Burnham learns some unpleasant truths.

We’re now at the two-thirds point in Discovery’s opening season, and it’s the right time for certain reveals – the primary of which is the confirmation of the worst kept secret in Star Trek history (hot on the heels of Benedict Cumberbatch is playing Khan): Tyler is Voq. It takes him coming face to face with his “evil” (at least as Voq would see it) twin for the process finally to be completed, but now we all know, can we move on past that storyline? I’m sure there’s more to come with regard to Tyler’s personality being able somehow to subsume Voq’s so that he becomes a valued member of the crew who We Are Never Going To Be Entirely Sure About in future, but it would be nice if Discovery could break with some traditions.

The Stamets storyline continues to be intriguing, with an explanation for the “mirror” Stamets earlier in the season. It’s also a chance for Tilly to show her worth even if it seems as if her ideas aren’t working out quite as she expected. The multiple Stamets in the forest is a good twist and promises a lot.

As far as the travails in the Mirror Universe go, we get to see a couple of familiar figures – Sarek as “the Prophet”, with full Nimoy Mirror Mirror goatee, and the entirely not-unexpected figure of Georgiou as the Empress whose arrival (on the Defiant, maybe) will hopefully signify the start of the final phase of this stage of the saga. I suspect that Discovery’s way home from the mirror dimension isn’t going to be that simple – and possibly the driving force behind the show’s future seasons.

Verdict: There are a few places in this episode where the dialogue could maybe have done with a little more polishing – there’s an archness that we’ve not had as much before – but overall things are falling neatly into place. 8/10

Paul Simpson