The latest incarnation in the Star Trek franchise, Star Trek: Discovery, has now been running for two seasons, with a third on the way this year and a fourth rumored to have been greenlit already.
The show takes place ten years before Star Trek: The Original Series and comprises a mostly new crew with a couple of familiar faces, most notably Spock and his parents.
So far the show has an overall rating of 7.4 on IMDb, placing it just below Star Trek: Enterprise which comes in at 7.5. However, the show is still finding its feet and the score does not reflect the quality of some of the episodes.
Here we take a look at the 10 very best episodes from the first two seasons of the show, according to IMDb.
S1 Ep3 Context Is For Kings: Score 7.7
This episode is the first in which the show's main protagonist Michael Burnham, finds herself aboard the USS Discovery after its crew rescues her shuttle. With her background, and that of the Klingon war established, this episode gives us our first glimpse of the characters onboard the Discovery that we'll soon come to know.
The ship's captain, Gabriel Lorca, asks Burnham to join him, despite her prison sentence and reveals that this was his plan all along. Hoping to aid him in stopping the war she accidentally started with the Klingons, Burnham accepts and her journey begins. While not the first episode this is the first one in which we get a glimpse of how the show will come together.
S1 Ep10 Despite Yourself: Score 7.8
This episode marks the second part of the first season, after Discovery's crew realizes they are in a Mirror Universe. Here the human Terran Empire run things, fighting a resistance comprised of Vulcans and Klingons.
The crew is forced to pretend to be their mirror selves, leading to some interesting situations, especially when it emerges that Sylvia Tilly's far more aggressive counterpart is the Captain. Watching everyone so wrong-footed is one of the highlights of the first series and the episode also sets up future story arcs perfectly.
S1 Ep 11 Wolf Inside: Score 7.8
This episode is one of the more dramatic in the season when Burnham risks everything to help the resistance escape, after being sent to kill them all.
It also marks the point at which Tyler realizes that he used to be Voq and begins to understand how his programming works. We also begin to realize just how dangerous and unpredictable he could (and at times would) turn out to be.
Alongside all this, we see Klingons and Vulcans properly co-operating, something which seems impossible to the Discovery's crew and which they seek to learn more about.
S2 Ep2 New Eden: Score 7.8
In 'New Eden' Pike and Burnham discover a primitive multi-faith society who are living on the planet Terralysium. During this exploration, they realize that their arrival has triggered the start of an extinction-level disaster, that they must stop in order to save the planet and its inhabitants.
Ensign Tilly manages to avert the catastrophe thanks to the help of a vision of her former classmate May Ahearn, setting up an intriguing new short story arc. Meanwhile, Burnham also discovers some uncomfortable truths about Spock's mental health.
S1 Ep9 Into The Forest I Go: Score 7.9
'Into The Forest I Go' is one of the darker episodes of the series. Lorca is told to flee before the Klingons arrive but instead risks his life to protect the lifeforms on Pahvo. Meanwhile, Tyler and Burnham continue trying to produce an algorithm to detect cloaked ships by using sensors planted on the Klingon ship. Discovering L'Rell during this process has a dark effect on Tyler as he goes into shock recalling horrific incidents he was subjected to by her.
Stamets is also subjected to some challenging and painful side effects after he makes 133 micro-jumps at Lorca's orders. His final jump, which he believed was to safety, ends up putting the ship in amongst Klingon ship debris with this episode asking as many questions as it answers.
S1 Ep13 What's Past Is Prologue: Score 8.0
This episode marks the Discovery crew's escape from the Mirror universe. Utilizing the help of Mirror Stamets, Lorca and his newly freed crew usurp Georgiou while Burnham contacts the Discovery. Georgiou decides to help Burnham and she even ends up offering her own sacrifice to allow Burnham to escape.
The dramatic episode ends with the Charon being destroyed and the Discovery crew realizing that they have skipped the last nine months, and the Klingons are about to win the war.
S2 Ep9 Project Daedalus: Score 8.0
Another dark episode as Starfleet Admiral Katrina Cornwell comes to Discovery with the intention of interrogating Spock, bringing with her video footage of him murdering three doctors. Saru uncovers the truth about the video and Section 31's involvement.
This sets up an intense episode during which Section 31's capabilities become clearer and Control's intentions reveal themselves. As the story unfolds we see conspiracy, murder, drama, and sacrifice take place in order to restore normality.
S1 Ep12 Vaulting Ambition: Score 8.1
'Vaulting Ambition' deserves its high score but you need to watch it carefully or you'll find yourself lost very quickly as it gets a little complicated in places.
After Burnham and Lorca are summoned to the ISS Charon, Burnham gets lunch with Georgiou, while Lorca is treated to a spot of torture. After discovering more about the Mirror Lorca from Georgiou, Burnham quickly realizes that the Lorca she knows is one and the same and getting back here was his goal.
Meanwhile, Stamets takes center stage in a complex little story arc that involves the mycelial network and the two versions of Stamets linking together.
S2 Ep8 If Memory Serves: Score 8.3
During this episode, we see Burnham and Spock secretly return to Talos VI in order to ask the Talosians to heal Spock's mind. We discover that his mind-meld with the Red Angel was the reason for his distress as the Talosian's make a deal to help.
As Burnham's memories of her childhood with Spock are collected we discover more about the bond between the two and a distressing incident in their past. After this, the Discovery crew collects the pair and becomes fugitives from Starfleet. Meanwhile, Culber and Tyler are both struggling with identity crisis'.
S2 Ep14 Such Sweet Sorrow Part 2: Score 8.4
This two-part episode ends the second series and it was a very dramatic time. The appearance of the Enterprise no doubt delighted fans but it was the dramatic background that really appealed.
The episode is complex and dramatic, involving Control trying to infiltrate the Discovery to remove the database contained within its computers. The second half sees a battle play out before the Discovery jumps forward 900 years, with the Enterprise reporting its destruction to Starfleet to ensure the crew and database's safety. Thus the timeline is reset, with a seventh signal starting a brand new adventure for season three.