I thought the opening scenes were clearly there to show how the Federation had lost its way after the Burn - it had survived, but only barely - not wholly in body or in spirit. It is a shadow of its former self. Ake’s resignation and her reluctance to return to service were also ‘about’ this.

The redemptions of Ake and Caleb (and, to a smaller extent, many of the other characters) are only possible because the Federation is also redeeming itself. And both their and its redemption are fragile, precious things that require vigilance to sustain. That’s been a theme throughout the entire series.