I was a little underwhelmed by the reveal of the Ba'ul. Previous episodes left me with the impression that there was some sort of more direct farming/hunting going on. I liked what it was saying about "oppressing somebody we fear," but how it got there was less polished than I would have liked.
I did like the look and sound of the Ba'ul in that episode, but I agree with you on the concept. Imagine someone coming up to a farmer and saying that his pigs or cows are human beings and they have no right to kill them. You can write their reaction like that and it is actually more of a Trekkian morality tale.