Saru WIll Be Star Trek Discovery's Equivalent of Spock and Data

If you watched the Star Trek Discovery trailer that was released a few weeks ago, you would have see a new alien species on the ship's bridge.

He talks about his species' ability to "sense death".

The character is names Saru and is played by Doug Jones. Current Showrunner Aaron Harberts revealed some information about this enigmatic character:

What we can tell you that adds the context to that clip where he says he can sense the coming of death is that he comes from a planet where he’s a ‘prey species.’ He’s the first of his kind to make it to Starfleet.

Saru's species - the Kelpiens - are preyed upon by a more dominant predator species. Harberts continued:

[This predator species] constantly imperils another weaker species called Kelpiens. As part of the latter group, Saru has evolved with heightened survival instincts. Such prey species tend to have a cowardly reputation in the Federation, but Saru should not be underestimated.

The character has been created to fill the Spock/Data role on the upcoming series.

The recent trailer is here: