Of course, most of the episode lives and dies on Caleb and Tarima's budding romance. I thought this worked well enough. Nothing was cringe, as the kids say. They acted appropriately immature for the age of their characters, without coming across as children. They wisely didn't go with the "two hot people bang immediately" thing, and kept both palpable attraction and friction throughout the episode. I think some of the questions Caleb asked her seemed kind of weird and for the sake of the audience (I wouldn't point out weird things on a woman I was trying to mack on), but I can forgive this.
I feel like Caleb's arc regressed a bit from the pilot regarding the search for his mother, as he seemed more settled into giving Starfleet a try, and is now immediately looking for an out again. That said, I understand the season has 10 episodes, and we probably won't see him as more than a begrudging cadet until the end.
The other kids are given quite short shrift here, fading into the background as little more than extras. However, there were a lot more slice of life scenes here which gave you a picture of regular life at Starfleet Academy. They really didn't serve a story purpose here, and I hear later in the season most or all will be given a focus episode, so it's fine.
Got a better feeling for Ake here than in the pilot. Seems like they're making her a bit of a weirdo. Maybe not Pelia level, but I guess half Lanthanites are just half weirdos?
So yeah, this episode didn't hit for me personally, but I hope we have more slow-paced, drama-fueled episodes without resorting to cheap action and peril.
