Summary
Star Trek: Discovery’s unique protagonist and premise are a source of immense critical acclaim for the franchise. However, one fan has taken to critiquing one of the major points of the protagonist’s characterization to understand the series better.
Star Trek: Discoveryfeatures one of the franchise’s most interesting protagonists in Sonequa Martin-Green’s Michael Burnham, Starfleet’s first mutineer and the most drastic example of character redemption thatStar Trekoffers. After letting her emotions and concern for her compatriots get the best of her, Burnham finds herself being let off of a crushing life sentence to serve in active duty once again–but the disdain and vitriol from her contemporaries don’t go anywhere. This dynamic and Burnham’s struggle to redeem herself are the driving forces behind some ofStar Trek: Discovery’s best episodes.
While manyStar Trek: Discoveryfans accepted this overwhelmingly negative attitude towards the protagonist as part of the hurdles toMichael Burnham’s eventual ascension to the rank of Captain, one fan had a bone to pick with the writer’s choice here. Reddit userNatAwsom1138took to the platform’s r/startrek board to query his confusion in a post titled “What exactly do people blame Michael Burnham for in Discovery season 1?” In the post, the user notes that they are rewatching the series and states that everyone in the Federation and Starfleet seemingly blames Burnham’s mutiny for the tragic losses from the Klingon war. As NatAwsom1138 sees it, the only issue is that Burnham’s mutiny is not responsible, as it completely failed.
OtherStar Trek: Discoveryfans quickly pointed out the severity of her mutiny, assault of a superior officer, and murder of a guard before open hostilities kicked off, and how her overly emotional actions could be seen in an ominous light by others. These two things, taken together, create a fertile situation for Burnham to get all the hate and animosity she does, made all the more poignant by her only serving half a year of what was meant to be a life sentence. While these actions did not lead to the start of the war, Burnham made herself a pretty convenient scapegoat for the pain people felt at the resulting war. This is a conclusion that NatAwsom1138 assents to in an edit, noting an in-universe acknowledgment of the nature of the blame.
WhileStar Trek: Discovery’s new status quo was perfect for the series' second half, the hatred for Burnham is an unavoidable part of the first season’s emotional core, and a lack of proper understanding could easily make suspension of disbelief that much harder. While the writers could have been a bit more intentional with the commentary that clarifies things, as NatAwsom1138 notes the first mention of this comes from a passing comment in episode five, and even Burnham herself seems convinced she’s to blame for the war, at times. Understood for what it’s meant to be, this is a good state of affairs, but that understanding might not be forthcoming for many first-time viewers.
While there were some issues with the writing inDiscoveryat times, and the series was a big driver fordifferences between the older and newerStar Trekshows, on the whole,Discoveryhas made a positive mark in the minds of fans. With the final season expected to air this year, fans might find themselves missing the characters and plotlines from the show more than they expect.
Star Trek: Discoveryis available for streaming on Paramount Plus
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.
