Spoilers Star Trek: Discovery 2x06 - "The Sound of Thunder"

[Alan Roi]

I enjoyed the episode. 8/10 from me. I don't think we actually saw a real member of the ba'ul (sp)... that seemed like a way to seem more menacing to anyone there... they are probably small weak hamster people.

I also thought the ba'ul (sp) ships were a tad large... but maybe thats all they have... and maybe they are like city ships... dunno. Overall it was enjoyable. I was originally annoyed in the short trek that they broke the prime directive, but since the planet is warp capable already, and its just a more fuzzy interfere with a political\social situation, its not so bothersome to me. Saru is really one of the best characters of the show.

Well, if you are or feel small, then overcompensating with huge ships is the way to go, right? Like a pufferfish, or a cat, when threatened the point is to make oneself appear larger and more threatening even though that in itself is a pure defense mechanism.

Yes, if one is writing a parable or allegory about human beings, then the Ba'ul are acting strangely and irrationally and maybe there are plotholes here. But if one is writing them in reference to say, alien as say, fish, it might take some time to do some research in order to say, yeah, if this is what they are, then maybe their behavior does make sense for them.

I do appreciate the fact that Discover in general is giving us puzzles like these to solve. Then again, one of my favorite scifi films/books is the Abyss.

 

[Reyman]

Are post-vahar'ai Kelpiens simply just adult Kelpiens or was this their next step in evolution?

 

[Alan Roi]

Are post-vahar'ai Kelpiens simply just adult Kelpiens or was this their next step in evolution?

Story suggests its an adult form of the species not a random mutation that produces a variation. Seems like they are not using the term 'evolved' in the ep in the biological definition but in the pokemon definition of the word or Kelpiens, gotta catch them all!

 

[Guy Gardener]

Yup.

Vahar'ai = Puberty.

There could be other developmental steps before the Kelpiens reach their natural expiration date, which might be thousands of years.

The Ba'ul we saw, how he talked, seemed to indicate, that he might have maybe have been around for a while and had experienced fully grown Kelpiens first hand hundreds of years ago.

They old.

Humorous supposition.

The figure we saw was a host.

The Ba'ul are actually the black goo dripping off and permeating through the host.

The goo is sapient Kelp.

 

[Reyman]

Here is something to think about.

If adult (evolved) Kelpiens are predators and Ba'ul are prey, then why do young Kelpiens need threat ganglia?

At one point in the Kelpiens past there were no young Kelpiens, their population was wiped out just before the ba'ul population declined. Adult Kelpien population remained the same throughout this decline.

Are adult Kelpiens a threat to young Kelpiens? Are they cannibals? Are the Ba'ul actually the good guys and were they just protecting Kelpiens from themselves?

 

[Alan Roi]

Here is something to think about.

If adult (evolved) Kelpiens are predators and Ba'ul are prey, then why do young Kelpiens need threat ganglia?

At one point in the Kelpiens past there were no young Kelpiens, their population was wiped out long before thee ba'ul population declined. Adult Kelpien population remained the same throughout this decline.

Are adult Kelpiens a threat to young Kelpiens? Are they cannibals? Are the Ba'ul actually the good guys and were they just protecting Kelpiens from themselves?

So not so much a predator/prey relationship as a vegetarian/salad relationship.

Works for me.

 

[Reyman]

The figure we saw was a host.

The Ba'ul are actually the black goo dripping off and permeating through the host.

The goo is sapient Kelp.

The host body might be young Kelpiens, which could be the reason why the Ba'ul population started to decline once the population of young Kelpiens was wiped out. That would also explain why they farm young Kelpiens. Not as prey, but as hosts.

 

[Guy Gardener]

So not so much a predator/prey relationship as a vegetarian/salad relationship.

Works for me.

Why keep the Kelpiens around, and why kill them all, if there was a very good reason to let them live for ongoing centuries?

 

[Nerys Myk]

Why keep the Kelpiens around, and why kill them all, if there was a very good reason to let them live for ongoing centuries?

They're good fishermen.

 

[Gov Kodos]

I was the one who mentioned this. Toward the end after the Kelpians go through that vahari thing, they are walking in their village, confused. Saru and his sister walk toward them. Around that time there is a scene showing these black things in the water, with part of them sticking out kind of like a shark fin, swimming away from the beach. I believe those were the Ba’ul.

I think those were parts of their fishing nets. You can see them on the beach when Burnham and Saru first arrive.

 

[Alan Roi]

The host body might be young Kelpiens, which could be the reason why the Ba'ul population started to decline once the population of young Kelpiens was wiped out. That would also explain why they farm young Kelpiens. Not as prey, but as hosts.

Multiple possible options for exactly what 'Kelpien' might mean. Eater of Kelp? Host for Kelp? Next visit to Saru's homeworld should be interesting.

 

[Commander Richard]

Loved the episode. Trek in top form.

- Pike is a formidable captain. He rivals the best.

- They had to get rid of the threat ganglia. It was probably too expensive.

- The entire episode had me transfixed. I wanted to know more about the ba'ul and why they were doing what they were doing. Haven't felt that way during a Trek episode in a long time.

- Doug Jones really delivered and I felt for Saru.

- I can't wait to find out more about who this red angel is. Is it one person? Or several? Are they from the 33rd century? That part may very well tie into the "Calypso" short.

- Before any sort of peace or new balance is established, someone is going to regret freeing the kelpiens, I'm sure.

 

[Ricky]

"Bryce, hail these bastards."

That might just be my favourite line from any captain ever. I've really taken to this Pike and though I know it's unlikely I'd really like to see him in his own series aboard the Enterprise.

Discovery has really stepped up this season for me. Personally I think there was a bit more mileage to be had from Saru's transition but it's nice to see more character-centric episodes that aren't driven entirely from Michael's perspective.

I also like that in the Ba'ul we are really seeing something alien, both in terms of visual and audio. The conversations they had with Pike were disturbing, their tech was overblown in a The Tholian Web kind of a way and though physically they were a horror-trope tar creature, they were a very well realised horror-trope tar creature.

Looking forward to Culber getting some spotlight which judging by the hints we've had so far is soon.

And Spock next week is it? Not really bothered. All that may change when he finally turns up but there's loads of interesting stuff going on right now that doesn't have pointy ears.

 

[Cyrus]

The Ready Room Doug Jones interview:

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[Turtletrekker]

Doug Jones is 58?!?

 

[cooleddie74]

Dude looks good for 58. I'm only 44 and the only Kelpien I could play would be a bloated one who occasionally scratches his butt on camera.

 

[Nerys Myk]

Dude looks good for 58. I'm only 44 and the only Kelpien I could play would be a bloated one who occasionally scratches his butt on camera.

Homur?

 

[Guy Gardener]

Ba'ul tech might have looked impressive, but... They've only had warp for 22 years, and they have gone NOWHERE, so they have never had to fight anyone, to garner a need for good shields and good disrupters.

Shields convert dangerous energy, into harmless energy. The conversion process costs energy. This is why shields drop every time that they get shot at by phasers or disrupters, or kinetic force.

A more intelligent race does not invent thicker shields, well it does, but a more intelligent race figures out how to convert more dangerous energy into more safer energy faster losing less of their shields to conversion loss. So it's about shield efficiency rather than applying more power reserves to the same problem, which is also a fine answer to the same question.

If the Federation had been inventing shields for thousands of years (Vulcan scientists, other ancient member worlds too) longer than the Ba'ul, then their disrupters should have been awkward and ineffective while striking against Discovery's shields.

20 years at refining antimatter and mining for dilithiuim, and building a fleet to defend their world against practically no one.

They don't know jack.

Although...

Maybe the Ba'ul buys their technology from someone older and more powerful than the Federation?

 

[Nerys Myk]

Harry Mudd probably sold them the warp drive plans.

 

[Gov Kodos]

It was the Pakleds. The box promised 'You will be strong,' but it never explained how.