Line #31 Recap/StarTrekDiscoveryS2E06TheSoundsOfThunder


1	[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/sounds_of_thunder.jpg]]
2	[[caption-width-right:350:Welcome back to Kaminar, Saru!]]
3
4	''Discovery'' detects a new Red Angel signal outside of Federation space, coming from Kaminar, Saru's homeworld, and uncovers the secrets of Kelpien and Ba'ul history.
5
6	----
7	!!Tropes in this episode:
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9	* AliensAreBastards: The Ba'ul basically never take any opportunity to de-escalate the situation, greeting diplomacy with hostility and hostility with [[AttackAttackAttack open gun ports]]. Most notably, they never share TheReveal with Pike, which would have changed the whole episode-- Pike demonstrably will not stand for genocide, and would have objected to a solution that requires the Ba'ul to surrender to it.
10	* AlternativeCharacterInterpretation: In-universe, Pike notes that the Red Angel has drawn ''Discovery'' to places where the crew could do good. Tyler retorts that it [[BatmanGambit manipulated the situation on Kaminar]] such that it could interfere and change an entire society for unknown reasons, and may very well use its technology and capabilities against the Federation.
11	* ArtisticLicenseBiology: The population numbers given for Ba'ul and Kelpiens in Kaminar's past as each approached extinction (both in single digits) seem somewhat unlikely to allow for ''any'' chance of species survival.
12	* BatmanGambit: The Red Angel's plan was to manipulate a confrontation between ''Discovery'' and the Ba'ul which would result in the Ba'ul attempting genocide, and the linking of their pylons to do it allowed the Red Angel to disable the Ba'ul technology, saving the Kelpiens and upsetting the planet's civilization.
13	* BetterThanNew: Dr. Pollard tells Dr. Culber that, while his mental patterns and brainwaves match what's in his medical file, his body is "pristine" because it was rebuilt completely from his DNA and shows none of the wear for a man of his age.
14	* BigBrotherInstinct: Saru fights tooth-and-nail to save [[DamselInDistress Siranna]] from the Ba'ul. It helps that he TookALevelInBadass post-''vahar'ai''.
15	* BigDamnHeroes: Just when it looks like there's no way to save the Kelpiens from genocide, the Red Angel appears to disable the Ba'ul technology.
16	* CallBack: The events of "[[Recap/StarTrekDiscoveryShortTreksE03TheBrightestStar The Brightest Star]]" are referenced and expanded upon.
17	* ADayInTheLimelight: This episode focuses on Saru, his people, and the aftereffects of his ''vahar'ai''.
18	* DeusExMachina: ZigZaggedTrope. The Red Angel teleports in and saves the day... but only because ''Discovery'' set the situation up just right. ...But only because the Red Angel lured ''Discovery'' there in the first place.
19	* DoingInTheWizard: Saru's observation of the Red Angel demonstrates that, whoever it is, it's a physical being using mundane (if highly advanced) technology and isn't a divine or mystical entity.
20	* DramaticDrop: Siranna drops her basket of flowers in shock when she sees Saru for the first time in eighteen years.
21	* EvilColonialist: The Ba'ul serve as an allegorical example. They are a technologically advanced group that has subjugated and repressed the technologically primitive Kelpiens, manipulating them into believing that this is the natural order, and killing anyone who would threaten this belief.
22	* TheFaceless: No Kelpien had ever seen a Ba'ul (at least as far as the present-day Kelpiens knew), as they hid behind their technology. When one finally appears, its face still isn't seen, other than its [[RedEyesTakeWarning glowing red eyes]]. Which is probably a good thing, [[HumanoidAbomination given what the rest of it looks like]].
23	* FinalSolution: Faced with the entire Kelpien population undergoing ''vahar'ai'', the Ba'ul try to detonate the pylons all over the planet to completely exterminate them rather than risk their old predators rising once again.
24	* FloatingLimbs: The Red Angel's "wings" are composed of an array of solid parts floating in a formation beside the PoweredArmor.
25	* {{Foreshadowing}}: Doctor Pollard notes that, in the place of Saru's lost ganglia, new cartilage is growing that has a toothlike form. Later, when faced by a Ba'ul, Saru reveals the new tissue forms [[SpikeShooter spikes that can be shot at a threat]].
26	* GetOut: Saru throws the transporter chief out before beaming himself to Kaminar.
27	* AGlassInTheHand: While Pike is trying to negotiate with the Ba'ul, Saru becomes so angry at keeping quiet that he shatters his bridge console's display with his bare hands.
28	* HeKnowsTooMuch: Since Saru and Siranna know the truth about ''vahar'ai'', the Ba'ul try to eliminate them.
29	* HumanoidAbomination: The Ba'ul look humanoid but are tall and abnormally thin, with long hair (or tentacles), disproportionately long fingers, and appear to be made of a black oil-like slime that constantly drips off them. The one that appears rises out of a pool of the same black substance.
30	* LoopholeAbuse: When Tyler questions whether ''Discovery'' can contact the Kelpiens in violation of the PrimeDirective, Burnham points out that the Ba'ul have developed warp capability, so even though the Kelpiens themselves aren't warp-capable, they ''have'' seen warp-capable technology and learned about space flight, giving the crew some leeway to act.
31	* MultistageTeleport: When the Red Angel shows up, it appears to use a series of short jumps to make its way from the vicinity of ''Discovery'' to the Ba'ul facility.
32	* NiceJobFixingItVillain: Had the Ba'ul been content with ordering ''Discovery'' to leave and Saru never to return, they would have left Pike with little choice but to comply, and then they could have eliminated Siranna or even the entire village afterwards to contain any potential knowledge of him surviving the ''vahar'ai''. Instead, by preparing to attack ''Discovery'' to get him back and openly threatening his sister, they forced Saru to act and ''Discovery'' to intervene directly.
33	* NoEndorHolocaust: There is no discussion on how Mass ''Vahar'ai'' affected the Kelpiens as a whole. Having said that, Saru's promise -- that his people won't turn against the Ba'ul -- has yet to be tested.
34	* ObviouslyEvil: One look at an individual Ba'ul, and one is hard-pressed not to immediately decide that they're the bad guys.
35	* OhCrap:
36	** As soon as Saru reveals that he has survived his ''vahar'ai'', the Ba'ul send ten of their sentry ships to try to force ''Discovery'' to surrender him.
37	** Burnham and Tilly are shocked to discover that the Ba'ul narrowly escaped extinction at the hands of evolved Kelpiens, and that Saru's new state is that of a predator.
38	* OutOfCharacterMoment: In-universe, Saru's loss of his constant fear causes actions that other characters quickly notice.
39	* OOCIsSeriousBusiness: Saru's [[OutOfCharacterMoment aggressive and angry behaviour]] causes obvious concern among the ''Discovery'' crew.
40	* TheParanoiac:
41	** Pike accuses Section 31 and Control of this in assuming that the Red Angel can be considered a threat, given that it's done nothing but help people so far. Tyler, to the contrary, claims that they're ProperlyParanoid because they have no idea of its motivation or actual goals, and it has demonstrated its willingness to manipulate in order to advance whatever its agenda is.
42	** The Ba'ul as well. Burnham describes them as isolationist and conservative, and it's made clear over the course of the episode that their culture has not evolved in over two millenia, even if their technology has.
43	* PoweredArmor: The Red Angel is a humanoid wearing some kind of very technologically-advanced full-body suit, giving it abilities that Starfleet or any other civilization that it knows of would find impossible to duplicate.
44	* RedEyesTakeWarning: The only facial feature seen of the Ba'ul are their glowing red eyes.
45	* {{Retcon}}: Apparently, when Georgiou offered Saru the opportunity to depart from Kaminar, she was serving as a lieutenant aboard the U.S.S. ''Archimedes'', not the U.S.S. ''Shenzhou''. The flashback to this scene reuses footage from "The Brightest Star", but alters the shuttle's registry from "SHN 03" to merely "03".
46	* TheReveal:
47	** Twenty-three hundred years ago, the ''Kelpiens'' were the predatory species on Kaminar, and the Ba'ul were the victims who were nearly wiped out.
48	** The Red Angel is a humanoid wearing a very technologically-advanced set of PoweredArmor. It only appears as an angel because the aura generated by the suit distorts its appearance. Saru, possessing vision well above humanoid standard, is able to see through the aura.
49	** "The Brightest Star" (when Saru contacted Starfleet and left Kaminar) took place eighteen years ago.
50	* SadisticChoice: When the Ba'ul learn that Saru has survived his ''vahar'ai'' and ''Discovery'' won't surrender him, they threaten to destroy his village to force him to give himself up.
51	* ScaryDogmaticAliens: The mere existence of a Kelpien outside of the Ba'ul's control, let alone one who survived ''vahar'ai'', is considered such an existential threat that it drives them to extreme measures even though they have a massive technological advantage so that the Kelpiens are nowhere near as much a physical threat as they had been 2300 years before.
52	* ScrewTheRulesImDoingWhatsRight: As soon as Burnham, Tilly, and Airiam uncover the true history of Kaminar, any discussion about interfering with the Kelpiens and Ba'ul violating the PrimeDirective is immediately put aside, and Pike is prepared to start a war in order to defend the Kelpiens against genocide, or to avenge them if he can't.
53	* ShoutOut: The episode takes its name from Creator/RayBradbury's short story ''Literature/ASoundOfThunder'', which is the TropeNamer for the ButterflyOfDoom-- a small change that has massive effects. Appropriately, it centers around Saru's personal convictions changing the fate of two sentient species and utterly upending the established political situation between them. Appropriately, Tyler also makes reference to TimeTravel, which the Bradbury story also involved.
54	* SpikeShooter: In place of his threat ganglia, Saru has grown appendages which shoot spikes.
55	* SufficientlyAdvancedAliens: The Red Angel is a humanoid with godlike technology.
56	* TakeMeInstead: When Saru finds that Siranna has been captured by the Ba'ul.
57	-->'''Saru:''' My sister has nothing to do with this! I am the one you wanted!
58	* VillainHasAPoint: While the Ba'ul act like oppressive monsters toward the Kelpiens, their initial motives for setting up the Culling system were justified and even benevolent; they had to do something to protect themselves after the Kelpiens nearly hunted them to extinction, yet at the same time they didn't exterminate the Kelpiens when they had the opportunity.
59	* WellIntentionedExtremist: The Ba'ul originally contained the Kelpiens to defend themselves. However, they are satisfied with their solution and have refused to look for others, or attempt to negotiate a new one.
60	* WhatTheHellHero: Siranna yells at Saru for leaving Kaminar instead of joining the Great Balance, and then for upsetting the Ba'ul.

Context Recap / StarTrekDiscoveryS2E06TheSoundsOfThunder