I think Doug Jones’ role as Saru in Star Trek: Discovery is one of his best performances of his career, so you can imagine my disappointment when he was absent for much of the show’s final season. The Kelpien was promoted from the ship to ambassador, while the demoted Captain Rayner took his place as Michael Burnham’s first officer. Given that, and the way the season ended with Saru’s wedding, I had wondered if Jones would have been written out of the series had it returned for season 6, but the actor recently shared the true story with me.
I had the honor of speaking with Doug Jones to promote the upcoming release of Star Trek: DiscoveryThe final season of will be released digitally on August 26 and on DVD and Blu-ray on August 27. I told the acclaimed character actor that Saru’s storyline felt like a farewell to the character when she returns for Season 6, but the actor assured me that it was a creative decision he asked the writers and showrunner Michelle Paradise to make:
No, actually, Rayner’s entry was kind of a conversation with the writing team and myself and Michelle Paradise. Our show was very, very kind and listened to me when I said, “Saru has the status of captain, but he’s a first officer. How long can he keep that up professionally?” So Saru’s promotion to ambassador made sense from a story perspective. And it also gave me the chance to go out and do a mission across the galaxy while Discovery was doing its thing.
Saru being Michael’s closest confidant was all well and good, but as Doug Jones said, he was also a captain, so it made sense to take him out of the sidekick role and put him in another position that could help him navigate his way into future assignments. Star Trek Shows that will be available with a Paramount+ subscription. So, for those who thought like me and assumed Saru would have left if there had been a season 6, we were wrong!
Jones initially told the public that the advertising for Hocus Pocus 2 its availability for Star Trek: Discovery Season 5, but that wasn’t the whole story. The 64-year-old actor revealed that he needed a break after the long filming of Season 4 and wanted to spend some time with his wife:
That freed up a few episodes in Season 5, which I kind of needed this year. Season 4 had been so brutal on all of us. With COVID interruptions, it took us 11 months to shoot Season 4. Life away from Mrs. Laurie (Jones) was hard. I was already in my 60s, and this wasn’t how we envisioned our golden years, being apart for 11 months at a time. So I asked if there was a way to lessen the burden on me for Season 5.
As a viewer at home, it’s easy to forget that the characters on screen are actors with private lives. I don’t think you can blame Doug Jones for wanting to scale back his role in Season 5 so he could spend more time with his wife. A sweet gesture, even if there were fans at home hoping to see more of Saru and T’Rina together.
Rest assured, however, that if Doug Jones hadn’t found out on a Trekkie cruise ship that the show was canceled, he would have come back with a full force in the future. Star Trek: Discovery seasons. The actor shared that his contract included a few more seasons and that he was therefore willing to do more:
I was contracted for seasons 6 and 7, so I would have come back for the full seasons 6 and 7. I think I would have come back after the rest that I had in season 5, and it worked out perfectly because Hocus Pocus 2 came out during the Halloween season. And that was the time I had free, so I was able to do the promotions and premieres and all that for the press conferences and everything for that with no obstacles, you know, it was, it was great. It was good, good timing. It was good timing all around.
Of course, a contract for additional seasons does not mean that they will be granted, but it was interesting to hear that there was at least some hope. Star Trek: Discovery would get that far. As Alex Kurtzman noted in a previous interview with CinemaBlend, five seasons is still a big accomplishment in the modern age of streaming, but I would have liked to have seen it last a few more years. At least we still have some of the characters that are in the upcoming season. Starfleet Academyand hopefully Saru and others will show up there in the future.
Star Trek: Discovery may be over, but it’s still available to stream on Paramount+. I just watched an episode on Pluto TV the other day and was thinking about how much fun it would be to watch it again, so maybe I’ll just do that and fall in love with Saru all over again.
