Star Trek Discovery S2E6: Quick Thoughts

Welcome, one and all, to my continuing ‘Quick Thoughts on Star Trek Discovery’ series. Today’s episode, ‘The Sound Of Thunder’, was almost entirely focused on Saru, with a brief nod to the resurrected Hugh. While perhaps not as good as the best of the season so far, I found this to be another enjoyable outing for the crew. So, let’s dive into it.

• We’ll start with Hugh as he was really the only one not linked directly to the Red Angel to get any screen time outside Saru. He’s jumpy, which makes sense given what he’s gone through. It was nice to get some backstory as to why he went into medicine. That he’s now described as pristine in terms of biology does seem to throw him a little, though it doesn’t bother Stamets any. The whole experience is going o be disorienting I’m sure. There was a moment though at the start where he’s talking with Saru and said Kelpien mentions enduring things no one thought possible. It was a nice moment, as to me, it hints towards the two perhaps working with each other to discover more about their new lives going forward.
• Saru was again the star of the show though, and his return to his home planet of Kaminar led to a lot of changes. The big thing has been his loss of fear, which is first subtly hinted at when he doesn’t move himself from the Captain’s chair so quickly, and again when he stands up to both Captain Pike and his previous oppressors. In that regard, his sister Siranna is his polar opposite, in that she is set entirely towards not angering the Ba’Ul.
• The need to not tell the Kelpiens about the Ba’Ul’s lie regarding the vahar’ai fit well within the bounds of Star Fleet’s directives, and it was a good way to create conflict for Saru. Honestly, the line about Saru not knowing what he is made me think that the Ba’Ul were perhaps evolved Kelpiens themselves. As it transpired, they weren’t I liked their design; the oily nature of them was kinda horror movie styled. There was also something very Halo about both their base and drone designs.
• The end of Saru’s saga did sort of fall apart a bit. For one, that eh was able to just fashion a communicator from destroyed drones was a big logical leap. There’s also the thing that the crew essentially decided to throw Star Fleet directives out the window by initiating a forced planet-wide vahar’ai. That it would cause pain without warning and potentially start a war seemed to disappear from their minds. Throw in the sudden decision for genocide by the Ba’Ul and you have to question why they didn’t just block the transmission themselves. The only saving grace for the decision is perhaps Saru’s earlier testament that, were I not for the oppression, Kaminar would essentially be a paradise. That should be a sign of hope, which this season seems to hinge on as a running theme.
• The final moments pretty much confirm what should be clear already though. The Red Angel is a tech-suited humanoid, and right now, they’re working in line with Star Fleet. With all that power though, the fear that it may turn on them is real. In that sense, Tyler represents the cold realism of the potential, while Pike represents the aforementioned hope.

So, those were my thoughts, but what about yourselves? Are you watching Star Trek Discovery? How are you finding this second season? What did you make of this episode? Let me know in the comments below.