In the present, Doctor Rosalind Lear nears the truth and, perhaps, so does Ensign Tuvok. In the past, Khan begins to lose everything.

We’re in the home stretch now and things are starting to come together very, very nicely. Sonya Cassidy’s Doctor Rosalind Lear continues to occupy some welcome spotlight after last week’s revelation that Delmonda was her source. She opens up to Tuvok and, in a moment that upends the show, Tim Russ’ typically polite Vulcan informs her he’s almost certain she’s lying. She, and we, are still reeling from that as we head back to the past.

On Ceti Alpha V, the two survivor groups are starting to work more closely together, with Ivan imprisoned. Khan and Marla are expecting a child, Kali, and with Ivan’s goods distributed among the remaining people, there’s a welcome moment of levity and bonding over Ivan’s old music box. It’s a witty, multi-layered moment as the Elboreans express fascination with music, the humans are amazed at their first ever contact with aliens and we’re oddly charmed that Ivan was fond of girlband pop music. It feels very Star Trek, a meeting of diverse people, infinite diversity in infinite combinations in adversity.

Its levity is vital and short lived, as this is the episode where Wrenn Schmidt’s Marla is killed. It’s a nicely handled, if operatic moment, using their shared love of poetry and a sweet moment of lit nerd banter about whether Coleridge or Wordsworth were better as an emotional sendoff. Khan, understandably unimpressed by Coleridge’s Kublai Khan, tearfully quoting it to his wife as she dies so their baby will live. It’s big, emotional and anchored by the typically great work of Schmidt and Naveen Andrews.

And I’m not entirely sure I believe it. Although Khan is right about Wordsworth.

Firstly because we’ve got that bumper scene where Tuvok called Lear out. Secondly because it seems slightly odd that Marla wouldn’t think to check the pool she was in for threats. Thirdly because of that operatic final moment. If it’s played as heard that’s fine, Khan’s a character who encourages big moves like this. But if Lear is lying, what is she lying about? And are the tapes real? Or did the Elboreans fabricate them? And perhaps most interesting of all, what happened to Kali?

Did she get off world? And perhaps join Starfleet as a historian?

Verdict: Big questions for a big idea heavy show and another impressive episode. 8/10

Alasdair Stuart