Who is Star Trek: Discovery’s Michael Burnham? (Season One)
Michael Burnham is portrayed by actress Sonequa Martin-Green, whom many fans of the highly popular Walking Dead series may know as sniper-wielding Sasha Williams. Martin-Green steps in as the first black female lead on a Star Trek television series, as well as the first non-captain to do the same.
Enter Discovery, the new flagship Star Trek series which takes place ten years prior to the events from Star Trek: The Original Series.
We learn in Discovery that Michael Burnham was adopted by Sarek and Amanda Grayson, and taken to live on Vulcan after her parents were killed by Klingons on an attack at Doctari Alpha, a Human-Vulcan science outpost.
Her parents were planning to leave the facility, but Burnham’s mother convinced her father to stay because Michael wanted to observe a star going supernova. To much horror, Burnham witnesses her parents being brutally murdered at the hands of the Klingons, which she feels is her fault.
Growing up Vulcan was not easy for Burnham. Not only did she have to adjust to the differences in the Vulcan-Human culture, but an attempt was made on her life by Vulcan “logic extremists” while attending the Vulcan Learning Center.
Burnham was dead for three whole minutes before being revived by Sarek with a mind-meld, in which he transferred some of his katra to Burnham, initiating a life-long bond between the two.
In addition to being the first human to attend the Vulcan Learning Center, Burnham also attended the Vulcan Science Academy, where she excelled in her studies, focusing on xenoanthropology. In the end, her excellence and adherence to Vulcan culture were not enough, as she was not given the opportunity to join the Vulcan Expedition Group, due to an impossible choice for Sarek, between the adopted Burnham, and his own son Spock.
Sarek manages to pull some strings, getting Burnham accepted into Starfleet, allowing her to skip Starfleet academy and be placed under the direct tutelage of Captain Philippa Georgiou.
Fast forward about seven-some-odd-years, and Michael Burnham has assumed the role of executive officer, becoming Georgiou’s number one, and fostering a rather combative, if not sibling-like, relationship with Lieutenant Saru.
But all that is thrown asunder during one fateful battle at the binary stars. In the ultimate “act of logic”, Burnham assaults her beloved Captain, in an effort to deliver the Vulcan Hello. This single act shows just how much Burnham believes in her acquired Vulcan upbringing, as she has chosen to trust logic, over a relationship she has fostered many years with the captain.
This acts kicks off the Klingon-Starfleet war, with Captain Georgiou and many of the Shenzhou crew falling victim in the initial battle.
Soon after, Burnham is off to prison for her treasonous act. Fast-forward about a year, and Burnham is rescued from her dark fate by a new ship with an experimental spore drive, and a captain that’s not all that he seems.
Season one of Star Trek Discovery is all about Burnham embracing her humanity, and redemption from a crucial mistake.
She displays the skill and work ethic that allowed her to achieve that “number one” position, but in a more human way; less arrogant, and more emotional than her initial rise in rank. Simply put, she has been humbled and enters each and every interaction in a more measured approach.
During the course of the season, she makes friendships, finds love, and takes strides to redeem all she has lost by helping to end the war she started.
Though we don’t see her brother in season one of Star Trek Discovery, we get to read about him in the Discovery novel Desperate Hours, where their relationship goes from tepid and almost resentful, to one of mutual understanding.
What do you think of Michael Burnham’s existence? Are you excited about seeing the character’s development in season two? What is your favorite Michael Burnham moment?
