[Sul-Matuul]

Well in fairness, half the crap Kirk and co. pulled would have resulted in most of them getting sent packing from Starfleet many times over and yet they managed to continue all the way through to retirement of the big E.
Honestly, after stealing and blowing up the Enterprise A i'm surprised any of them had a job to come back to!

[Blaster]

You mean the Enterprise NCC-1701. 1701-A came after I believe. And they got a pass because they saved the Earth from a violent probe.

[Three of Seven]

Those camera angles need to come with a motion sickness warning, I really don't see the need to constantly spin the camera, tilt it, and zoom in at a funny angle, it doesn't add anything to a scene. I feel that even though it was suposed to be a Saru focused episode, Burnham had to have solutions to so many problems as well, she is just Wesley Crusher with more lines.

Oh and the silly gloopy crature, it's not what I would have expected the Ba'ul to be, it seemed pretty lazy to be honest. And yes, before Skin of Evil is mentioned, I thought that gloopy creature was a bit lazy too, I think it lacks creativity. And how are the Ba'ul supposed to be a prey species? That was never explained, we know from some mirror episodes that Kelpiens are eaten, for their meat, but the Ba'ul don't exactly look very meaty, maybe they hunt them down to burn them in oil lamps? It's odd.

[Blaster]

I'm probably not going to ever watch Discovery. Mainly as it ♥♥♥♥s up the whole timeline of Star Trek.

[Arno12]

Well squid ink is used as a cooking ingredient, maybe the Kelpiens use them to make a nice Ba'Ul Alfredo or Ba'Ul Pasta or Ba'Ul Ragout or Steamed Ba'Ul pudding or Ba'ul Caviar or Ba'Ul Risotto or Ba'Ul Paella or.......

[Three of Seven]

Well squid ink is used as a cooking ingredient, maybe the Kelpiens use them to make a nice Ba'Ul Alfredo or Ba'Ul Pasta or Ba'Ul Ragout or Steamed Ba'Ul pudding or Ba'ul Caviar or Ba'Ul Risotto or Ba'Ul Paella or.......

I'm not much of a cook, so I'll have to trust your word on that! The furthest I go is adding a bit of pepper to something...

[Strathkin]

COULD THEY PLEASE STOP PLAYING AROUND WITH THE CAMERA! It accomplishes nothing other than making me nauseous. Just stop it!

Perhaps not everyone has issues with 'rapid' camera angle changes, but regardless, I agree it enhances little to nothing. In fact, why make it so distracting, especially with such great CGI/fx, almost seems kind of silly in those shots... ...yet it's not good in any shot, I'd rather just take it all in.

Now considering Spock has a connection with the red dots and the "Red Angel", and the body proportions I can't think up with anything other than the "Red Angel" is somehow Burnham. But boy I sure do hope that I'm wrong.

Yea, I think it's really anyone's guess at this moment.

Well I don't think it's Burnham, cause the Angel appeared to her, when she needed help on the Asteroid... ...I'd like to think they are just trying to justify 'that which they don't understand', claiming this 'Angel' is perhaps, just a far more technologically advanced Alien/Humanoid Species, or perhaps both are in part equally true? Is this really an 'Angel' based in many earlier earth religions, or possibly another mysterious entity they just don't understand, and will it even be revealed, or always leave unanswered questions so it's never fully explained. I suspect it's likely going to be a bit similar to how Q worked in TNG.

I suspect there was some foreshadowing: Human's taken during the 20/21st century, prior to WWIII to that other Planet, as they seemed to be 'ready' to 'evolve' their focus. This 'Angel' apparently took many from all religions, and even those who were not religious, similar more to Burnham, who believes in Science as I believe she identified. Still it was interesting the people seemed willing to coexist & focus a singular religion, based on common knowledge, understanding, and similarities they all share including science and technology--often those two have been at odds for centuries.

Star Trek has long had a history of showing how Humanity eventually learns to come together. I'd like to believe and hope, the writers views are 'similar' to my own, and the only real way to grow, is to focus more on what unites us, while celebrating things that make us unique.

The acquisition of wealth is no longer the driving force of our lives. We work to better ourselves and the rest of humanity. Actually, we're all like yourself and Dr. Cochrane. ─ Captain Jean-Luc Picard

The prejudices people feel about each other disappear when they get to know each other. ─Captain Kirk

Regardless, they have had various technologically advanced species, like the Traveller who appeared in a few episodes. Or the older man, and his wife, living on a barren planet, except that around their home. Picard never really began to understand that being's powers either, and he was likely quite advanced almost similar to Q or the Continuum--perhaps just slightly different.

Regardless it's likely going to keep many intrigued for sure.

[Sul-Matuul]

The feeling I get from the Ba’ul is that they are an aquatic species, a bit like those guys in The Abyss. Maybe they were both living on the planet together until the balance shifted and the Kelpuans became too powerful, perhaps trespassing into the underwater world too much and starting a conflict. Maybe at some point in the past Kelpians were more advanced and exploited the Ba’ul for something.

But anyway their form and use of flying machines strongly suggested to me they can’t actually stay out of liquid for long. What we saw was more like a Ba’ul in some sort of protective liquid exoskeleton. Not everything has to be perfectly explained and tbh I think their form is way more interesting and inventive than just “humanoid with funny head makeup”.

[Strathkin]

But I do agree with Three, the Ba'ul here seem to have a lot in common, with the Creature left on a remote planet...

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Skin_of_Evil

[Sul-Matuul]

Tbh even if the Ba’ul are the same as Armus then it doesn’t really spoil either story. If anything it explains that TNG story a bit better, though perhaps it would be better left as a mystery.

[LogicalLeopard]

You heard it here first.

Red Angel=Dr. Samuel Beckett.

Captain Braxton of the Starfleet Temporal Division recruited him. He had him first Jump into the body of Captain Henry Archer to preserve the federation during the Time War, and now he's going around righting wrongs as the Red Angel.



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It had the butterfly-like insect, to tie the episode into the title. Well done writers! <sarcasm

Kelpians are the Ba'ul's natural enemy, but the Ba'ul survived by their technological superiority, just as they were on the brink of extinction at the hands of the Kelpians...good for them! All life fights to survive.

Not cool, keeping the Kelpians in check the way that the did, but i guess that sentient sludge doesn't have a lot of options.

Now, the argument was made, the Kelpians will be the predators again...bad...but the the Ba'ul are technologically superior, so they should be able to even the tables. Uhmm...does that mean they get to be at war, with many lives lost, while the Kelpians get their rage out and, hopefully, eventually learn to reign in their natural predatory instincts? There was a balance in place. It was imperfect, but both races coexisted in a perverted peace. Now, because of Discovery and the red angel, they will likely coexist at war with each other.

What exactly was the point? Is the red angel or Starfleet choosing sides now. I wasn't aware that was within Starfleet's charter! Is Starfleet taking direction from the red angel now? They don't know it's intent, but they're willing to chuck General Order 1 out the window for it! This just doesn't make sense. BAD WRITING!!!.

First of all, lets understand that Starfleet personnel seem willing to chuck the Prime Directive out of the window for all sorts of reasons. *LOL* At least in this case, it wasn't like the Kelpiens hadn't seen advanced technology. I think they even said there was room to bend it because of that, and because of the fact that the investigation of the signals was Starfleet's highest priority, and investigation of those signals meant that they needed to ask the Kelpiens directly.

Second, seems to me the point of what the Red Angel was doing was obvious, it was creating a true Great Balance by not allowing the Ba'ul to slaughter Kelpiens anymore. They were just rounding them up and killing them. To what purpose? So they wouldn't be killed themselves? At the end of the episode, it seemed clear that they were likely going to attempt to forge a true peace instead of the domination and culling that occurred.

Their perverted peace was not peace at all. It's not peace when a government rounds up people and kills them for no reason routinely. That sounds an awful lot like a one sided war. One that has been going on for hundreds of years. Seems like the Red Angel knows that this move will result in peace.

[JByb04]

One thing to remember is that the Red Angel isn't beholden to the Prime Directive. At least so far as we know. We're not sure if this Red Angel is affiliated with the Federation or is just a random entity putting right what has once gone terribly wrong.

When Saru and Burnham beamed down and revealed the existence of Starfleet that changed the game. The Ba'ul committing Genocide couldn't be permitted. Starfleet's existence was already revealed so defending the planet from a hostile species isn't going to effect the natural order of said planet.

That's my thoughts on it at least. The Prime Directive has been bent and or broken at the discretion of Starfleet's finest Captain's when the situation warrants it. If I were Pike, I would've done the same thing.

That being said. I am all for a Scott Bakula cameo. lol

[WelshAvenger]

Script goes as follows:

DISCOVERY, INTERIOR: *Red Angel is unmasked by Burnham as Dr Sam Beckett*

Beckett: Oh Boy!

Sam leaps out and it's revealed that Discovery was just a ten hour intro to the new series of Quantum Leap.

[Blaster]

errrrrrrr. wat, xd

[LogicalLeopard]

errrrrrrr. wat, xd

LOL! Dont mind us. We're talking about Quantum Leap, which was a great science fi show in the 80s and 90s where Scott Bakula would "Leap" into the bodies of individuals across time, almost exclusively within his own timeline, and fix some wrong in their lives.

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Script goes as follows:

DISCOVERY, INTERIOR: *Red Angel is unmasked by Burnham as Dr Sam Beckett*

Beckett: Oh Boy!

Sam leaps out and it's revealed that Discovery was just a ten hour intro to the new series of Quantum Leap.

Cant forget the Oh Boy! LoL!