Captain Saru

Kelpien

Saru is man Kelpien. He use he/his. Saru was a male Kelpien Starfleet officer who lived during the mid-23rd century. The first of his species to enter Starfleet service, Saru served aboard at least two Federation starships, the USS Shenzhou and the USS Discovery, and served through much of the Federation-Klingon War of 2256-57. On more than one occasion, he took commandof the Discovery in place of the captain, Gabriel Lorca. Saru eventually took command permanently, albeit as acting captain, after Lorca surreptitiously took the Discovery into the mirror universe, where it was discovered that Lorca was in fact his mirror counterpart. Following Discovery's escape from the mirror universe and Lorca's death, Saru commanded the vessel's mission to Qo'noS in mid-2257, where it successfully forced a truce with the Klingons. For his part in ending the war, Saru was awarded the Starfleet Medal of Honor, the first Kelpien to be so honored.Saru was the first Kelpien to join Starfleet.He had a first contact specialist qualification. According to Saru, Kelpiens live in a state of constant fear from the moment of birth.Saru may be the first of his species to have this alleviated, as after encountering the native energy life forms of Pahvo, he briefly experienced relief from this state while on the planet. He became so desperate to continue experiencing this lack of fear that he proceeded to first deceive, and then attack his fellow officers in an attempt to keep the planet out of the Federation-Klingon war. These actions eventually led to the Pahvans withdrawing their influence on him, as they came to believe it was generating disharmony among their Starfleet guests. Saru is Kelpien. Kelpiens had a tall, lanky build, brownish orange skin, and no head hair, although males at least could grow facial hair at an advanced age. Tendril-like threat ganglia splayed out from the back of a Kelpien's head when they sensed danger. Female Kelpiens typically exhibited smoother skin than males.

Kelpien

The species map on Kaminar did not have food chains, but instead was a binary of predator or prey. Kelpiens were the latter, and as such were biologically determined with heightened senses, and a hyper-vigilance to detect approaching danger in order to flee from it. This had been honed to the point of essentially a sixth-sense warning that a situation was dangerous – as Saru put it, the ability "to sense the coming of death." Besides having more developed senses, Kelpiens had exceptional physical strength and stamina relative to Humans: Kelpiens pursued by apex predators had exceeded speeds of eighty kilometers per hour. Kelpiens possessed visual, auditory, and tactile receptors more acute than those of Humans. They had a larger optical window than Humans and could see a far wider range of the electromagnetic spectrum, including in the ultraviolet. They could also see heat signatures. They could sense predators from as much as ten kilometers. At some point in their life cycle, Kelpiens would undergo a a physiological process called the vahar'ai. It was considered unique to their species and they interpreted it as a terminal condition signaling that they were ready to be culled for slaughter by the Ba'ul. It was extremely painful, and Kelpiens undergoing the vahar'ai were expected to present themselves for culling, which was said to make the pain go away. The alternative was believed to be madness. In fact, vahar'ai was a temporary condition that ended with the ganglia detaching, after which vital signs returned to normal.

Kelpien

After undergoing vahar'ai, the Kelpien's excessive fear responses appeared to be suppressed; Saru in particular showed a more confrontational nature. This was followed by the development of new keratin-based structures in the cartilage previously housing the threat ganglia, new organs from which a Kelpien could forcibly expel (or "shoot") spines (see dart) which grew from them; these structures extended outward in the same manner as the old threat ganglia in moments of great stress. Long ago in their planet's history, post-vahar'ai "evolved" Kelpiens nearly drove the Ba'ul to extinction before the Ba'ul subjugated them. Female Kelpiens developed red spots on their foreheads when they were pregnant. To an uninformed eye, this could be mistaken for radiation burns. Kelpiens appeared to be long-lived; one, Su'Kal, was about 124 years old as of 3189, and didn't display any signs of old age (whereas a hologram of a Kelpien of advanced age looked noticably old). One of the holograms cryptically stated Su'Kal had been “altered” to ensure his survival, so it is possible his longevity is unusual for Kelpiens and was the result of genetic engineering.

Kelpien

Kelpien society was thereafter shaped by the fact that they were essentially farmed as livestock by the Ba'ul. Kelpiens who underwent vahar'ai would voluntarily submit to Harvesting by the Ba'ul. More advanced technology could occasionally fall off of starships onto Kaminar's surface, where Kelpien custom dictated that it should be disposed of. Until they became warp-capable, the Kelpien way of life had always been oriented toward.Believing their role as a prey species to be part of the "Great Balance of Kaminar", Kelpiens were expected to offer their lives to sustain the Ba'ul after reaching vahar'ai. These harvests consisted of the chosen Kelpiens kneeling in a circle of stones beneath the Ba'ul ship, awaiting a bright light, and their ultimate disappearance. Priests explained how this sacrifice tied into the great balance, as well as an entity called the Watchful Eye, which was said to be in the sky. They reacted angrily to critical inquiries.While Kelpien priests claimed this sacrifice allowed the others to live in "peace and comfort," according to Saru, Kelpiens lived in a constant state of fear from the moment of birth. Due to being a prey species, Kelpiens tended to prudently avoid risk or dangerous situations, giving them a reputation as being somewhat cowardly. When faced with a novel situation, their default assumption was typically to consider that it might be hostile – i.e., if it was unknown what had destroyed a Kelpiens lived in packs, and occupied hut-like houses which included elements that emitted a yellow-orange light. Candles were also used for light. Fire was also used, by day and by night. They harvested flowers and a type of kelp-like aquatic plant, the latter with nets which were stitched using needles. Food was eaten using implements and bowls. They possessed a spoken and written language. Entertainment included a game with what looked like dice.