Ranking every lead character from the Nu Trek era of Star Trek characters

#2 Michael Burnham

Easily the most controversial lead character, we can't help but praise her and her actress Sonequa Martin-Green for her work. As a character goes, Michael Burnham's design is fantastic. We loved the shorter, "quaffier" hair in the first season, and her longer braids in later seasons added a look all her own. Plus, aside from the terrible Fallout-looking uniforms in the first two seasons, the uniforms for Discovery have been S-tier. The only knock on Burnham is the name. It's not good. It's deliberately ambiguous and too plain for such a vaunted character.

The performances of the characters aren't the best, but we've seen far worse. Burnham is given too many of the same emotional reactions to things in later seasons. It's a very touch-feely show and the characters embrace that same attitude. Also hindering the score was her cosplaying as a Vulcan to star in the show.

She's a very likable, albeit bland character. She's charismatic to a degree, but we see far more of the hope and optimism from her than we've seen from any other captain. Even Kathryne Janeway lost her control at times. As did Jean-Luc Picard and Ben Sisko. It feels like the writers tried to make her "perfect" and deliberately wrote her as the best captain in franchise history. They nerfed a lot of her potential intrigue by trying to win online arguments in the writer's room.

That said, she's one of the few captains that really does showcase how you should interact with your crew. She's confident but kind, intelligent but open to discussions. She's able to form a remarkable bond with just about anyone it seems.

Sadly, whatever grand qualities she has, it isn't enough to get fans into the show. Discovery has struggled to sustain interest over the years and the character of Michael Burnham isn't a selling point for many as a reason to watch the show.

Design - 4
Performance - 3
Personality - 3
Dynamics - 5
Show Affect - 2

Overall: 17