I think Doug Jones' role as Saru in Star Trek: Discovery is one of the best things he's done in his career, so imagine my disappointment when I saw him absent for a chunk of what would be the show's final season. The Kelpien was promoted off 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'd wondered if Jones would've been written off the series had it returned for Season 6, but the actor shared the real story with me recently.
I had the honor of speaking to Doug Jones to promote the upcoming release of Star Trek: Discovery's final season on digital August 26th and physical DVD and Blu-ray on August 27th. I noted to the acclaimed character actor that Saru's storyline felt like a goodbye to the character if it returned for Season 6, but the actor assured me that it was a creative decision he requested the writers and showrunner Michelle Paradise develop:
No, actually Rayner coming in was kind of a collaborative conversation with the writer's room and me and Michelle Paradise. Our show was very, very gracious in hearing me out when I was like, Saru has Captain status, but he's acting as a first officer. How long can that go on professionally for him?’ So his promotion to ambassador made sense, story-wise, for Saru. And that also gave me a chance to go off and do a mission throughout the galaxy whilst Discovery was doing its thing.
Saru serving as Michael's closest confidant was all well and good, but as Doug Jones said, he was also a Captain. As such, it made sense to move him away from the sidekick role and put him in another position that could help him find his way into future upcoming Star Trek shows that will be available with a Paramount+ subscription. So, for those who felt like I did and assumed Saru would've left had Season 6 happened, we got this one wrong!
Jones initially told the public that promotion for Hocus Pocus 2 impacted his availability for Star Trek: Discovery Season 5, but that wasn't the whole story. The 64-year-old actor revealed that after the long process of filming Season 4, he needed a break and wanted to spend some time with his wife:
It gave me a few episodes off in Season 5 that I was kind of needing that year. Season 4 had been so brutal for all of us. With COVID stops and starts, it took us 11 months to film Season 4. Living away from from Mrs. Laurie [Jones was tough]. I was already in my sixties, and that's not how we envisioned our golden years playing out, being apart from each other for 11 months at a time. So, I asked if there was a way to lessen the load for me for Season 5.
As viewers at home, it's easy to forget that the characters on screen are actors with personal lives. I don't think anyone can fault Doug Jones for wanting to reduce his role in Season 5 so he could spend more time with his wife. A sweet sentiment, even if there were fans at home hoping to see more of Saru and T'Rina together.
Rest assured, however, that if Doug Jones had not found out on a cruise ship for Trekkies that the show was canceled, he would've been back in full force for future Star Trek: Discovery seasons. The actor shared he had a couple more seasons on his contract, so he was ready to do more:
Season 6 and 7 I was contracted for, so I would have come back for the full season in 6 and 7. I, I think I would have been after the rest that I had in season 5, and it worked out perfect because Hocus Pocus 2 came out in theater during Halloween season. And that was the time that I had off so I was able to do the promotion and premieres and all that for the press junkets and everything for that without obstacles, you know, it was, it was great. It was good, good timing. It was good timing all around.
Of course, being under contract for more seasons doesn't mean that they'll be granted, though 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 in the modern age of streaming is a huge achievement all the same, but I would've loved to see it for a couple more years. At least we still have some of the characters joining the upcoming Starfleet Academy, and hopefully, Saru and others will pop up there in the future.
Star Trek: Discovery may be over, but it's still available to stream on Paramount+. I was just watching an episode on Pluto TV the other day and was thinking about how much fun it would be to rewatch, so I may just do that and fall in love with Saru all over again.
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