star trek discovery michael burnham name

Join or Sign In

Sign in to customize your TV listings

By joining TV Guide, you agree to our Terms of Use and acknowledge the data practices in our Privacy Policy .

Here's Why Star Trek: Discovery's Female Lead Is Named Michael

There's a very good reason

Star Trek: Discovery 's Sonequa Martin-Green is the first woman of color, not to mention first non-captain character, to lead a Star Trek series and -- no, your ears are not deceiving you -- she's got a typically male name: Michael Burnham.

That was no accident. It was former showrunner Bryan Fuller 's idea, following in his long tradition of giving his female protagonists masculine names. See: Dead Like Me 's George ( Ellen Muth ); Pushing Daisies ' Chuck ( Anna Friel ); and Wonderfalls ' unisex Jaye ( Caroline Dhavernas ).

"We've worked on many shows with Bryan and it's a motif. It's his signature move to name his lead women with names that would typically be associated as male," executive producer Aaron Harberts said at the Television Critics Association summer press tour last month. Sonequa Martin-Green Reveals the Emotional Moment Nichelle Nichols Passed the Star Trek Torch

After tossing around a couple of options, the writers eventually landed on Michael for the first officer of the USS Shenzhou . "I have known of, I think, two [female] Michaels: Michael Sneed, [who] was a gossip columnist for the Chicago Sun‑Times and Michael Steele who played the bass for The Bangles. That's a deep dive on female Michaels," Harberts said. "And we talked about it in the entire room. It was just like, 'This is a really, really interesting name.' And, of course, an archangel is named Michael as well, and it just had a lot of potency for us." And lest we forget, there are some female Michaels associated with TV: four-time Emmy winner Michael Learned of The Waltons and Michael Michele from ER .

Sonequa Martin-Green, Star Trek: Discovery

Martin-Green was on board with the moniker twist from the beginning, which she calls a "lovely symbol," as it not only helped her understand her character's backstory -- a human raised by a Vulcan ( James Frain ) -- but is in line with the franchise's message of open-mindedness and diversity, and a future with more gender fluidity.

"I appreciated the statement it makes all on its own to have this woman with this male name, just speaking of the amelioration of how we see men and women in the future," she said at TCA. "But I also just decided for my creation and for my background and whatnot that I was named after my father. And so, we get a little bit of exploration of the father‑daughter dynamic."

Michael certainly wouldn't be the first female TV character named after a father, if that in fact becomes canon: How I Met Your Mother 's Robin ( Cobie Smulders ) was born Robin Charles Scherbatsky Jr. because her father had wanted a son.

"I think it's a really cool name," Harberts told StarTrek.com , "and maybe we'll see some more women Michaels. Who knows?" Star Trek: Discovery premieres Sunday at 8:30/7:30c on CBS. Episode 2 will be available on CBS All Access immediately after the CBS broadcast premiere. Future episodes will be released every Sunday on CBS All Access. (Full disclosure: TV Guide is owned by CBS.)

• Entertainment

'Star Trek: Discovery': Why the lead character's name is Michael

Original showrunner Bryan Fuller brought this "Pushing Daisies" and "Wonderfalls" tradition to Star Trek.

Sonequa Martin-Green will be First Officer Michael Burnham when "Star Trek: Discovery" debuts.

Sonequa Martin-Green will be First Officer Michael Burnham when " Star Trek: Discovery " debuts Sept. 24... but why exactly is her first name Michael?

Showrunner Aaron Harberts revealed in a Friday interview with StarTrek.com that it has a lot to do with original showrunner Bryan Fuller (the latter having left the series in late 2016 to focus on " American Gods ").

Get ready for 'Star Trek: Discovery'

• 'Star Trek: Discovery' fights for more than Trekkies' hearts
• 'Star Trek: Discovery' goes to war -- and not everyone survives
• Everything we know about 'Star Trek: Discovery' so far
• Not everyone on 'Star Trek: Discovery' is an iPhone loyalist

"We've worked on a number of Bryan Fuller shows... ' Wonderfalls ,' ' Pushing Daisies .' Many of his female protagonists have typically what you would call male names. Chuck was one. Jaye was another," Harberts said. "When we all sat down, of course, the idea was going to be that she was going to have a male name, or typically male name."

So what made it Michael? Harberts said he pitched the name after thinking of female columnist Michael Sneed , who writes for the Chicago Sun-Times, and The Bangles' bassist Michael Steele.

Everything we've seen from 'Star Trek: Discovery' so far

"I'd always thought that the name Michael was just really cool and different. We pitched that to Bryan and he was like, 'Let me think about that.' That's how we seized on it, but I think it's a really cool name, and maybe we'll see some more women Michaels," Harberts said.

Martin-Green said the name will also extend to her character's biological father, telling CNET's Roger Cheng that "it's a very quaint yet powerful symbol of the father-daughter dynamic."

"Star Trek: Discovery" will premiere in the US on CBS and CBS All Access, and internationally on Netflix. (Disclosure: CBS is CNET's parent company.)

• Movies & TV
• Big on the Internet
• About Us & Contact

Star Trek: Discovery’s Female Lead Character Is Named Michael Burnham and I Can’t Stop Thinking About It

Names have power: just ask Rumpelstiltskin. As someone with a longstanding interest in the meaning of names, the first thing that caught my attention while watching  Discovery  was that the First Officer played by Sonequa Martin-Green has a traditionally masculine name. I had to know more.

I assumed—erroneously—that Martin-Green’s part was written with a man in mind and when she was cast, they decided to keep the original name for the hell of it. But according to TV Guide , this was not the case. The idea for the name originated with Discovery ‘s former showrunner Bryan Fuller, who exited the project but co-wrote the pilot episode, “The Vulcan Hello.” Fuller has a history of giving his female protagonists masculine-sounding names: “See: Dead Like Me’s George (Ellen Muth); Pushing Daisies’ Chuck (Anna Friel); and Wonderfalls’ unisex Jaye (Caroline Dhavernas).”

Discover y  executive producer Aaron Harberts described naming lead women with male-associated names as Fuller’s “signature move,” calling it “a motif.” Harberts himself came up with “Michael,” explaining in an interview that he “pitched the name after thinking of female  columnist Michael Sneed , who writes for the Chicago Sun-Times, and The Bangles’ bassist Michael Steele.” He added, “And, of course, an archangel is named Michael as well, and it just had a lot of potency for us.”

Michael Burnham is hardly the first female Michael in pop culture, and she’s not the first woman to sport a gender-ambiguous name on Star Trek , where officers are often referred to by their last names. “Dax” is a much more recognized moniker among fans than “Jadzia,” for example. But that still doesn’t stop me from noticing every time Martin-Green’s character introduces herself or is called by her full name, because the name stands out even as she stands next to aliens aboard a starship. Michael herself is a fascinating character, fearless and brilliant from what we’ve seen of her so far, caught between her Vulcan upbringing and her human emotions.

Actress Sonequa Martin-Green was enthusiastic about the name, liking the symbolism and anticipating a more gender-fluid and equal opportunity future. Of Michael, she said : “I appreciated the statement it makes all on its own to have this woman with this male name, just speaking of the amelioration of how we see men and women in the future.”

Martin-Green gave Michael’s name a special history that we may end up exploring with her on-screen. “I also just decided for my creation and for my background and whatnot, that I was named after my father. And so, we get a little bit of exploration of the father‑daughter dynamic … I think it’s a lovely symbol.” After all, considering the centuries-long tradition of the eldest boy inheriting their father’s first name, why shouldn’t a girl?

On the flip side, it would be interesting to see the reception of a lead male character with a firmly female-associated name. (Look at how often Firefly’s Jayne, an ensemble member, is made fun of for his name). Because as much as I love Martin-Green rocking the hell out of “Michael,” that’s partially the thrill of seeing a woman of color own both the lead part for the first time on Star Trek  and assume another badge of cultural power—the inherited name of the patriarch. But some men with traditionally unisex names that have come to be thought of as more “female”—think Stacey or Alexis —report being teased for this attribute, because in the patriarchal culture we’ve all been raised in, the association with femininity is something to mock in a man while simultaneously undervaluing women (“you throw like a girl”). Why can we take Michael Burnham seriously, but would never see Jason Isaacs’ character introduce himself as Captain Susan Lorca?

I’m looking forward to the far more gender-fluid future where gendered stereotypes lose ground, and anyone can be named anything that they damn well please, though we’ll still have to grapple with the cultural weight of names. Names have an impact all on their own, and it is often centered around gender and race. I would be far more likely to have a manuscript accepted for publishing if I used a male or gender-neutral pen name. Names conjure racist fears and discrimination from thin air: “[a] study of mostly white participants shows that  men with black-sounding names  are more likely to be imagined as physically large, dangerous and violent than those with stereotypically white-sounding names.” People with perceived “ethnic” names are much less likely to be interviewed or hired for a job than people with “white” names, even when their resumes are identical otherwise. Names have power.

If you’re curious, the meaning of the name “Michael” is a rhetorical question: “Who is like God?” with the implied answer that no one is, so there is no answer. Michael is also a powerful archangel, the leader of God’s armies against the forces of Satan—and one of two archangels named in both the old and new Testament. The other archangel? Gabriel, which just so happens to be the first name of Jason Isaacs’ Captain Lorca. I’d like to imagine that from this Biblical symbolism,  Star Trek: Discovery has some epic stories in store.

(via TV Guide , image: CBS)

Want more stories like this? Become a subscriber and support the site !

— The Mary Sue has a strict comment policy that forbids, but is not limited to, personal insults toward anyone , hate speech, and trolling.—

Star Trek: Discovery - Everything to Know About [SPOILER]'s New Role

Your changes have been saved

Email Is sent

Please verify your email address.

You’ve reached your account maximum for followed topics.

'We Have to Do It': The Boys Star Reveals the Origins of Homelander's Milk Obsession

Why aegon ii married helaena in house of the dragon, is thomas keller in the bear season 3.

WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Star Trek: Discovery 's Season 3 finale, "That Hope Is You, Part 2," now streaming on CBS All Access .

Star Trek: Discovery Season 3 has been one of heavy transition, with the titular ship's crew adjusting to life in the 32nd century. This has meant a number of major adjustments for the U.S.S. Discovery, including in regards to who sits in the captain's chair, which is one of the most highly-visible positions in the franchise. Now, after a season of changing hands, the Discovery has yet another new captain: Michael Burnham.

This, of course, has been a promotion long time coming for both the character and the show proper.  Discovery marked the first time that the main character of a  Star  Trek show wasn't the captain, but Burnham served as second-in-command a number of times, working under Philippa Georgiou on the Shenzhou and Saru on Discovery proper. Regardless of rank, though, there were quite a few times during the  Discovery 's three seasons when she stepped up and took charge in a heated moment.

RELATED:  How Star Trek: Discovery Sets Up Season 4

The most recent example comes in  Discovery's Season 3 finale . After the Emerald Chain and its leader, Osyraa, commandeer the Discovery, Burnham goes full John McClane and spends two episodes working from within to take it back. She single-handedly disposes of many highly-trained regulators and constantly escapes the grasp of the Chain. She's even able to kill Osyraa herself, taking back the ship and saving the crew from dying of asphyxiation.

Even after the crew re-unites, Burnham remains in charge. Acting captain Tilly cedes control to her, looking to her leadership. And she makes good on the opportunity, coming up with a risky but ultimately successful plan to eject their warp core and use Book as a new conduit to re-engage the spore drive. Her initiative not only destroys the flagship of the Emerald Chain, but also allows the Discovery to jump back to the dilithium planet and rescue the crew members marooned there, including Captain Saru.

RELATED:  Star Trek: Discovery Season 3 Finale, 'That Hope Is You, Part 2' Recap & Spoilers

Only, Saru doesn't remain the captain for long. After connecting with Su'Kal over the last few episodes, Saru opts to take his fellow Kelpien to their home planet of Kaminar, and the finale shows him silently watching the stars. Burnham narrates that Saru has taken a leave of absence from Starfleet to "figure out next steps," assumingly reconnecting back with a people he left long ago.

In Saru's absence, a captain is needed. And both he and Admiral Vance recommend Burnham. She takes the news with surprise, given how much the admiral disapproved of her unorthodox techniques over the course of  Discovery  Season 3. But Vance can't deny that Burnham gets results and so asks her to do exactly what Philippa Georgiou wanted in their final conversation: Step up and be the leader.

RELATED:  Star Trek: Discovery Reveals the Disgusting Source of Replicated Food

In the final scene of the Discovery  Season 3 finale, a newly-uniformed Burnham heads to the bridge and greets her crew with smiles. She takes the big chair for the first time as the Discovery's true captain. And with that, she sends the ship off on the first of seemingly many delivery missions, issuing a cool, "Let's fly." It's unknown how long she will remain captain, given how much the seat seems to change hands on  Discovery . But considering how critical she is to the show at large, it's safe to say we should get use to saying Captain Michael Burnham.

Streaming on CBS All Access, Star Trek: Discovery stars Sonequa Martin-Green as Commander Michael Burnham, Doug Jones as Commander Saru, Anthony Rapp as Lt. Commander Paul Stamets, Mary Wiseman as Ensign Sylvia Tilly, Wilson Cruz as Dr. Hugh Culber, David Ajala as Cleveland "Book" Booker, Blu del Barrio as Adira , Ian Alexander as Gray, Tig Notaro as Chief Engineer Reno and Michelle Yeoh as Philippa Georgiou. New episodes of Season 3 air on Thursdays.

KEEP READING:  How Star Trek: Discovery Accommodates a Star's Disability, Rather Than Pushing Him Out

• CBR Exclusives

Star Trek: Discovery Main Character Named Michael Burnham

By charles evans | apr 3, 2017.

We knew that Sonequa Martin-Green would play the main character in Star Trek: Discovery, but now we know the name of the first officer.

WARNING: THE FOLLOWING ARTICLE MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS FOR STAR TREK: DISCOVERY

Sonequa Martin-Green will play First Officer Michael Burnham according to an official release from CBS . It’s not news that Martin-Green is the focal point of Star Trek: Discovery, it’s not even news that she is the first officer, but it is news to finally have a name for that character.

More from Redshirts Always Die

• Has Star Trek Technology gotten out of control?
• The Borg Queen was spoiled early on Star Trek: Picard
• Is J. Lee hinting at a renewal of The Orville?
• Relive a little Star Trek fun with FoxTrot’s Christmas Cookie comic
• Watch: All I Want for Christmas by the cast of Star Trek: The Next Generation

There’s not much you can take from a name like Michael Burnham. It sounds like a pretty common place name and the CBS release didn’t offer any other details about the character. We’re sure that fact won’t slow down the internet rumor and theory machine one bit though.

Now that we have the name of Sonequa Martin-Green’s character it really looks like things are falling in line for Star Trek: Discovery . The mystery of the new Star Trek series is being unravelled bit by bit. We also now know that the captain of the Discovery will be played by Jason Isaacs and that Rainn Wilson will play infamous galactic con artist Harry Mudd.

One of the few things we haven’t seen from Star Trek: Discovery though is what the final version of the Discovery herself looks like. We saw an early version in this trailer during the Star Trek 50th Anniversary panel during last years San Diego Comic-Con.

After Comic-Con and poor reaction from fans though then showrunner Bryan Fuller said that the design of the ship in the trailer wasn’t final. It could be that they are saving the big reveal for this year’s San Diego Comic-Con.

NEXT: 10 Must Have Star Trek Gadgets

What do you think of First Officer Michael Burnham? Let us know on Facebook or in the comments below.

• Cast & crew
• User reviews

Star Trek: Discovery

Ten years before Kirk, Spock, and the Enterprise, the USS Discovery discovers new worlds and lifeforms as one Starfleet officer learns to understand all things alien. Ten years before Kirk, Spock, and the Enterprise, the USS Discovery discovers new worlds and lifeforms as one Starfleet officer learns to understand all things alien. Ten years before Kirk, Spock, and the Enterprise, the USS Discovery discovers new worlds and lifeforms as one Starfleet officer learns to understand all things alien.

• Bryan Fuller
• Alex Kurtzman
• Sonequa Martin-Green
• Anthony Rapp
• 4.5K User reviews
• 104 Critic reviews
• 21 wins & 87 nominations total

Episodes 65

Photos 1465

• Michael Burnham …

• Lt. Cmdr. Paul Stamets …

• Sylvia Tilly …

• Lt. Keyla Detmer …

• Dr. Hugh Culber

• Lt. Gen Rhys …

• Lt. Joann Owosekun …

• Lt. R.A. Bryce …

• Lt. Nilsson …

• Cleveland Booker

• Lt. J.G. Linus …

• Discovery Computer …

• Ash Tyler …

• All cast & crew
• Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

Stellar Photos From the "Star Trek" TV Universe

More like this

Did you know

• Trivia The Starfleet vessels seen in the first season, including the Discovery, the Shenzou and the redesigned Enterprise, were all designed by production artist John Eaves. Eaves' work with Star Trek spans three decades. Probably his most notable contribution was the design of the Enterprise-E for Star Trek: First Contact (1996) .
• Goofs With Michael being the adoptive sister of Spock, the series has many flashbacks to their childhood and upbringing on Vulcan. Spock's Vulcan half-brother, Sybok, does not appear nor is mention during these scenes. In Star Trek V: The Final Frontier (1989) , Spock says that he and Sybok grew up together. However, since it's never stated when Sybok joined Sarek's home - only that he did so following his mother's death - or when he was exiled from the family, it's not impossible Sybok moved in after Burnham, and left before she graduated (the two extremes of the flashbacks). Also, since Sybok was never mentioned before Star Trek V, it seems reasonable the family never spoke of him again after his estrangement.
• Alternate versions The serif-font legends and subtitles in the "broadcast" episodes are absent from the DVD versions, where they are replaced with the standard DVD subtitles.
• Connections Featured in MsMojo: Top 10 Female Lead TV Shows You Should Be Watching in 2017 (2017)

User reviews 4.5K

• Feb 8, 2022
• How many seasons does Star Trek: Discovery have? Powered by Alexa
• Why do the Klingons in this series look completely different to how they look in all of the previous Star Trek shows and films?
• Do I need to have seen any previous Star Trek TV series and movies in order to be able to understand and follow this show?
• Does this series take place in the alternate timeline of Star Trek (2009), or the timeline we are all used to from TOS?
• September 24, 2017 (United States)
• United States
• Official Facebook
• Official site
• Star Trek: Hành Trình Khám Phá
• Pinewood Toronto Studios, Port Lands, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
• CBS Television Studios
• Living Dead Guy Productions
• Master Key Production
• See more company credits at IMDbPro

Technical specs

• Runtime 1 hour
• Dolby Digital

Related news

Contribute to this page.

• IMDb Answers: Help fill gaps in our data
• Learn more about contributing

More to explore

Recently viewed.

Inside the ‘Star Trek: Discovery’ Series Finale: The Last-Minute Coda, the Surprise Easter Eggs, and What Season 6 Would Have Been About (EXCLUSIVE)

SPOILER WARNING: This story includes descriptions of major plot developments on the series finale of “ Star Trek : Discovery,” currently streaming on Paramount+ .

Watching the fifth and final season of “ Star Trek: Discovery ” has been an exercise in the uncanny. Paramount+ didn’t announce that the show was ending until after the Season 5 finale had wrapped filming — no one involved with the show knew it would be its concluding voyage when they were making it. And yet, the season has unfolded with a pervasive feeling of culmination. 

Related Stories

How roblox is facilitating animated films’ domination of 2024 box office, 'adult best friends' review: a sporadically funny comedy about growing up and moving on, popular on variety.

“I think there’s more to it than just, ‘Oh, it was a coinkydink!’” the actor says with a laugh, before explaining that she’s thinking more about subtext than direct intent. “I’ve gotta give Michelle her flowers. She has always asked the deeper questions of this story and these characters. Those questions of meaning and purpose led to questions of origin and legacy, and, yes, that is quite culminating.”

Martin-Green and Paradise spoke exclusively with Variety about filming the finale and the coda, including the surprising revelation about the origins of one of “Discovery’s” most memorable characters and what Paradise’s plans for Season 6 would have been.

“It’s the Most Complicated Thing I’ve Ever Seen”

Once the “Discovery” writers’ room decided the season would be organized around a search for the Progenitor’s technology, they also knew that, eventually, Burnham would find it. So then they had to figure out what it would be.

“That was a discussion that evolved over the course of weeks and months,” Paradise says. Rather than focus on communicating the intricate details of how the technology works, they turned their attention to delivering a visual experience commensurate with the enormity and complexity of something that could seed life across the entire galaxy.

“We wanted a sense of a smaller exterior and an infinite interior to help with that sense of power greater than us,” Paradise says. Inspired in part by a drawing by MC Escher, the production created an environment surrounded by towering windows into a seemingly endless procession of alien planets, in which it’s just as easy to walk on the walls as on the floor. That made for a daunting challenge for the show’s producing director, Olatunde “Tunde” Osunsanmi: As Burnham battles with the season’s main antagonist, Mol (Eve Harlow), inside this volume, they fall through different windows into another world, and the laws of gravity keep shifting between their feet.

“It’s the most complicated thing I’ve ever seen, directorially,” Paradise says. “Tunde had a map, in terms of: What did the background look like? And when the cameras this way, what’s over there? It was it was incredibly complex to design and shoot.”

Two of those planets — one in perpetual darkness and rainstorms, another consumed by constant fire — were shot on different parking areas on the Pinewood Toronto studio lot.

“The fire planet was so bright that the fire department got called from someone who had seen the fire,” Paradise says. “It should not be possible to pull those kinds of things off in a television show, even on a bigger budget show, with the time limitations that you have. And yet, every episode of every season, we’re still coming in on time and on budget. The rain planet and the fire planet we shot, I believe, one day after the other.”

Martin-Green jumps in: “Michelle, I think that was actually the same day!”

“It Felt Lifted”

The last time a “Star Trek” captain talked to a being that could be (erroneously) considered God, it was William Shatner’s James T. Kirk in 1989’s “Star Trek: The Final Frontier.” The encounter did not go well.

“I had my own journey with the central storyline of Season 5, just as a believer,” Martin-Green says. “I felt a similar way that Burnham did. They’re in this sort of liminal mind space, and it almost felt that way to me. It felt lifted. It really did feel like she and I were the only two people in this moment.”

It’s in this conversation that Burnham learns that while the Progenitors did create all “humanoid” alien species in the galaxy in their image, they did not create the technology that allowed them to do so. They found it, fully formed, created by beings utterly unknown to them. The revelation was something that Martin-Green discussed with Paradise early on in the planning of Season 5, allowing “Discovery” to leave perhaps the most profound question one could ask — what, or who, came first in the cosmos? — unanswered.

“The progenitor is not be the be all end all of it,” Paradise says. “We’re not saying this is God with a capital ‘G.’”

“There’s Just This Air of Mystery About Him”

Starting on Season 3 of “Discovery,” renowned filmmaker David Cronenberg began moonlighting in a recurring role as Dr. Kovich, a shadowy Federation operative whose backstory has been heretofore undisclosed on the show.

“I love the way he plays Kovich,” Paradise says of Cronenberg. “There’s just this air of mystery about him. We’ve always wanted to know more.” When planning Season 5, one of the writers pitched revealing Kovich’s true identity in the (then-season) finale by harkening back to the “Star Trek” show that preceded “Discovery”: “Enterprise,” which ran on UPN from 2001 to 2005.

In the final episode, when Burnham debriefs her experiences with Kovich, she presses him to tell her who he really is. He reintroduces himself as Agent Daniels, a character first introduced on “Enterprise” as a young man (played by Matt Winston) and a Federation operative in the temporal cold war. 

This is, to be sure, a deep cut even for “Star Trek” fans. (Neither Cronenberg nor Martin-Green, for example, understood the reference.) But Paradise says they were laying the groundwork for the reveal from the beginning of the season. “If you watch Season 5 with that in mind, you can see the a little things that we’ve played with along the way,” she says, including Kovich/Daniels’ penchant for anachonistic throwbacks like real paper and neckties.

“I didn’t know that that was going be there,” Martin-Green says. “My whole childhood came back to me.”

“We Always Knew That We Wanted to Somehow Tie That Back Up”

Originally, Season 5 of “Discovery” ends with Burnham and Book talking on the beach outside the wedding of Saru (Doug Jones) and T’Rina (Tara Rosling) before transporting away to their next adventure. But Paradise understood that the episode needed something more conclusive once it became the series finale. The question was what.

There were some significant guardrails around what they could accomplish. The production team had only eight weeks from when Paramout+ and CBS Studios signed off on the epilogue to when they had to shoot it. Fortunately, the bridge set hadn’t been struck yet (though several standing sets already had been). And the budget allowed only for three days of production.

Then there was “Calypso.” 

To fill up the long stretches between the first three seasons of “Discovery,” CBS Studios and Paramount+ greenlit a series of 10 stand-alone episodes, dubbed “Short Treks,” that covered a wide variety of storylines and topics. The second “Short Trek” — titled “Calypso” and co-written by novelist Michael Chabon — first streamed between Season 1 and 2 in November 2018. It focuses on a single character named Craft (Aldis Hodge), who is rescued by the USS Discovery after the starship — and its now-sentient computer system, Zora (Annabelle Wallis) — has sat totally vacant for 1,000 years in the same fixed point in space. How the Discovery got there, and why it was empty for so long, were left to the viewer’s imagination. 

Still, for a show that had only just started its run, “Calypso” had already made a bold promise for “Discovery’s” endgame — one the producers had every intention of keeping.

“We always knew that we wanted to somehow tie that back up,” says Paradise, who joined the writers’ room in Season 2, and became showrunner starting with Season 3. “We never wanted ‘Calypso’ to be the dangling Chad.”

So much so, in fact, that, as the show began winding down production on Season 5, Paradise had started planning to make “Calypso” the central narrative engine for Season 6. 

“The story, nascent as it was, was eventually going to be tying that thread up and connecting ‘Discovery’ back with ‘Calypso,’” she says.

Once having a sixth season was no longer an option, Paradise knew that resolving the “Calypso” question was non-negotiable. “OK, well, we’re not going to have a season to do that,” she says. “So how do we do that elegantly in this very short period of time?”

“I Feel Like It Ends the Way It Needed to End”

Resolving “Calypso” provided the storytelling foundation for the epilogue, but everything else was about giving its characters one final goodbye.

“We want to know what’s happening to Burnham, first and foremost,” Paradise says. “And we knew we wanted to see the cast again.”

For the latter, Paradise and Jarrow devised a conceit that an older Burnham, seated in the captain’s chair on Discovery, imagines herself surrounded by her crew 30 years prior, so she (and the audience) could connect with them one final time. For the former, the makeup team designed prosthetics to age up Martin-Green and Ajala by 30 years — “I think they were tested as they were running on to the set,” Paradise says with a laugh — to illustrate Burnham and Book’s long and happy marriage together.

Most crucially, Paradise cut a few lines of Burnham’s dialogue with Book from the original Season 5 finale and moved it to a conversation she has with her son in the coda. The scene — which evokes the episode’s title, “Life Itself” — serves as both a culminating statement of purpose for “Discovery” and the overarching compassion and humanity of “Star Trek” as a whole.

To reassure her son about his first command of a starship, Burnham recalls when the ancient Progenitor asked what was most meaningful to her. “Do you know how you would answer that question now?” he asks.

“Yeah, just being here,” Burnham replies. “You know, sometimes life itself is meaning enough, how we choose to spend the time that we have, who we spend it with: You, Book, and the family I found in Starfleet, on Discovery.”

Martin-Green relished the opportunity to revisit the character she’s played for seven years when she’s reached the pinnacle of her life and career. “You just get to see this manifestation of legacy in this beautiful way,” she says. “I will also say that I look a lot like my mom, and that was that was also a gift, to be able to see her.”

Shooting the goodbye with the rest of her cast was emotional, unsurprisingly, but it led Martin-Green to an unexpected understanding. “It actually was so charged that it was probably easier that it was only those three days that we knew it was the end, and not the entirety of season,” she says.

Similarly, Paradise says she’s “not sure” what more she would’ve done had there been more time to shoot the coda. “I truly don’t feel like we missed out on something by not having one more day,” she says. “I feel like it ends the way it needed to end.”

Still, getting everything done in just three days was no small feat, either. “I mean, we worked ’round the clock,” Martin-Green says with a deep laugh. “We were delirious by the end — but man, what a way to end it.”

More from Variety

‘talk to me’ directors danny and michael philippou to shoot ‘bring her back’ in australia, how gen ai will change 16 film & tv production jobs: vip+/harrisx survey data, jennifer lawrence starring in ‘real housewives’-inspired murder mystery for apple original films and a24, jeremy o. harris producing, ‘the front room’ trailer: brandy faces off against a deranged mother-in-law in a24 and sam eggers’ horror film, how content spending will grow in the post-peak tv era, a24 raises funding round led by josh kushner’s thrive capital, valuing studio at $3.5 billion, more from our brands, every excuse team biden has used for his nightmare debate, ‘spy kids’ filmmaker asks $8.9 million for a snazzy waterfront home in texas, new york mets introduce $5 food and beverage promotion, the best loofahs and body scrubbers, according to dermatologists, agt video: 9-year-old pranysqa mishra’s ‘golden’ voice leaves heidi klum shaking — watch audition, verify it's you, please log in.

• More to Explore
• Series & Movies

Published Jun 6, 2024

The Infinite Diversity of Star Trek: Discovery's 32nd Century

A guide to the vibrant variety of sentient species we met during our trip through the 32nd Century!

SPOILER WARNING: This article contains story details and plot points for the fifth season of Star Trek: Discovery.

StarTrek.com

The quest for the Progenitors ' life-changing technology came to an astonishing conclusion in Star Trek: Discovery 's series finale, " Life, Itself ," as Captain Michael Burnham decided that such power was too great for any one individual or culture to wield. Since the Progenitors had brought infinite diversity in infinite combinations to the galaxy when they seeded humanoid life throughout the stars, Captain Burnham justifiably believed that the technology's mission had already been fulfilled.

The captain's astute observation was backed up by the vibrant variety of sentient species we met during our trip through the 32nd Century. As our investigation into Discovery 's cultural tapestry begins, we'll focus on some old friends who received more time in the spotlight and the new civilizations which were introduced by the series.

A Kwejian Connection

"The Sanctuary"

Cleveland "Book" Booker's appearance at the moment Michael Burnham arrived in the distant future in "That Hope Is You, Part 1" represented our first contact with the Kwejian, an empathic species capable of communicating with other beings. This fostered a strong connection between the Kwejian and the natural world, as they found great meaning in their planet’s all-encompassing World Root and the heirlooms created from its sap.

Sadly, the Dark Matter Anomaly (DMA) destroyed the Kwejian homeworld in "Kobayashi Maru," leaving Book as one of the last living Kwejian. Despite these hardships, Book continued to cherish the Kwejian way of life by connecting with lifeforms and safeguarding a World Root cutting. The birth of Leto, the son of Book and Burnham, guaranteed that the Kwejian culture would survive into the 33rd Century.

The Betelgeusian Resurgence

"That Hope Is You, Part 1"

Our earliest 32nd encounters also allowed us to meet Cosmo Traitt, an unscrupulous Betelgeusian courier who trafficked in trance worms. First seen among a crowd of U.S.S. Enterprise crew members in Star Trek: The Motion Picture and later glimpsed in Jett Reno's triage unit aboard the U.S.S. Hiawatha in "Brother," the Betelgeusian species finally took center stage… at least until the Emerald Chain chose to vaporize him for permitting his cargo to get stolen.

In " Terra Firma, Part 1 ," we learned that Commander Yor, a Betelgeusian time soldier, had been the only individual known to have traveled forward in time and across from another dimension prior to the Terran Philippa Georgiou accomplished the same feat. Unfortunately, Yor experienced a grisly death as every molecule in his body fought to either go back in time or return to the Kelvin Timeline.

Understanding the Alshain

"Kobayashi Maru"

Ruled by Emperor Lee'U, the Alshain greeted Captain Burnham and Book with skepticism when the Federation offered to provide them with "no strings attached" dilithium in "Kobayashi Maru." With a reverence for monarchs and an apparent aversion to carnivores, the Alshain misunderstood Grudge's presence aboard Book's starship and nearly executed their friendly visitors.

Able to deploy delicate wings and utilize their planet's magnetic fields to navigate, the Alshain were forced to build satellites to help compensate for their world's shifting magnetic poles. Those artificial structures needed dilithium to operate, and Burnham's decision to reactivate the equipment played a significant role in easing tensions. The emperor opted to attend the Federation's emergency conference pertaining to the DMA, even going so far as to voice support for the diplomacy and courtesy Burnham exhibited toward his people.

The Eccentric Akoszonam

Although the Akoszonam only recently made their Star Trek debut in the Short Trek "Children of Mars," Discovery found an Akoszonam named Kanak working as one of Osyraa's Emerald Chain regulators in " There Is A Tide… ." While that individual endured an icy fate when she was launched out into the frozen void, another Akoszonam also perished in grim fashion during the events of "Kobayashi Maru."

Commander Nalas, the anxious officer who oversaw Starfleet's Deep Space Repair Beta Six, taught us the Akoszonam term "squiddled" — their word for "destroyed beyond repair" — and was impressed that President Laira Rillak knew of his homeworld's wondrous Fissure of Jorat. Panic gripped Nalas after the DMA interfered with his station, and he ultimately died in a fiery crash before he could safely reach Discovery 's shuttlebay. 

The Stately Saurian

"All is Possible"

The Saurians made their comeback in the form of Discovery 's own Linus in Season 2, but the presence of a Saurian delegate at the final sessions of the Federation's negotiations to bring Ni'Var back into the fold in " All Is Possible " confirmed that the culture, famous for its Saurian brandy and yet another species introduced via a background character in The Motion Picture , thrived within the government body during the 32nd Century.

And, as an added bonus, we were treated to more run-ins with Linus across the show's last three seasons.

Haz Mazaro's Magic

"All In"

Even though his species was never mentioned by name, the multifaceted proprietor of Haz Mazaro's Karma Barge made quite the impression in "All In." Always prepared with a clever nickname for his customers or a creatively descriptive saying, Haz Mazaro ran a gambling establishment at the front of his business and presided over illicit sales in its back room.

A friend of both Burnham and Book, his facility became a hub for galactic controversy when the captain deduced that her partner would go to Haz to obtain isolynium for Ruon Tarka's unauthorized anti-DMA weapon. Haz's personality displayed an odd blend of extroverted affection and nefarious intentions, but he seemed to genuinely consider Book and Burnham to be his friends.

An Entreaty to Species Ten-C

"Coming Home"

As the designation the Federation assigned to the culture that constructed the DMA, Unknown Species Ten-C did not reflect the highly-advanced civilization's actual name. With their planet having undergone a cataclysm, Species Ten-C relocated to another star system and fabricated an immense hyperfield to maintain their privacy.

Unaware that their DMA caused harm to other sentient life, the Ten-C unleashed it upon the galaxy to mine the boronite necessary to power the field. Captain Burnham and her crew discovered that the Ten-C communicated by emitting hydrocarbons and light patterns to express emotional inflection and context, a revelation that enabled them to convince Species Ten-C to halt the DMA and attempt to clean up the toxic mess it left behind in "Coming Home."

The Kellerun Commander

"Face the Strange"

Before reemerging in Discovery 's " Red Directive ," our sole confrontation with the Kellerun occurred in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine 's " Armageddon Game ." Depicted as centuries long enemies of the T'Lani who engaged in a vicious war involving biomechanical gene disruptors, the Kellerun became so dedicated to peace that they were willing to kill those familiar with how to create the infectious weapon.

By the 32nd Century, Kellerun had suffered under a harsh occupation led by Primarch Tahal of the Breen Imperium . Rayner, the Kellerun who would go on to serve as Discovery 's new Number One, resisted the Breen and witnessed his entire family die on Tahal's orders. Those traumas left unimaginable scars that fostered Rayner's ongoing disdain for the Breen.

A New Day for the Selay

"Jinaal"

If the relationship between the Kellerun and T'Lani seemed extreme, then the Selay and Anticans' violent hijinx in Star Trek: The Next Generation 's " Lonely Among Us " will shock you even more. Though both species petitioned for Federation membership prior to their voyage, the two delegations hunted each other as the U.S.S. Enterprise -D transported them to their conference. The Anticans even took quite the interest in a meal that strongly resembled a missing Selay delegate.

In " Jinaal ," a Selay's attendance at an important meeting within the halls of Federation Headquarters indicated that his government's application had been approved at some point in the previous 800 years.

An Efrosian Archivist

"Labyrinths"

While an Efrosian bridge officer served aboard the U.S.S. Saratoga when Admiral Kirk took his jaunt through time in Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home , the Federation president from Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country stood as Star Trek 's most famous Efrosian until Discovery 's " Labyrinths ."

That installment brought us Hy'Rell, the delightfully chipper and well-read Efrosian archivist who spent her days assisting visitors to the Eternal Gallery and Archive. Eager to share her extensive knowledge and greet all those who came in peace, Hy'Rell nevertheless proved willing to raise the library's shields, threaten to sentence troublemakers to its oubliette, and revoke agitators' access to the station's invaluable collection of cultural treasures.

An Eclectic Committee

"...But to Connect"

We'd be remiss if we didn't at least mention the multitude of unnamed species present throughout Discovery 's third, fourth, and fifth seasons. Most notably, many such cultures dispatched delegates to attend the Federation's DMA conference in "...But to Connect."

From a species which lost countless probes in the DMA to another that liquidated a wealth of latinum to figure out how to get a ship inside the anomaly, this grand assembly showcased the interstellar community's bustling and diverse nature.

Get Updates By Email

Jay Stobie (he/him) is a freelance writer, author, and consultant who has contributed articles to StarTrek.com, Star Trek Explorer, and Star Trek Magazine, as well as to Star Wars Insider and StarWars.com. Learn more about Jay by visiting JayStobie.com or finding him on Twitter, Instagram, and other social media platforms at @StobiesGalaxy.

Star Trek: Discovery Seasons 1-4 are streaming exclusively on Paramount+ in the U.S., the UK, Canada, Switzerland, South Korea, Latin America, Germany, France, Italy, Australia and Austria. Seasons 2 and 3 also are available on the Pluto TV “Star Trek” channel in Switzerland, Germany and Austria. The series streams on Super Drama in Japan, TVNZ in New Zealand, and SkyShowtime in Spain, Portugal, Poland, The Nordics, The Netherlands, and Central and Eastern Europe and also airs on Cosmote TV in Greece. The series is distributed by Paramount Global Content Distribution.

Mike Burnham

In the early 2230s , the Burnham family resided on a starbase . One night, young Michael was afraid of the dark; to calm her fears, Mike told her the story of the girl who made the stars . ( ST : " The Girl Who Made the Stars ")

In 2236 , the three resided on Doctari Alpha , where posing as a xenoanthropologist , he worked as an operative for Section 31 . ( DIS : " Battle at the Binary Stars ", " The Red Angel ", " Perpetual Infinity ")

During that time, they had originally planned a vacation to Mars , but a young Michael begged them to stay three more days to witness a nearby star go supernova . However, during their extended stay, Doctari Alpha was attacked by the Klingons . Michael's father attempted to barricade the kitchen door , while her mother hid Michael in a cabinet . Michael did not witness the deaths of her parents, but she heard everything happen, saying that they killed her father quickly, but took longer with her mother. The Klingons then sat down at the table , ate the dinner the family had prepared, and laughed. ( DIS : " The Vulcan Hello ", " Will You Take My Hand? ")

Mike Burnham was played by Kenric Green , the real-life husband of Sonequa Martin-Green .

Prior to him being named in canon , Sonequa Martin-Green decided that her role of Michael Burnham had been "named after [her] biological father." ( Star Trek Magazine  issue 190 , p. 20)

The novel Desperate Hours calls him "Calvin".

• 1 Daniels (Crewman)
• 2 PRO Season 2
• 3 Star Trek: Prodigy

Celebrating the best of tv, movies, and comics

Star Trek: Discovery ending explained (and major epilogue twists!)

The show that relaunched Star Trek on Paramount+ finishes its run with high action, big reveals, and a lot of hugs

After a five-year run that saw Star Trek introduce its first black female protagonist (and greatest action hero), a new half-sister for Spock; an insanely cool new version of space travel; and, after its second season, a leap 900 years into the future, Paramount+ mainstay Star Trek: Discovery has bid a fond farewell from the final frontier.

The fifth season of the show has involved a season-long series of quests in the service of, well, discovering the whereabouts of the technology from the ancient species known as the Progenitors that was used to create all intelligent life in the universe. Along the way, Burnham and company have also been dealing with a pair of thieves, Moll and L’ak, intent on getting the technology for themselves so that they can trade it for their lives to the scary-masked and massive-warship-driving Breen.

After L’ak is revealed to be the scion of the now-dead Breen Emperor before dying in a misjudged attempt to escape, Moll allies with a Breen Primarch to be the first to get the Progenitor technology, believing it can be used to bring back her boo. But after the Patriarch repeatedly broke his promises, his crew turned on him and allowed Moll herself to take over in the service of resurrecting their Scion.

As it turns out, the technology is not a tool but some kind of gateway, which Moll and Burnham both leap into - leading into a finale filled with action, big decisions, a time jump, and a big reveal about the secret identity of one character.

Warning: This article contains major, major spoilers for Star Trek: Discovery.

What happens in the star trek: discovery finale.

Burnham finds herself in Star Trek’s version of Star Wars’ World Between Worlds , a seemingly endless space in which portals into others worlds lie in every direction - including above and below. After fighting her way out of one such portal, Burnham ends up being attacked by Moll.

When Moll won’t agree to work together, the two battle between amongst and between worlds, in a sort of Inception meets The Matrix meets Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse sequence, before Moll finally agrees to chill and let Burnham help her bring back L’ak, who exists in a pattern recognition buffer Moll carries with her.

Realizing there’s maybe somehow something behind the worlds they’re seeing, Burnham discovers the location of the command panel for the Progenitors’ device. Moll knocks Burnham out (of course) and tries to make the device bring back L’ak. But because she doesn’t really understand how it works, she gets electrocuted instead.

Burnham figures out how to work the device safely and finds herself face to face with a Progenitor, who reveals that having completed all the quests, Burnham can now use this technology any way she sees fit. Believing that this is way too much power to have, Burnham tells the Progenitor she needs some time to figure out what she wants to do with it. She also learns that the Progenitors did not build the device, but found it themselves, its actual origins and creators perhaps thousands of years in the past; why answer a question about lore when you can simply kick it forward some more, after all?

Meanwhile, Discovery under the guidance of Rayner has been battling Moll’s Dreadnaught. Eventually they somehow use the spore drive to throw a lasso of quantum-entangled spores around the Breen and jump them to the galactic barrier, which will take them decades to return from... or something. It's very science . As this is going on, Saru and Commander Nhan work to stop another Breen Dreadnought from arriving at Discovery’s location and starting an all out war. When diplomacy doesn’t work, Saru goes full predator Kelpian and warns the Breen Primarch he has species poised to destroy her bases.

Booker and Hugh are able to rescue Burnham and Moll in a shuttle after Hugh realizes the Trill Jinaal who took over his body earlier in the season left in his memory the exact subspace frequency for their tractor beam to lock onto. They all return to Discovery, where Burnham decides that what the Progenitors created with all of their species is enough and lets the Progenitor's tech get sucked into a black hole.

The present-day story ends with the whole gang at Saru and President T’rina’s wedding, where Booker reveals that his sentence has been commuted. He and Burnham admit they still love each other and decide to be together — with Grudge — “no matter what.”

What happens in the Star Trek: Discovery time jump?

After Saru’s wedding, the episode shifts to what we are told is a “few years” later, but looks to be actually at least a couple decades, as Michael and Book now have a full-grown son, Leto, who is about to get his own command in Starfleet. Burnham is now an admiral, and she and Booker live on Sanctuary Four, the planet in which Book planted that last cutting of the Kwejian World Root that he received in the Archive in 508.

Burnham comes back to the Discovery, which is being retired, sort of? She explains to Zora that they’re going to be leaving her and the ship somewhere in deep space. When Zora wonders why or for how long, Burnham reveals this is a Red Directive. She herself doesn’t know anything but a single word somehow connected to the mission: “Craft.” But she believes Zora will be waiting for whatever is supposed to happen to her for longer than Burnham’s lifetime. (Is this weird? Yes, it is. It is very weird.)

As Burnham sits on the empty bridge, she imagines a reunion with all our old friends, all of them young once again. Then she returns to the present and with a “Let’s fly,” sends Discovery out one last time.

Does anyone die in the Star Trek: Discovery finale?

Nope. Everyone lives happily ever after. Except for Zora. She is abandoned. I get it: story to follow. But it really is very weird.

Does Star Trek: Discovery have any big twists or nods to Star Trek lore?

Oh yes, my friends. A big one.

In the episode’s most fascinating and unexpected moment, Burnham visits the enigmatic Dr. Kovich’s office, and discovers on his shelves such things as Sisko’s baseball, LaForge’s visor, and a bottle of the Picard family wine. Burnham hazards a guess that Kovich is not who he says he is. Kovich admits that in fact he is Agent Daniels, the operative from the 31st century who appears in Star Trek: Enterprise .

Do Michael Burnham and Booker end up together on Star Trek: Discovery?

Yes! At the end of Star Trek: Discovery, the two of them have been happily living alone on a forest preserve planet for decades.

Do Paul and Hugh stay together in the Star Trek: Discovery finale?

Though Drs. Paul Stamets and Hugh Culber have had some ups and downs over the course of Star Trek: Discovery — Paul became the heart of a spore-driven space travel device; Hugh died and was brought back to life — the two have stayed together through thick and thin.

The final season has seen Hugh struggling to deal with the existential mysteries they're confronting and afraid Paul won't be able to handle the questions he’s asking. In the finale these issues come to a head, as Hugh decides he has to go with Book to try and save Burnham because he just knows he’s meant to be there. But Paul relents, and Hugh is indeed inexplcably in just the right place at the right time.

Does Burnham give an inspirational speech in the Star Trek: Discovery finale?

Honestly, she gave three in the flash forward alone, two to her son and one to Zora. Yes, there are many heartfelt moments in the Discovery finale, and Sonequa Martin-Green lands them all with her characteristically warm intensity.

Does Spock return in the Star Trek: Discovery finale?

Given the fact that as of the end of season 2, Star Trek: has taken place in the 32nd century, nearly a thousand years in the future, there aren’t a lot of opportunities for guest stars to show up, because they’re all long since dead. (Sorry.)

And so unfortunately, as lovely as it might have been, the Discovery finale offers no reunion with Spock, or with anyone from the first two seasons.

Are there any other guest stars in the Star Trek: Discovery finale?

As mentioned, the end of the episode has a brief moment in which Burnham imagines herself reunited with all her old friends. All the series regulars and current bridge crew are there, plus Bryce and of course, the 32nd century’s OTP, Owokesun and Detmer.

The reunion is without words, just a lot of hugging. But it’s sweet.

Do Owo and Detmer get together in the Star Trek: Discovery finale?

While Owo and Detmer have long been interpreted as a couple by some (including your humble scribe), nothing has ever been made explicit. The brief glimpse of them in the time jump scene does nothing to either confirm or deny those beliefs, but there is one tantalizing moment of the two of them together telling a story, and it absolutely has the feeling of a couple sharing a funny story of something that happened to them.

Will we see the characters from Star Trek: Discovery again?

While this was the series finale of Star Trek: Discovery, Paramount is currently producing a new show, Star Trek: Starfleet Academy, which focuses on students at Starfleet’s San Francisco-based Academy in the 32nd century. So yes, there's every chance Discovery characters will appear there. (Please sign my Change.org petition for Professor Linus.)

Most speculate Mary Wiseman’s Sylvia Tilly will be anchoring the series, as she works at the Academy—also we're told in the future she becomes its longest running teacher. But as of now the only confirmed cast member is Holly Hunter, who will play the chancellor of the academy.

Space may be the final frontier, but there's no end to Popverse's love of the Star Trek universe. Hop aboard the starship Enterprise with our Star Trek watch order , explore strange new worlds with our upcoming Star Trek TV shows and movies list , seek out the new life of the franchise , and boldly go where no Star TRek film has ever gone before - with Quentin Tarantino ?

ALA Annual 2024

Florida Supercon 2024

Comic-Con International: San Diego

New York Comic Con

Screen Rant

The burn in star trek & how discovery solved the mystery explained.

Your changes have been saved

Email Is sent

Please verify your email address.

You’ve reached your account maximum for followed topics.

Star Trek Discovery Season 3 Ending Explained

Why star trek: discovery season 3 is the show's best yet, i think star trek: discovery season 2 is star trek at its best.

• Star Trek: Discovery's season 3 mystery focuses on the Burn, a disaster that wiped out thousands of Starfleet ships and rendered warp travel a luxury.
• Commander Michael Burnham investigates the Burn's cause, tracing it to Kelpien Su'Kal and his emotional connection to dilithium.
• The USS Discovery's efforts help reinvigorate the United Federation of Planets, reconnecting member worlds and resupplying dilithium for warp-driven starships.

Star Trek: Discovery embraces long-form storytelling with each season focusing on a different mystery to be solved, and in Star Trek: Discovery season 3, the overarching mystery to be solved focuses on the Burn. To thwart Section 31's genocidal A.I., Control, Commander Michael Burnham (Sonequa Martin-Green) guided the USS Discovery to Star Trek 's 32nd century. 930 years in the future, Burnham soon learns that the galaxy had been fundamentally altered nearly a century earlier, when a disaster called the Burn wiped out thousands of Starfleet ships at once. Warp travel, once common, has been rendered a valuable luxury, and the United Federation of Planets seems like a myth.

It's not the future that Commander Burnham expected to find in Star Trek: Discovery season 3. Burnham's confident optimism gets Michael labeled a "true believer" , a mark that's conferred with some derision by courier Cleveland Booker (David Ajala). People of the 32nd century are jaded without warp travel to unite each other. The Orion Emerald Chain fills the void left by the decimated Federation, and hoards the lion's share of the galaxy's dilithium to run their criminal operations. Without immediate answers, Commander Burnham makes it her personal mission to uncover the mystery of the Burn: to find out what exactly the Burn was, who caused it, and whether the effects of the Burn can be reversed.

Star Trek: Discovery season 3 ended with Michael Burnham fighting to save the Federation and the series gets another new paradigm going into season 4.

What Was The Burn In Star Trek: Discovery & What Caused It?

The burn changed the course of star trek's distant future..

As Commander Burnham discovers, the Burn in Star Trek: Discovery was an ecological disaster on a galactic scale that affected all the active dilithium in the galaxy. 125 years earlier, the dilithium in active warp cores was rendered inert almost simultaneously, causing warp core breaches on every active warp-capable starship. Countless lives were lost, and the galaxy was never the same again. As a non-renewable resource, dilithium was already difficult to come by in the 32nd century, and the Burn only complicated the matter. Dilithium reserves were precious, so warp travel was reserved for a privileged few.

The cause of Star Trek: Discovery 's Burn can be traced to one Kelpien, Su'Kal (Bill Irwin), who was the son of Dr. Issa (Hannah Spear), a Kelpien scientist investigating a potential source of dilithium on the planet Theta Zeta in the Verubin Nebula. Su'Kal had been exposed in utero to Theta Zeta's dilithium deposits, which gave Su'Kal an affinity with the planet's natural dilithium environment. Su'Kal's emotions had a resonant effect on dilithium crystals, and the grief Su'Kal felt when his mother died rippled through the galaxy with a cry that destabilized the dilithium crystals in warp engines and caused breaches in every active warp drive.

How USS Discovery Solved The Burn’s Mystery

A kelpien named su'kal was the cause of the burn.

Starfleet was more focused on applying their limited resources to urgent problems instead of investigating the cause of the Burn, but the USS Discovery's Commander Michael Burnham wasn't content to let the mystery of the Burn go. Burnham pursued a solution relentlessly, first exploring the possibility that Ni'Var's experimental warp drive alternative, SB-19, was to blame. After ruling out SB-19, Burnham sought information from the black boxes of vessels that were destroyed in the Burn, and discovered the Burn wasn't instantaneous, as previously thought. Instead, the delays in timing pointed the USS Discovery's crew to the source of the Burn's origin: the Verubin Nebula.

The USS Discovery's spore drive made Discovery uniquely suited to interstellar travel in the 32nd century. Because travel through the mycelial network didn't require warp drive, the USS Discovery didn't need dilithium, and Discovery could go where other starships couldn't.

The mystery of the Burn was solved when Discovery made the jump to the Verubin Nebula to investigate, where Commander Michael Burnham, Captain Saru (Doug Jones), and Dr. Hugh Culber (Wilson Cruz) found Su'Kal surviving alone in a holographic environment inside the KSF Khi'eth. Su'Kal was emotionally damaged after living alone so long, and unwilling to recognize his rescuers as such. Frightened by a holographic monster from Kelpien folklore, Su'Kal's fearful cries resonated in the same way that Su'Kal's grief did a century earlier, and almost caused a second Burn to occur . Su'Kal needed an emotional connection, and Captain Saru reached out to Su'Kal, ensuring the galaxy's safety.

Star Trek: Discovery season 3 represents a massive departure from the show's past, but with high risk comes high reward. Season 3 is Discovery's best.

What Happened To The Federation In Star Trek: Discovery’s Post-Burn Galaxy

"commander burnham, that hope is you.".

One of the greatest casualties after the Burn was the United Federation of Planets itself. Lack of warp drive left member worlds scattered and isolated, so the Federation faded from its former status as a greater political power , thanks to a dwindling supply of dilithium and rapid attrition of membership. With only 38 member worlds remaining, the vulnerable Federation moved its headquarters to a space station, hidden away from enemies like the Emerald Chain. The appearance of the USS Discovery turned out to be a boon to the ailing Federation since Discovery's spore drive increased the Federation's reach in the wake of the Burn.

At least 2 Federation founding members withdrew their membership. Earth reinforced defensive, xenophobic policies, preferring to remain isolated. The Vulcan homeworld was renamed Ni'Var to represent the combined population of Vulcans and Romulans, and also left the Federation.

The USS Discovery was instrumental in reinvigorating the United Federation of Planets by recreating connections between member worlds that had long gone stale. Visits to Earth and Trill brought the Discovery crew's brand of 23rd-century optimism to lapsed Federation members , igniting a new hope for the future that other member worlds could be brought back into the Federation's fold. The dilithium nursery on Theta Zeta resupplied Starfleet's warp-driven starships for the foreseeable future, while alternatives to warp drive gained serious traction. The devastation of the Burn in Star Trek: Discovery couldn't be reversed, but it could be repaired, thanks to the USS Discovery.

Star Trek: Discovery

*Availability in US

Not available

The Star Trek: Discovery Episode That Was 'Painful' For Sonequa Martin-Green

I n the "Star Trek: Discovery" episode "Face the Strange," Michael Burnham (Sonequa Martin-Green) becomes inexplicably unstuck in time. First, she is thrown from the 32nd century back to the 23rd century events of "Such Sweet Sorrow Part 2," when the USS Discovery was embroiled in a deadly battle with a malevolent machine intelligence called Control. Then she's thrown even further back, to when the USS Discovery was first being built. Then forward again, to the "Sweet Sorrow" battle. It's all very confusing. 

Burnham and a fellow time-stranded coworker, Reyner (Callum Kieth Rennie) , eventually find that the Discovery is infected by a bug called a Krenim chronophage that essentially eats time. Its machinations have snared the Discovery in a time tangle, leaving it distracted and unable to move while some weapons-seeking bad guys flee the ship's righteous investigations. Burnham and Reyner keep merrily skipping about in time. They skip ahead to when the Federation was seen destroyed, and then, just as quickly, to the events of the first season of "Discovery." 

About two thirds of the way through the episode, Burnham accidentally runs into the younger version of herself, when she was still angrier and more impulsive. The younger Burnham suspects that her future self is a shape-shifting spy, and the two get into a fistfight. The older Burnham eventually knocks out the younger Burnham, saying to her that everything looks hopeless now, but that everything will eventually improve. 

In an interview with TrekCore , Martin-Green admitted that filming "Face the Strange" was difficult for her. Not just because she had to act opposite herself, but because she had forgotten how far her character had come since the show's inaugural season in 2017. She came a long way, baby.

Read more: 12 Reasons Why The Original Series Is The Best Star Trek Show

Sonequa Martin-Green Said The Fight Was Thrilling, But She Was Apprehensive About It

The emotions on "Discovery" always ran hot. Because the title ship was almost always in high-crisis mode, most of the characters were frequently in a panic, facing some new cataclysm, battle, or emotional roller coaster that they were ill-equipped to process. Eventually, the characters began weeping openly, happy to have familiar faces to work with and facing their day-to-day problems with the trauma of a soldiers' battalion . Burnham began the series as insecure, intellectual, and unable to handle emotions (she was raised by Vulcans). She was unable to modulate her feelings for years. It wouldn't be until the show's more recent seasons that she would find a way to balance her feelings and keep them in check. 

About that arc and filming the episode with the character's younger self, Martin-Green said: 

"It was hard, because I had forgotten how far Burnham had come! I lived it, I created it, but I was so consumed with what was going on in the present day for Burnham that when I was able to see where I had come from -- when I had to step into that Season 1 version again -- I was apprehensive about it. It was thrilling to do, but man, what a painful place Burnham used to be in: striving for approval, not having any real sense of self-worth or security, feeling like I needed someone to tell me that I was worthy and that it was okay, and forgive me for my moral mistakes."

As soon as she was back in the old Discovery uniform (the deep blue one seen above), a lot of her old character traits emerged. Martin-Green felt deeply for the struggles her past-character was going through.

Burnham's Powerful Journey Over Time

One should also recall that "Discovery" began in a flurry of violence. One of Burnham's very first actions on the series was to knock out her commanding officer in an attempt to prevent a war outbreak with the Klingon Empire. She is unsuccessful, however, and war breaks out. She's also arrested for attacking her captain and will likely be court-martialed. It was only then that she would be transferred to the USS Discovery and undergo a new series of bleak adventures that involved an outsize tardigrade, a jaunt to a parallel universe, and a romance with a mind-wiped Klingon secret agent.

When she had to play a younger Michael Burnham again, Martin-Green was reminded of all that history and of the complex emotions her character experienced. She said:

"Thank you, Jesus, for letting me tell that story, because we need to see that ... but it was painful. So it blessed and inspired me to be able to say to myself, 'Man, I forgot how hopeless this time was. Just keep going!' If only we could all get an opportunity to say that to ourselves, right? Each character could have that same conversation with their Season 1 selves ... 'There's hope ahead of you, keep going and don't give up.'" 

This was the advice Burnham got to give to her younger self. Although, perhaps to pay tribute to the show's violence, it had to be given after young Burnham was knocked unconscious. By the fifth season of "Discovery," the series took on a more adventurous tone, and Burnham committed far fewer murders. It really is excellent growth. 

If you're looking for the easiest way to keep up with all the major movie and TV news, why not sign up to our free newsletter ?

Read the original article on SlashFilm .