The news of Star Trek: Discovery's cancellation came as a shock to many, including the cast. By now, it's well known the cast and crew of the Paramount+ series had no idea it would be ending with Season 5, but fortunately they were allowed to go back and film a proper ending. Had Saru actor Doug Jones known the show would be cancelled, he probably wouldn't have decided to be on a Star Trek-themed cruise when the announcement broke. Of course, that's not how things played out, but Jones told CinemaBlend it ended up being a beautiful experience.
I had the privilege of speaking to Doug Jones and David Ajala ahead of the premiere of Star Trek: Discovery Season 5, and I remembered that Jones was on the famous Star Trek Cruise when the show's cancellation was announced. I asked the actor about the experience and found out how it played out for him while many others on board the cruise were blissfully unaware of what was coming:
I had dual feelings about this because I got an emergency phone call from someone on the ship from CBS saying you have to get on a Zoom call in two hours...And so then we got the news from Alex Kurtzman that we were going to be and we've been canceled but that we were gonna be able to go back and film uh a little epilogue attack on the last episode. And so I'm thinking all along, I am on a ship with 2000 Star Trek fans and I had to go out and do a one-on-one interview on stage for 1000 of them.
I can imagine the anxiety Doug Jones had in that moment knowing what he was about to face. He had only just found out about Star Trek: Discovery ending, and before he could even process that, he had to go in front of crowd and do an interview as the news rolled out across the internet. Here he thought he'd probably drop some teases about Season 5's story or what's happening with Saru and T'Rina, and instead he could be in the hot seat with a lot of worried fans until the ship goes back to port.
Jones confirmed he was nervous about going to the panel, but faced the music anyway and sat in front of fans who, by that point, all knew Star Trek: Discovery's fate. He was dreading the experience, but shared with CinemaBlend why it ended up being beautiful:
So I was like, ‘Horrible timing,’ but it turned out to be what beautiful timing that was, I was surrounded by family that we've talked about so much on this show that it's a family of us making the shows. It's a family of those who watch it. And I was among those people who supported us over the years and the reason we make those shows is for those fans and so to have them there, you know, cheering me on. I mean, I might have broken down in tears that day while I was on stage, and they might have been, they might have given me a standing ovation. I don't wanna brag or anything, but it was really, it was a lovely exchange that happened that there's no better place to have the news.
As worried as he was, Doug Jones ended up having a lovely time with the fans in spite of the bad news. Good on Star Trek fans for not turning into an angry mob with pitchforks, though considering the franchise's overall emphasis on diplomacy as opposed to violence, I don't think it ever would've come to that. Still, it could've been a really miserable time for Jones being surrounded by disappointed fans on the Star Trek Cruise, but thankfully, it wasn't.
As for the ending of Star Trek: Discovery, Doug Jones has confirmed he's seen it and that the ending gave him some closure over the early conclusion. I'm sure he's also taking solace in the fact that it was recently confirmed that the upcoming Star Trek series Starfleet Academy will be set in the 32nd century.
This means that the door will be open for the cast to reprise their roles on the upcoming series, assuming they don't all die in some awful accident in the final scene. I don't think that will happen, especially given that Doug Jones seemed pleased by the ending. I guess he could just have a twisted sense of humor and think it's hilarious to see the show end that way, but I'm going to believe we're in for a pleasant ending for this series.
Catch the two-episode premiere of Star Trek: Discovery on Thursday, April 4th with a Paramount+ subscription. Having seen a few episodes of the upcoming season in advance, I can assure readers it's something they don't want to miss, and hopefully it'll end up being a great way to close out the series.
