Doug Jones Explains Why He’s Not In Star Trek: Discovery This Season (But There’s Good News)

Star Trek: Discovery is in the midst of airing its final season on the 2024 TV schedule, though that wasn't known by the cast and crew when they were in production. Unfortunately, the decision was made afterward. While Season 5 has naturally lent itself to one last adventure in many ways,  there are other instances in which some characters probably could've been highlighted more had writers known. Doug Jones, for example, has been missing for a chunk of this season, but it turns out he had a reason in addition to some good news from fans.

With fans waiting to watch the series' final episodes with a Paramount+ subscription, some have reached out to Doug Jones, wondering where Saru is in these recent adventures. The actor took some time to reply to a curious viewer on X, explaining the reason why he hasn't been in Star Trek: Discovery Season 5 too much:

I was off promoting Hocus Pocus 2 at the time, but I will be back for more before the season ends!

As a member of the original Hocus Pocus cast, Doug Jones was obliged to appear on the press tour for the Disney+ movie. It's a shame the timing lined up with when Star Trek: Discovery was in production. However, as CinemaBlend learned, Jones only learned the series was canceled when he was on a fan cruise long after production wrapped.

Here's What Doug Jones Is Doing Next

Star Trek’s Doug Jones Confirms Post-Discovery Plans After Donning Prosthetics To Play Saru

The good news is that Saru will return later in the season, though Doug Jones didn't specify when that would happen. Last we saw him he was in the process of wedding planning with T'Rina. He's been largely removed from the action of Star Trek: Discovery, but that seems to be because the show knew Doug Jones would need time away elsewhere.

With no idea what to expect from Saru in the final episodes, I know I'm hoping we'll get to see his marriage to T'Rina. The actor hinted ahead of Season 5 that Saru's relationship was headed in a direction fans wanted, and he also mentioned that seeing the epilogue of the series gave him closure. Could this be because he finally got to see the payoff for Saru's romance with T'Rina?

It's possible, but I can also see Jones finding closure in a satisfying ending to a series that he dedicated years of his life to. The character actor has had some wonderful roles in Guillermo Del Toro movies, but I'd argue his greatest performance to date has been playing Saru. Whatever the ending for Doug Jones' character is, if he's happy with it, I'm sure I will be as well.

Star Trek: Discovery streams new episodes on Paramount+ on Thursdays. With the Breen starting a conflict with Starfleet, I'm expecting the series to have its foot on the gas all the way until the end, and I can't wait to see how it all wraps up.