I probably didn’t explain properly, I was looking for a mastodon account to follow that posts on mastodon only when a new thread is started on the website here. Looks like @TrekSite@tenforward.social is what I’m looking for, as the @startrek@startrek.website one posts on mastodon every single time a reply is made on the website.

Thankyou for that input, you’ve explained the gaps I was struggling with.

The big mistake I made was taking “to protect their civilian passengers” to mean some other civilians we didn’t see, when in fact it meant the remaining two castaways (Buckley and Oriana). I didn’t give enough weight to the facts that the area is prone to sporadic heavy snow storms, and that there was no time for a thorough initial search by the Enterprise away team. It is possible the Peregrine crew deliberatly launched their plan just before a big storm was incoming, to make sure the Gorn would be trapped in it, which of course makes sense that the crew themselves would all die from Gorn attacks or from the storm (as supported by M’Benga’s assessment of the bodies outside).

I’m still a bit hung up on the plasma grenade not killing the gestating Gorn, but I suppose it is reasonable. I think the Peregrine captain’s log even mentions “but he didn’t succeed” (in killing the Gorn inside himself) or something. If gestating Gorn can survive later stages without being “attached” to a living host, this may also give some clues into possible twists with the Batel situation.

I will rewatch with all of this in mind. Thankyou for untangling my brain-knot!

Re-watching SNW.

I think it is likely they are working up to some sort of “agreement with the Gorn” outcome. Which means we’ll need some huge character progressions (especially in La’an) since the whole crew see them only as monsters. There might have even been some tiny hints in this episode that there are divisions inside Gorn society. Maybe therell be a pro-federation/anti-murder Gorn faction?