As one of the most popular characters on Star Trek: Discovery, Doug Jones' Captain Saru has left his mark on the Star Trek franchise. Introduced in the pilot episode of Discovery, Saru is a member of the Kelpien species and the first of his kind to leave his planet Kaminar. Over the course of Discovery, Saru has grown into an accomplished and well-respected Starfleet Captain. Largely thanks to Doug Jones' captivating performance, Saru remains one of the most interesting and likable characters of the current era of Star Trek.

As an actor, Doug Jones is used to performing under heavy makeup and prosthetics, as he has portrayed many aliens and monstrous creatures throughout his career. In an interview with StarTrek.com, Jones revealed that he did not even have to audition for the role of Saru. The creative team behind Star Trek: Discovery approached him with an offer, and as a Trek fan, Jones jumped at the chance to be part of the franchise. Unfortunately, Discovery's upcoming season 5 will be its last, but Doug Jones could still pop up as Saru in another Star Trek project.

Doug Jones Plays Saru In Star Trek: Discovery

As a Kelpien, Saru has heightened senses and a profound sense of empathy. While on his home planet of Kaminar, Saru built a communications device and made contact with Starfleet Lieutenant Philippa Georgiou (Michelle Yeoh), who offered Saru the chance to leave Kaminar and explore the stars. Believing he would never be able to return, Saru became the first Kelpien to leave Kaminar, and the first Kelpien to serve in Starfleet. Saru would go on to serve on the USS Shenzhou under the command of Captain Georgiou before transferring to the Discovery and becoming First Officer under Captain Gabriel Lorca (Jason Isaacs).

At the end of Star Trek: Discovery season 2, Saru and the rest of the crew traveled into the far future and Saru became Captain of the Discovery soon after. He was also able to reconnect with the Kelpiens of the 32nd century and encouraged them to join and assist the United Federation of Planets. In his time on the Discovery, Saru has become close personal friends with Michael Burnham (Sonequa Martin-Green) and he backed her promotion to Captain of the Discovery. Saru then served as Burnham's First Officer after his return from Kaminar in Star Trek: Discovery season 4. While aiding with negotiations between the planet Ni'Var (formerly Vulcan) Saru and President T'Rina (Tara Rosling) began a romantic relationship.

Doug Jones’ Incredible Career Explained

Doug Jones' acting career began in the late 1980s, but his first major role came in 1993 when he portrayed Billy Butcherson in Disney's Hocus Pocus. Jones reprised this role for the sequel Hocus Pocus 2 in 2022. Doug would go on to appear in many television shows throughout the 1990s and early 2000s, often using his skills as a contortionist. He appeared in three episodes of the 1998 remake of The Outer Limits as various aliens and as the Lead Gentleman in the iconic Buffy the Vampire Slayer episode, "Hush."

Doug Jones has worked with director Guillermo del Toro on several occasions. He played the amphibious man Abe Sapien in 2004's Hellboy and 2008's Hellboy II: The Golden Army alongside Ron Perlman. Jones also starred as Cesare in David Lee Fisher's 2005 remake of The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari and as Fauno and the Pale Man in del Toro's Pan's Labyrinth. He appeared as the Silver Surfer in the 2007 film Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer, although Lawrence Fishburne provided the character's voice.

Doug Jones appeared in three seasons of Falling Skies as Cochise and in six episodes of del Toro's The Strain. Jones has also appeared as various monsters in several horror films including The Bye Bye Man in 2017. Jones portrayed the Amphibian Man in The Shape of Water, which won four Academy Awards in 2018, including Best Picture and Best Director for Guillermo del Toro. Although his time as Saru on Star Trek: Discovery is ending, the talented and prolific Doug Jones currently appears as vampire royal Baron Afanas on FX comedy What We Do in the Shadows.