Michael Burnham

Michael Burnham is the fictional protagonist on Star Trek: Discovery portrayed by American actress Sonequa Martin-Green. She originally appears as the First Officer of the USS Shenzhou under Philippa Georgiou (Michelle Yeoh) until she commits mutiny and is stripped of rank. Burnham is later recruited by Gabriel Lorca (Jason Isaacs) on the as a science specialist after serving only six months of her life sentence, with Lorca viewing Burnham as an asset in the war against the Klingons. She serves as the series lead. The character is introduced as an anthropologist helping the Earth-based Starfleet understand and engage with new cultures in outer space. The character is the first black woman to lead a Star Trek television series, as well as the first leading character that has never been a Starfleet captain (though Burnham is the deceased captain of the ISS Shenzhou in the mirror universe). Bryan Fuller conceived the character based on the cultural impact of Nichelle Nichols' portrayal of Uhura, Mae Jemison and Ruby Bridges. She is also revealed as the foster sister to Spock (Ethan Peck). Burnham is an orphan after her parents are killed by Klingons, until she is taken in by Sarek (James Frain). Controversy arose among fans from the decision to connect her history to Spock's family, with fans debating whether this is consistent with established continuity. Development of the character was largely praised by critics leading up to the debut for having a black woman lead for the first time in Star Trek history and reviews of Martin-Green's performance have been positive.

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