#kelpiens

Literally every single scene with the two of them—especially their one on one scenes—is so captivating and such a joy to watch.

There’s something so precious about being able to witness two incredible artists make something beautiful together, and it’s one of my favorite things about acting. (None of you know this but i’m a Theater Technology and Design major currently finishing my BA in the field specializing in scenic design) I never tire of watching actors do their craft, and I will be annoying about it until the end of time.

This episode is easily one of my top three favorite episodes of Discovery and at least in the top ten greatest episodes of Trek in GENERAL of all time. The writing, the acting, the cinematography, the pacing… everything about just fucking SINGS

And it provides a delicious opportunity to watch these two incredible performers do their thing and do it so beautifully.

Aliens are real and he works for them

That they are being killed off and kept technologically inferior by the Ba'ul because

The vahar'ai actually doesn't kill kelpiens, it makes them stronger

His OWN species and he can't tell them. Which is even more crazy because his planet IS warp-capable, his species isn't! The Ba'ul have a warp drive but withold their technology from the Kelpiens in order to dominate them. Starfleet is allowed to say "oh hey we're aliens, want to share some stuff?" to the Ba'ul but not to the other sentient race sharing the planet???? Like!!! GOD.

Siranna takes Saru up on his offer to stay on board the Discovery for a little while and explore. At some point there is a Formal Event. Saru will of course wear a dress uniform, but he puts Siranna before the replicator, calls up the extensive women's clothing catalogue, and tells her to pick whatever she likes and he'll come get her after his shift.

Shift ends, Saru and Burnham cruise by Siranna's quarters and she comes out in like full let-them-eat-cake gear, like:

Anyone have any theories on why Saru lost his ganglia?

Personally, I think it could be like a tribble situation. In the absence of a predator (that they usually have on their homeworld) their biological instincts to not reproduce is removed and so they reproduce in vast quantities. So maybe now that Saru, as a Kelpien, doesn't have a biological predator, in this case the Ba'ul, he's able to enter into the next evolutionary stage of his biology that the majority of his species, if not all, don't live to see because they're always surrounded by their predators and they've accepted that they will always be the prey?

I'm not entirely certain how disco writers are utilise this new development and why they thought it was okay to play me like that and how it's gonna be relevant in the plot. Like maybe we'll see a first contact situation with the Kelpien homeworld, Kaminar? Maybe it can be argued that the Ba'ul are the ones interfering with the natural development of the Kelpien society and biology? Maybe the Ba'ul are a later evolutionary stage of Kelpien biology?