Warning: SPOILERS for the Star Trek: Discovery series finale are ahead!
Early on in Star Trek: Discovery Season 5, Doug Jones’ character Saru resigned from Starfleet to become an ambassador for the United Federation of Planets. As a result, he missed out on most of his old crew’s search for the Progenitors’ technology, but fortunately, he wasn’t left out of the action in the show’s final episode. As fans with a Paramount+ subscription saw last week, Jones got to perform one last Action Saru moment through his tense showdown with the Breen known as Primarch Tahal in “Life, Itself,” and the actor shared with CinemaBlend about what he “loved about that scene.”
In addition to sharing his thoughts about the Discovery series finale and revealing a touching epilogue moment he shared with Sonequa Martin-Green, among the other topics Doug Jones discussed in my interview with him was how it felt getting to show off the Kelpien’s badass side for the final time on Discovery, a.k.a. Action Saru. However, this time around, Saru had to be intimidating from after, as he and Primarch Tahal were communicating over a video call. As Jones recalled:
Yes, Primarch Tahal was not nice [laughs]. So Saru had to be not nice right back. What I loved about that scene, I’m sitting in a shuttle with Commander Nhan piloting as we’re having this standoff over view screens, basically. So all of that was Action Saru, I run faster than humans, I’ve got my quills, I can shoot and poison people, I can see better hear better than humans, I had to channel all of actions through, into a conversation. So that felt really good, that his confidence is so there now that he did not have in Season 1. So to be able to stand off to a very powerful nemesis, but what I brought with me to that scene too was now my experience going throughout the galaxy as a diplomat, as an ambassador to my smaller planets. Well I have all them in my back pocket now, so I can pull all the resources from the smaller planets. ‘We’re gonna fight you back, sister, so don’t test these eyes.’ I loved that moment, the writers gave me a real gift with that.
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As Michael Burnham was finding the Progenitors’ technology with Moll, and as Rayner was leading the Discovery crew in repelling the Breen dreadnought once controlled by Primarch Ruhn, Saru, with Nhan as his pilot, was tasked with making sure Primarch Tahal didn’t arrive at the battle site to escalate the conflict, nor discover the advanced technology and seize it for herself. Initially, Saru approached the problem with diplomacy, telling Tahal that the Federation would establish a trade route between her border and the L’Tar Nebula if she turned around, which would improve her chances of taking the Imperium Throne.
Tahal didn’t accept Saru’s offer, but her response was enough to confirm to him that Tahal already had bases establish in the L’Tar nebula, otherwise she would have accepted his deal. So after getting her attention again with an insult, Saru declared that he’d established ties with numerous planets in that region, and unless he ordered them to stand down, they would attack those bases and Tahal’s forces would be weakened. The only way she’d get out of this mess would be by turning around, and Saru had to sell his bluff with arguably the most intense expression he’d ever delivered on Discovery. Tahal did indeed fall back, although she sent a scout ship to investigate the battle site, but Saru and Nhan clocked it coming.
Like Doug Jones said, this wasn’t a situation where Action Saru was going to be throwing punches or running to rescue a crewmate. He had to channel all those badass vibes strictly through dialogue and sell to Primarch T’Hal that he meant business. And as the actor also pointed out, this is a Saru who’s come a long way from the more timid version of the character in Season 1, so what better way to highlight that development by giving an opportunity to be arguably his most intimidating before Star Trek: Discovery wrapped up?
Star Trek: Discovery is over, but this era of the franchise’s timeline will continue to be explored through the spinoff Starfleet Academy, which has cast Holly Hunter as one of the lead characters. If Doug Jones ends up reprising Saru on that series, we’ll let you know. Meanwhile, look at the other upcoming Star Trek shows that are slated and catch up with current programming with the 2024 TV schedule.