Finally reunited, Burnham and the USS Discovery crew journey to Earth, eager to learn what happened to the Federation in their absence.

After two big episodes, a return to Earth promised to be another significant event, but for the most part People of Earth is a bottle show that’s more inclined to set up the way forward in this new season. Directed by Star Trek veteran Jonathan Frakes, there’s a steady hand at the tiller, though I imagine this week’s instalment will not be remembered as a classic.

Burnham is catching up with her crew mates About her gap year, explaining the significance of ‘the burn‘, and bringing home the stark reality that millions died who were on vessels with warp drives. Tilly is struggling to come to terms with the fact that everyone she knew had died centuries ago, and Saru wonders whether Burnham is fit to be his Number One. Things become exacerbated when Michael and Book play a neat ruse to beat some dilithium raiders, but she didn’t let her Captain in on her plans, and maybe she’s been operating outside of Starfleet for too long now?

The plot point of the Wen raiders fighting the United Earth Defence Force, and the resolution of that conflict, is fairly standard Star Trek fare, serving primarily as an excuse to get new character Adira (Blu del Barrio) onboard, who is labelled as either ‘teen genius’ or ‘tween menace’, depending on your perspective. I doubt they’ll be the next Wesley Crusher, and there’s an added dimension to their presence on the ship, which has the potential to offer interesting scenarios for future episodes.

Verdict: A necessary pause to fuel the show with exposition dumps and bring in a new crew member – it’s a lower key episode that’s at its best when Michael is interacting with Tilly and Saru. 7/10