Summary
Despite their beautiful friendship, I can’t help but miss Saru (Doug Jones) and Michael Burnham’s (Sonequa Martin-Green) old dynamic fromStar Trek: Discoveryseason 1. The show wrapped up its fifth and final season with some touching tributes toDiscovery’s cast of characters,including a lovely epilogue scene featuring the entire main cast that certainly pulled at my heartstrings. Above anything else, however,Discovery’s finale and season 5 in general made me realize just how far Michael and Saru’s relationship has come.
Despite a rocky start,Michael and Saru are one of the sweetest and most genuine friendshipsDiscoveryhas produced. For the last four seasons, the two have not hesitated to be there for each other in every way, both professionally and personally. Although both wereCaptain of the USS Discoveryat one time, they’ve maintained a good balance of acting as each other’s right hand throughout the series. Despite this, rewatching early episodes ofDiscoveryafter the finale, I was struck by how much Michael and Saru’s relationship has changed since season 1.
Star Trek: Discovery Season 5 Finale Ending & Shocking Epilogue Explained
Star Trek: Discovery comes to an end with season 5’s finale wrapping up the Progenitors treasure hunt and an epilogue concluding the entire series.
Burnham And Saru’s Rivalry In Star Trek: Discovery Season 1 Was Just As Great As Their Friendship
Michael and Saru’s season 1 antagonism was hilarious and understandable
I could never have guessed when watchingDiscoveryseason 1that Michael and Saru would end up being such good friends, and to be honest, part of me misses their old rivalry. When the show began, pretty much the first thing it established about Saru and Michael was that the two didn’t like each other.As First Officer and Science Officer under Captain Philippa Georgiou (Michelle Yeoh), Michael and Saru sniped at and undercut each other almost constantly, and things didn’t improve after Michael’s mutiny ended up getting Georgiou killed and ignited the Klingon War.
Michael and Saru’s completely opposing personalities made for excellent conflict in season 1, highlighting the strengths and flaws of both characters in a way that quickly and expertly brought them to life.
I hadn’t remembered how rocky Michael and Saru’s relationship was until rewatchingDiscovery’s pilot, “The Vulcan Hello.” Despite loving their friendship, I found myself enjoying the antagonism between them. Some of their interactions in the pilot are quite funny, especially when trying to one-up each other in front of Georgiou.Additionally, Michael and Saru’s completely opposing personalities made for excellent conflict in season 1, highlighting the strengths and flaws of both characters in a way that quickly and expertly brought them to life. Even knowing what was to come, I almost wanted Michael and Saru to stay enemies for longer.
Why Discovery Could Never Have Kept Michael And Saru Enemies After Season 1
Despite how fun their rivalry was, however, there was no wayDiscoverycould have kept Michael and Saru as enemies for its entire run. Their animosity in season 1 was understandable, butthe two things driving it were Saru’s timidness as an officer and his distrust of Michael after she betrayed Georgiou. Characters inevitably grow and change with a show, and Michael and Saru were no exception. Once Michael proved herself worthy of trust again, and Saru’s whole personality changed after he passed through Vaharai in season 2, there was no good reason to keep their antagonism going.
If anything, for me,the fact thatMichael and Saru used to be enemiesmakes their later friendship even sweeter. Watching the two of them evolve as characters and their relationship with them was a joy I didn’t realize the full scope of until I saw how far they had come. One ofStar Trek: Discovery’s greatest strengths as a show was the power of its characters and their relationship dynamics, and Michael and Saru ultimately exemplify this strength more than any other character or relationship on the show.
All episodes of Star Trek: Discovery are now available to stream on Paramount+.
Star Trek: Discovery
Cast
Star Trek: Discovery is an entry in the legendary Sci-Fi franchise, set ten years before the original Star Trek series events. The show centers around Commander Michael Burnham, assigned to the USS Discovery, where the crew attempts to prevent a Klingon war while traveling through the vast reaches of space.
