Star Trek: Discovery Finally Brought Back Its Best Character
Set phasers to spoilers. Read no further if you haven't watched the latest episode of "Star Trek: Discovery."
The cramped quarters of the USS Discovery bridge have felt oddly spacious lately, haven't they? As "Star Trek: Discovery" swoops in for a landing with its fifth and final season drawing to a definitive close, viewers may have noticed that several side characters remain missing in action. Essential crew members such as Lieutenant Commanders Detmer (Emily Coutts) and Owosekun (Oyin Oladejo) haven't been seen since episode 4's "Face the Strange," whisked away on a mission to pilot the mirror-universe starship ISS Enterprise to safe harbor (a convenient excuse to write the pair out of the action altogether, presumably due to scheduling issues on both actors' part). For a series that has drawn so much emotional bandwidth out of its supporting cast over the years, watching Captain Michael Burnham (Sonequa Martin-Green) deliver orders and offer encouragement to stand-in officers we've never met before can't help but feel ... off.
Yet even more glaringly, the heart and soul of the entire series to this point — Doug Jones' kindhearted Kelpian Saru — has sat out pretty much the entirety of the season. To its credit, the season 5 premiere acknowledged just how difficult Saru's absence would be during his and Burnham's last face-to-face meeting. And his new diplomatic role, chosen in order to remain close with his Vulcan bride-to-be T'Rina (Tara Rosling) at Starfleet HQ, at least feels like a natural evolution in his arc. That said, his reduced presence has certainly left fans anticipating his eventual return and the chance to give him the send-off the character richly deserves.
That, it appears, will arrive in next week's finale. Until then, episode 9 (titled "Lagrange Point") tees up his big moment to come.
Saru's long-awaited return
It wasn't exactly the Avengers spilling out of portals at the climax of "Avengers: Endgame," but Trekkies everywhere likely breathed a sigh of relief once Saru materialized in Starfleet HQ early on in this week's episode of "Discovery." Explained away as having been on various diplomatic missions throughout the galaxy, the Kelpian's unfailing sense of compassion and cool-headed logic have undoubtedly been missed. The Discovery crew would say the same thing, particularly during their own mission to track down the Progenitors' technology through a series of breadcrumb-like clues — ones that were designed to allow only the most worthy candidates to succeed.
Throughout "Discovery," perhaps no character has lived up such high standards — to say nothing of embodying the ideals of "Star Trek" as a whole — better than Saru. Sure, quality-wise, the series has undergone its fair share of ups and downs over the years. At the center of it all, however, Saru has provided the show's beating heart and sense of moral clarity that Burnham has since inherited. From escaping the harsh environment of his Kaminar home world to bringing a strict (but empathetic) approach to Starfleet to even sparking an unexpectedly wholesome romance with President T'Rina, it's safe to say that "Discovery" wouldn't be the same without him. By decreasing his screen time so dramatically (which, again, might well be due to Jones' schedule), the writers have proven the classic adage that absence truly does make the heart grow fonder.
Doug Jones' performance as Saru will likely go down as one of the franchise's most celebrated, if it hasn't already. Before his next appearance in the finale (hopefully) ends with a wedding, we have precious few days to appreciate the show's best character. The series finale streams on Paramount+ May 30, 2024.