"Oh, in many ways, it is. We live in harmony with each other, in a world without hunger or poverty. The only violence we know is the culling, which Kelpiens have been misled to accept as a mercy by the Ba'ul."
Kaminar was a ringed class M planet, the fourth planet located in the Kaminar system. It was home to two sapient species – the warp-capable Ba'ul and the pre-warp Kelpiens. (ST: "The Brightest Star"; DIS: "An Obol for Charon")
Unlike Earth, which had a food chain, the species map of this planet was binary, where a lifeform was either predator or prey. (DIS: "The Vulcan Hello")
Planetary features[]
Airiam reviews planetary data on Kaminar gathered from the Sphere
Kaminar had a nitrogen/oxygen atmosphere, with a mean surface temperature of 24 °C, and a volume equivalent to 1.1454 Earths. (DIS: "The Sound of Thunder")
The data Airiam reviews from the Sphere (when reversed) lists "Satellites: None", though Kaminar is usually depicted with two moons. Saru also recalls harvesting kelp "under the moonlight" in "Forget Me Not".
Narrows Firth was an estuary on Kaminer. (DIS: "That Hope Is You, Part 2")
There was a small, equatorial desert on Kaminar, whose climate was comparable to Ni'Var. (DIS: "...But to Connect")
Flora and fauna[]
Lifeforms on the planet included flying animals. Animal sounds could be heard constantly. The Kelpiens harvested a kelp-like aquatic plant, as well as flowers, including fredalias. (ST: "The Brightest Star") A type of Kaminar succulent grew in an equatorial desert on the planet. (DIS: "...But to Connect")
History[]
In the first century of the 1st millennium BC, Kaminar was sparsely populated. The planet's population was divided into three groups: the Ba'ul, the pre-vahar'ai Kelpiens, and the post-vahar'ai Kelpiens. The post-vahar'ai Kelpiens were the main predatory species on the planet, preying on the Ba'ul. Within eighty years, the pre-vahar'ai Kelpiens had either evolved into being post-vahar'ai Kelpiens or had died out. Starting in the first century AD, the Ba'ul were being driven to near extinction by the post-vahar'ai Kelpiens. Then, there was a shift, wherein the Ba'ul population rebounded, with the post-vahar'ai Kelpiens dying out.
At some point, there was a resurrection of the pre-vahar'ai Kelpiens. This reborn species had the potential of becoming post-vahar'ai Kelpiens. Their numbers started to increase, yet they were always smaller in number than the Ba'ul. These events were recorded by the alien lifeform known to the Federation as the Sphere. Data from these recordings was later used in the creation of the Kaminar population history by the USS Discovery crew in 2257. (DIS: "The Sound of Thunder")
At some point between the 23rd century and the events of "The Burn", Kaminar joined the Federation. As of the late 32nd century, Kaminar was too far out of range to be considered an active member of the reduced United Federation of Planets, but was reportedly unharmed and `status quo` (DIS: "Die Trying")
In the Kaminar Population History, the pre-vahar'ai Kelpiens and the post-vahar'ai Kelpiens were labeled as unevolved Kelpiens and as evolved Kelpiens, respectively. No explanation is given for the rebirth of the Kelpien species.
Kelpien village situated along a beach, 2239.
By the 23rd century, the Ba'ul were a technologically advanced species who required the pre-warp Kelpiens to ritualistically sacrifice themselves to their ships. (DIS: "The Vulcan Hello"; ST: "The Brightest Star")
Sometime before the 32nd century, the Ba'ul and the Kelpiens would put aside their differences and Kaminar would become a member world of the Federation. (DIS: "Die Trying")
A city on Kaminar in 3189
In 3189, the Emerald Chain engaged in military exercises near Kaminar, prompting Fleet Admiral Charles Vance to dispatch part of the Federation fleet to protect the planet. Vance speculated that Osyraa was threatening Kaminar in a ploy to draw out the USS Discovery. (DIS: "Su'Kal")
After the discovery of Theta Zeta, the Federation delivered dilithium to this planet as a gift. In 3190, the Kaminar High Council had a debate on what to do with this gift, help their citizens or use it to return to the stars. (DIS: "Kobayashi Maru")
In 3190, the people of Kaminar voted to resume space travel. Saru's village was involved in retrofitting the planet's spaceport. (DIS: "Choose to Live")
Appendices[]
Background information[]
Scenes on the planet for "The Brightest Star" and "The Sound of Thunder" were filmed at Scarborough Bluffs in Toronto. [1]
Apocrypha[]
The Gallery DIS novel Desperate Hours calls Saru's homeworld "Kelpia". This was later contradicted by another Discovery novel entitled Fear Itself, which first established the planet's name as Kaminar months before the release of "The Brightest Star".
External link[]
- Kaminar at Memory Beta, the wiki for licensed Star Trek works