Picard grapples with an explosive, life-altering revelation, while the Titan and her crew try to outmanoeuvre a relentless Vadic in a lethal game of nautical cat and mouse. 

With the third episode of this season, the show settles into its stride. Most of the key players are on the pitch and the storylines are starting to bloom. We start with a flashback to the birth of Riker and Troi’s son and the sadness that follows. This is a trauma that haunts Riker and will need to be addressed.

The Titan and Shrike going in to the nebula immediately raises a Spock-like eyebrow for its Wrath of Khan familiarity, but as with previous instalments, nostalgia is the name of the game, and the spacial anomaly is gorgeously rendered.

The pairing of Raffi and Worf continues to be a winning combination, and surely it’s only a matter of time before they’re joined up with the main crew after they’ve completed their sleuthing. Jack Crusher is also proving to be a more interesting character than initially suggested.

The mystery element of identifying the saboteur sits alongside the ticking bomb of getting the Titan back online before the Shrike finds them, juggling with some nice character moments. Even long-standing relationships are getting tested to their limits, and there’s a heartbreaking moment where tempers finally snap.

Verdict: In many ways, this is Star Trek by numbers, but it’s expertly crafted, and there’s a lot happening to hold our attention. 7/10

Nick Joy