Back in the Prime Universe, the Discovery crew are put to work in a final attempt to win the war with the Klingon Empire…

After the high drama of the last few episodes, I suspect that the producers felt we do need a bit of a breathing space before the all-out season finale that’s coming next week. It’s a time for all the characters to take stock of events in the Mirror Universe, and for the writers to get everyone where they need to be for the conclusion.

Spoilers follow

There are quite a few people online speculating whether Ash Tyler is going to get the chance to redeem himself, and while it does seem that there’s likely to be a very, very Spock in The Wrath of Khan way in which he can do it in the finale, I really hope that the writers take another tack. The scenes featured Shazad Latif are uniformly strong this week – whether it’s Tyler’s interaction with Stamets, the way in which the crew react when he returns to the mess hall (and it had to be Tilly who pushes things –anyone else would have been wrong), or, most of all, his discussion with Burnham as he realises that she’s not going to be the rock that he believes he need. It’s not an episode that features an “A” story as such, which means that all of these scenes are given the time and weight they deserve.

There are powerful moments for all the main cast and regular guest stars including Doug Jones’ Saru’s reaction to the Empress’ treatment of Kelpiens, and Burnham’s lies about it; and Michelle Yeoh’s debriefing with both Admiral Cornwell and Sarek – and then that final entry onto the bridge. There are also moments of pure Star Trek wonder: the creation of the spore planet (for want of a better term) hearkens back to the Genesis project, and I suspect there’ll be a tiny Easter egg to that effect at some point.

Was it the best Discovery episode? No, it wasn’t. In any other previous Trek show, elements of this might not have warranted screen time, but for Discovery, with its serialised nature, it feels right. We need payoffs for some of the emotional beats that have threaded through this season, and we’ve had them. Now, I suspect all bets are off for the finale.

Verdict: A good reminder that this show was set up to be about the crew of the Discovery rather than its captain (a good thing since it’s back in the hands of a Mirror Universe despot!), with powerful work from many. 8/10

Paul Simpson