Summary
- Star Trek: Discovery missed an opportunity by only showing glimpses of Saru and T'Rina's wedding in the series finale.
- The wedding could have highlighted the show's focus on character growth and relationships, particularly Saru and Burnham's friendship.
- Despite constraints, a full episode dedicated to the wedding could have been a satisfying and celebratory ending to the series.
It would have been a great idea for Star Trek: Discovery to spend more time at the wedding of Ambassador Saru (Doug Jones) and President T'Rina (Tara Rosling), and I wish a whole episode was devoted to their nuptials. The glimpses of Saru and T'Rina's promised nuptials in Star Trek: Discovery's series finale, "Life, Itself", were far too brief, with no time devoted to the ceremony itself. It's an unusual choice, given that Star Trek: Discovery season 5 built up the first Vulcan-Kelpien wedding as an important event with political ramifications for the couple's home planets of Ni'Var and Kaminar, and a personal goal for Captain Michael Burnham (Sonequa Martin-Green) to attend.
It's understandable that Saru and T'Rina's wedding wasn't given the spotlight in Star Trek: Discovery's finale. Saru was absent for most of Star Trek: Discovery season 5 due to Doug Jones' scheduling conflicts, making a Saru-heavy episode difficult to film. "Life, Itself" also needed to wrap up the season-long arc of Captain Burnham's race against the Breen for the Progenitors' technology. Once it was clear that season 5 would be Star Trek: Discovery's last, extra scenes were also added to close out the series. Without these constraints, however, Saru and T'Rina's wedding could have been the central focus of a satisfying ending for Star Trek: Discovery.
Star Trek Wedding Episodes Are Celebrations
Star Trek: Discovery Has A Lot To Celebrate
Unity and joy are front and center as overarching themes in previous series' Star Trek wedding episodes, even as adversity threatens to derail the couples' big days. Keiko Ishikawa (Rosalind Chao) is anxious about marrying Chief Miles O'Brien (Colm Meaney) in Star Trek: The Next Generation season 4, episode 11, "Data's Day". Lt. Commander Jadzia Dax (Terry Farrell) faces scrutiny from Klingon traditions before marrying Lt. Commander Worf (Michael Dorn) in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine season 6, episode 7, "You Are Cordially Invited". Worries of opposition from T'Rina's political opponents, the Vulcan Purists, might have been Saru's minor hurdle in a low-stakes, lighter Star Trek: Discovery episode.
Saru and T'Rina's wedding as the celebratory centerpiece of a single Star Trek: Discovery episode would have been a perfect bookend to contrast the start of Star Trek: Discovery. Tonally, Star Trek: Discovery climbed out of the darkness and into a brighter future, so the peace and unity symbolized by a wedding would be an intentionally striking contrast to the conflict and confusion that characterized Star Trek: Discovery season 1. Here, as Saru and T'Rina exchange vows, their words could echo the promise that Star Trek: Discovery makes to Star Trek fans: to celebrate what unites us while delighting in our differences, with love and compassion for each other and for all.
|
Star Trek Weddings |
Movie/TV Show |
|---|---|
|
Miles O'Brien and Keiko Ishikawa |
Star Trek: The Next Generation |
|
Odo and Lwaxana Troi |
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine |
|
Rom and Leeta |
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine |
|
Tom Paris and B'Elanna Torres |
Star Trek: Voyager |
|
Worf & Jadzia Dax |
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine |
|
William Riker & Deanna Troi |
Star Trek: Nemesis |
Saru's Wedding Could Have Explored Star Trek: Discovery's Characters
Star Trek: Discovery's Strength Is Its Character Growth
Star Trek: Discovery's 5 seasons have been somewhat uneven, but an episode devoted to Saru's wedding would emphasize that Star Trek: Discovery's true strength is the consistent evolution of characters and their relationships with one another. Michael Burnham and Saru's friendship, in particular, is emblematic of Star Trek: Discovery's evolution. In Star Trek: Discovery season 1, Saru firmly believed that Burnham was dangerous, but Burnham proved herself time and again. Michael was at Saru's side during his vahara'i in Discovery season 2, and by the series' end, Saru and Burnham are trusted friends. Burnham's role in Saru's wedding could represent this evolution, but we never see it.
In Star Trek: Discovery season 2, episode 4, "An Obol for Charon", Saru undergoes the vahara'i, the painful Kelpien biological process that sheds the threat ganglia and evolves Saru into a more confident character.
With other plot threads tied up, Star Trek: Discovery could slow down at the wedding and reception, giving space to explore who these people are to one another, comparing and contrasting with where they started. All of Star Trek: Discovery's characters might have been able to have their own moment in the spotlight toasting Saru or reminiscing. Instead, Saru and T'Rina's ceremony is a mere montage, the reception is rushed, and Burnham and Cleveland Booker (David Ajala) seem to leave without saying goodbye, which is weird, given Michael and Saru's close friendship. With a full episode, we could've gotten so much more of Star Trek: Discovery's wedding.
