Things will be much different on the U.S.S. Discovery this season. When last we saw the ship, it was headed into a portal 900 years into the future, led by Michael Burnham (Sonequa Martin-Green) and Saru (Doug Jones). Burnham was wearing a fantastic suit of space-armor, while Saru was seated in the captain’s chair aboard the Discovery.
Like all great Trek cliffhangers — TNG’s “Best of Both Worlds,” Voyager’s “Basics,” and even The Wrath of Khan — the finale of Discovery’s Season 2 put fans on the edge of the seat while raising new questions which could only be answered in Season 3.
We caught up with Saru himself, the amazing Doug Jones, and asked him what fans can expect from the upcoming season.
“There are so many unanswered questions about what’s ahead,” says Jones, who says that comparing the technology from the Discovery to what the crew encounters 900 years in the future is like driving a Model T Ford on the streets today.
“We could be flying into that same kind of scenario while hoping to find the Federation still intact,” says Jones. Fans caught a glimpse of the future Federation in the teaser trailer, which was released back in October.
“And if so, is [the Federation] thriving or in a state of disrepair?”
Jones notes that while the future of Starfleet and the Federation are part of the story for Season 3, the question over who will assume command of the Discovery will also need to be answered. Will Saru assume the captain’s chair, or will Burnham fulfill her redemption story, and recover from her fall from grace to be the ship’s de facto leader?
“We hinted that this is a discussion to be had between Saru and Burnham once we’ve jumped through time to safety,” says Jones.
Beyond that, Jones says that the story of Saru is also one that could see changes.
“I love Saru’s respect and longing for family,” says Jones. “He so dearly misses his own family from Kaminar, so it only makes sense that he takes such care in building a chosen family on the Starship Discovery.
“The crew, especially Burnham, has filled the family gap thus far, but I would love to see Saru able to build a family of sorts that he can retreat to and call home,” says Jones, who hinted that Saru might find a ‘stronger connection to his home world’ once they’ve jumped to the future.
King of Pops?
While it is true Jones is an incredibly important part of the Star Trek: Discovery team, even he must wait to see the new season of the show. One item of note to Disco fans is the release of the new set of Funko Pops, based on Michael Burnham and Saru. Friends, Mr. Doug Jones, is a toy collector and is very excited to see a Saru Funko Pop.
In fact, Jones has every single toy that he’s ever been. Meaning, he’s always made sure that if he appears as a character, which becomes a toy, he gets one of them. This is something he’s done since the early days of his career, starting with his role in a McDonald’s campaign.
“The first time I saw a character of mine as a toy, I got the boyish giggles you might expect,” says Jones. “That was 1987 or 88 when my McDonald’s TV commercial character ‘Mac Tonight’ showed up as Happy Meal toys!”
Jones says that he’s been immortalized into molded plastic many times. Among his favorites is from 1997 when he was ‘Yee’ from “Warriors Of Virtue.”
“With a wacky career like mine, it’s been a steady stream ever since, right into the very popular and very collectible Funko Pop figures,” says Jones.
As many fans are aware, Funko Pops are among the most collectible and popular figures available. These cut across all fandom genres, including rival brands like Marvel and DC; Lord of the Rings and Game of Thrones; Star Wars and Star Trek.
Since he’s been made into so many Funko figures, Jones might be at the very top of the list for actors who have been recreated as Pops with 10 pops. Here’s his list:
- Buffy’s Gentleman
- Silver Surfer
- Nosferatu (from the original, a remake coming out soon)
- Crimson Peak’s Mother Ghost
- X-Files’ Grey Alien
- Pan’s Labyrinth’s Faun
- Pan’s Labyrinth’s Pale Man
- Hellboy’s Abe Sapien
- The Shape Of Water’s Amphibian Man (3 different versions)
- Star Trek: Discovery’s Saru.
The second runner up is actor, director, and Muppeteer, Frank Oz, who is Yoda, Cookie Monster, and seven other characters. We reached out to Funko to verify this, but they did not respond by publication.
“Yes, I own all of them, and they are treasures to me,” says Jones.
Fans can get the brand new Saru Funko Pop exclusively signed by Jones from Coolwaters Productions. Visit their site to order today!
