“Burnham is one of the only captains, if not the only, who you see…”
For years, Sonequa Martin-Green was known in professional and fandom circles for her riveting portrayal of Sasha on AMC’s The Walking Dead. However, a mere five months after the actress departed TWD, following the character’s heartbreaking death in season 7’s “The First Day of the Rest of Your Life,” Martin-Green made her first appearance as Michael Burnham in Star Trek: Discovery.
And not only is Martin-Green rightly proud of Michael Burnham, but she also appreciates the success the character had during her tenure on Discovery. Martin-Green said in an interview (per TV Insider): “Burnham is one of the only captains, if not the only, who you see become who they’re meant to be. It’s a great opportunity to see what the path of success really looks like, to see how that good fight of faith is fought. That was really powerful for me to be able to bring that story to life as a Black woman.”
For those who may be new to the Star Trek fandom, Martin-Green’s Michael Burnham didn’t have an easy road to travel in Discovery, even if much of her early obstacles were her own fault.
When fans are first introduced to Commander Michael Burnham in season 1’s “The Vulcan Hello,” she quickly goes from the loyal righthand of Captain Georgiou (Michelle Yeoh) to a mutineer, based on her knowledge and fear of the looming Klingon threat.
However, as Discovery’s five-season run plays out, Michael not only rises to become captain of the USS Discovery, but she is eventually promoted to the rank of a Starfleet Admiral.
I love the trials and tribulations Discovery’s writing team put Michael through, but I thought her most fascinating — yes, I went there — moments came playing opposite of Ethan Peck’s Mr. Spock, who turned out to be Michael’s adoptive brother.
Sadly, Peck only appeared in season 2, and their storyline faded after he remained in the 23rd century, and Burnham time-traveled to the 32nd century.
I understand many people were quite critical of Star Trek: Discovery as a whole, so I’m anxious to read what you have to say about Michael Burnham’s success on the streaming series. And you can share those thoughts and comments with us on the Redshirts Always Die Facebook and X pages.
Live long and prosper, Trekkies!
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