Spoilers Short Treks 1x03 - "The Brightest Star" Promo

[Dukhat]

The ship at the end looks distinctively non Federation. I think it's probably the predator species.

Did you watch some other video? Because I saw no ship.

 

[Rahul]

If Kelp is being farmed, then that world has been annexed.

Kelpiens are 8th class citizens (slave/food) of whichever empire planted a flag on their planet, and has a massive space navy floating about to protect that flag.

"Legally" Kelp doesn't belong to the Kelpiens, like the French were occupied by the Nazis, or the Bajorans were occupied by the Cardassians.

It's not fair, but you may need an army to convince the fairness of the issue to the oppressors, and free the unfairly oppressed, if you're willing to pay the "price" to see that fairness through.

It really depends if a few marauders in 3 ships are farming Kelp, or if it is the Romulans, who have tens of thousands of ships and trillions of soldiers willing to defend their borders and property, to the death.

So, if it's the Romulans, or someone comparable to the Romulans, and not some small party of jerk pirates, then that is a purely internal matter, of a huge empire, which falls under the non-intervention policy mentioned during the Klingon Civil War, which is almost certainly the Prime Directive by another name.

I'm really looking forward to more sentient beings being eaten on DIS...

 

[Timo]

Did you watch some other video? Because I saw no ship.

...The inverted obelisk not quite touching the ground at the beach?

Whether that's part of a Federation ship or an alien ship, no telling yet. But it does seem to come from the heavens, with more to it a bit higher up, past the frame. A single landing leg or boarding tube, Mondoshawan style? Some other appendage crucial to harvesting the delicious natives? A separate/separable probe of some sort?

Timo Saloniemi

 

[Tuskin38]

If Kelp is being farmed, then that world has been annexed.

Kelpiens are 8th class citizens (slave/food) of whichever empire planted a flag on their planet, and has a massive space navy floating about to protect that flag.

"Legally" Kelp doesn't belong to the Kelpiens, like the French were occupied by the Nazis, or the Bajorans were occupied by the Cardassians.

It's not fair, but you may need an army to convince the fairness of the issue to the oppressors, and free the unfairly oppressed, if you're willing to pay the "price" to see that fairness through.

It really depends if a few marauders in 3 ships are farming Kelp, or if it is the Romulans, who have tens of thousands of ships and trillions of soldiers willing to defend their borders and property, to the death.

So, if it's the Romulans, or someone comparable to the Romulans, and not some small party of jerk pirates, then that is a purely internal matter, of a huge empire, which falls under the non-intervention policy mentioned during the Klingon Civil War, which is almost certainly the Prime Directive by another name.

The Kelpian homeworld is called Kaminar, just for future reference.

I'm really looking forward to more sentient beings being eaten on DIS...

During season 1 Saru said a few times that Kelpians are a prey species. They exist just to get eaten by another species on their own homeworld. They’re not the dominant species.

 

[eschaton]

During season 1 Saru said a few times that Kelpians are a prey species. They exist just to get eaten by another species on their own homeworld. They’re not the dominant species.

I would disagree with the bolded. We know they have a predator on their homeworld. But they're pretty clearly "wild animals" not farmed. Livestock would not be fleet of foot and stringy, it would be slow and fat. They're gazelles, not cattle.

 

[Tuskin38]

I would disagree with the bolded. We know they have a predator on their homeworld. But they're pretty clearly "wild animals" not farmed. Livestock would not be fleet of foot and stringy, it would be slow and fat. They're gazelles, not cattle.

That’s a good point, I agree, but Saru also says there isn’t a food chain on his planet (which to me sounds impossible), he just says it’s preadator and prey.

 

[eschaton]

That’s a good point, I agree, but Saru also says there isn’t a food chain on his planet (which to me sounds impossible), he just says it’s predator and prey.

FWIW, that line was ad-libbed by Doug Jones in the pilot. Saru's entire race being prey comes from that ad lib. Thus it makes sense why his body doesn't match our conceptions of "prey." Also why his "food webs" comment makes no sense.

 

[DaveyNY]

Perhaps his race was not originally native to the planet?
If they were brought there by the "talked about but not yet seen" Predator race, then what Saru describes fits.

It's also quite possible that the Kelpians are a native species, but were genetically altered to be a self sufficient food source.

Or perhaps the "Predator Species" also like to have a salad with their meal and figured having the Kelpians do the growing would be a twofold gain.

 

[Guy Gardener]

The Kelpian homeworld is called Kaminar, just for future reference.

Then logically, the indigenous predator (rather than alien predators) preying on the Kelpiens, as the domnat species on their shared homeworld, are called the Kaminari?

No one told David Mack this when he listed Saru's Homeworld as Kelpia in the novel the Desperate Hours. Maybe they'll recall the novel, and have it reprinted?

 

[Dukhat]

...The inverted obelisk not quite touching the ground at the beach?

I didn't think it was part of a ship. But we'll see.

 

[Ronald Held]

Then logically, the indigenous predator (rather than alien predators) preying on the Kelpiens, as the domnat species on their shared homeworld, are called the Kaminari?

No one told David Mack this when he listed Saru's Homeworld as Kelpia in the novel the Desperate Hours. Maybe they'll recall the novel, and have it reprinted?

Fix it in the Ebook version?

 

[Tuskin38]

Then logically, the indigenous predator (rather than alien predators) preying on the Kelpiens, as the domnat species on their shared homeworld, are called the Kaminari?

No one told David Mack this when he listed Saru's Homeworld as Kelpia in the novel the Desperate Hours. Maybe they'll recall the novel, and have it reprinted?

It was used in the Saru focused novel that came out in June.

They probably hadn’t thought up the name when Mack write his book.

 

[Guy Gardener]

I was being silly.

For these early books, across the board in any tv series, not just Star Trek, all the author might have for reference, is an old, out of date series bible, because the pilot hasn't aired yet when they'd started writing.

The conflicts between canon and and these early novels can sometimes be hilariously fun.

 

[XCV330]

I was being silly.

For these early books, across the board in any tv series, not just Star Trek, all the author might have for reference, is an old, out of date series bible, because the pilot hasn't aired yet when they'd started writing.

The conflicts between canon and and these early novels can sometimes be hilariously fun.

they make fun what-ifs.

Saru gets his Moana moment. I wonder if he'll sing a space version of "How Far I'll Go"?

To view this content we will need your consent to set third party cookies.
For more detailed information, see our cookies page.

Accept third party cookies

I've been thinking of this as Saru's song for awhile

 

[captainkirk]

FWIW, that line was ad-libbed by Doug Jones in the pilot. Saru's entire race being prey comes from that ad lib. Thus it makes sense why his body doesn't match our conceptions of "prey." Also why his "food webs" comment makes no sense.

Is there a source for this? I would assume such a significant part of his backstory would be something Fuller came up with.

 

[Vger23]

It looks pretty good. I like how these "Shot Treks" have the ability to scratch the itch for smaller, more episodic stories while the main, larger plot arcs are told within the primary seasons.

 

[Rahul]

Now if ONLY they would air them SOMETIME legally outside of North America...
goddammit CBS!

 

[Mudd]

Now if ONLY they would air them SOMETIME legally outside of North America...
goddammit CBS!

Has anyone ever offered a plausible explanation for CBS not finding international distribution for these things? Why wouldn't Netflix pony up?

 

[Rahul]

Has anyone ever offered a plausible explanation for CBS not finding international distribution for these things? Why wouldn't Netflix pony up?

Netflix doesn't want to pay for them.

Now why, that's not clear. Probably because these Shorts are not going to expand Netflix' viewership numbers to the amount to justify the prize - if you want to watch Trek, you have Netflix anyway. And ~15 minutes every month isn't exactly Netflix' distribution model.

Also, I think CBS is unwilling to sell them anywhere else, because let's be frank: They are a Discovery Tie-ins. Period. They use the Discovery sets, the actors, and the continuity of the show. That means Netflix has already payed for them in the first place. If CBS wanted to sell them somewhere else, Netflix might reasonably sue.

It's really CBS doing the wrong strategy here: They are using them to keep Trekkies subscribed, instead of using them to gain viewership, by showing them on Youtube or somewhere else - for free, but payed with advertisement. IMO these Shorts would attract more people for S2 than S1 did....

 

[Vger23]

Netflix doesn't want to pay for them.

Now why, that's not clear. Probably because these Shorts are not going to expand Netflix' viewership numbers to the amount to justify the prize - if you want to watch Trek, you have Netflix anyway. And ~15 minutes every month isn't exactly Netflix' distribution model.

Also, I think CBS is unwilling to sell them anywhere else, because let's be frank: They are a Discovery Tie-ins. Period. They use the Discovery sets, the actors, and the continuity of the show. That means Netflix has already payed for them in the first place. If CBS wanted to sell them somewhere else, Netflix might reasonably sue.

It's really CBS doing the wrong strategy here: They are using them to keep Trekkies subscribed, instead of using them to gain viewership, by showing them on Youtube or somewhere else - for free, but payed with advertisement. IMO these Shorts would attract more people for S2 than S1 did....

I would guess that CBS's marketing strategy department, which most certainly has senior staff holding advanced educational degrees in their field and an extensive understanding of the broadcast and streaming entertainment industry, probably know what they are doing better than we do, whereas we base our thoughts on the strategy purely from supposition and emotion.