Michael Burnham
Michael Burnham, Jr. was a female 23rd century Human Starfleet officer raised on  by Ambassador Sarek and Amanda Grayson following the death of her parents.

As a commander, she served as the first officer aboard the  in 2256, under Captain Philippa Georgiou, with whom she had served since 2249. () In 2256, she was stripped of rank and sentenced to life imprisonment for mutiny, but she gained a second chance when she was assigned to the  as a specialist. ()

After the Battle at Pahvo, Discovery was "accidentally" transported to the mirror universe, eventually forcing Burnham to impersonate , who had been captain of the  prior to her presumed death, taking Captain , supposedly impersonating his own mirror counterpart, as a prisoner to the Emperor – as it turned out, the mirror  – while searching for information on the . However, after meeting Georgiou, Burnham realized that Lorca was his mirror universe counterpart and that she had been serving under an impostor. After warning Discovery of this, Burnham and Georgiou fought Lorca and defeated him, in the process destroying the  and enabling Discovery to return to the prime universe, Georgiou in tow. However, difficulties with navigating the mycelial network caused Discovery to emerge at the wrong point in the timestream, at a time when the Federation was on the verge of defeat. ()

With no option left, Starfleet assigned Georgiou to command Discovery and ordered her to plant a hydro bomb on Qo'noS; however, Burnham refused to abandon her principles again and prevented Georgiou from activating the bomb, instead using it to force a truce with the Klingons. For her role in ending the war, Burnham was pardoned and her rank restored; in addition, she was awarded the Starfleet Medal of Honor. ()

Early life 

Burnham was born on Earth, in 2226. () She was named after her father, Mike Burnham.

In the early 2230s, Burnham and her parents resided on a space station. The isolation of the location lead to bad dreams involving a shadow. One night, to calm her and help her to conquer her fears, her father told her the legend of the girl who made the stars. ()

In 2236, Burnham's parents, Gabrielle and Mike Burnham, were stationed on Doctari Alpha; where, unknown to her at the time, they were working on a top secret project for Section 31 – a project to create a suit capable of time travel. A young Section 31 operative, Leland acquired a time crystal for the project, which was given to the lead researchers on the projects, the Burnhams. However, the Klingons tracked the crystal to Doctari Alpha. ()

The Burnhams originally planned a vacation to Mars, but they stayed three more days to wait for a nearby star, Alpha Lupi, to go supernova. The explosion would provide enough energy for the crystal, and they'd then be able to test the Red Angel suit. The young Burnham thought it was her begging which made the family stay longer so she could witness the star going nova. ()

Just as the family was sitting down to dinner, Burnham saw a light through a telescope – a light that turned out to be the Klingons attacking the outpost. Mike Burnham attempted to barricade the kitchen door, while Gabrielle hid Michael in a cabinet. Mike was slain by the Klingons, but Gabrielle was able to escape, using the Red Angel suit to travel forward in time. Burnham did not witness the events, but she heard everything happen, or at least she thought she had. She claimed that the Klingons killed her father quickly, but took longer with her mother, whom she believed to have died as well. The attackers then sat down at Burnham's family table and ate the dinner the family had prepared and laughed. ()

Life on Vulcan 

Michael was then raised on Vulcan by Sarek and Amanda Grayson and was the first Human to ever attend the Vulcan Learning Center. She initially struggled to adapt, having to recall the events of her parents' death in a series of questions posed by the Center. At one point she was crying alone because the Vulcan children had rejected her. Sarek assured her that when emotion brought her ghosts from the past, only logic could root her in the present. A young Burnham suggested that she learn Vulcan, but Sarek told her it was her Human heart, not her Human tongue that was the problem. ()

Shortly after she arrived on Vulcan, Burnham was targeted by Vulcan logic extremists who believed that Humans were a threat to their logical civilization and who launched an attack on the Learning Center. The bombing left Burnham physically dead for three minutes, forcing Sarek to initiate a mind meld with her in order to revive her. As a result of this, a portion of Sarek's katra remained inside her mind, which later allowed him to communicate with her across interstellar distances and the two to shared physical sensations such as pain. ()

After this incident, Burnham, believing that her presence put the family in danger, attempted to run away from home. Using the Red Angel suit, her mother appeared to Spock from the future, and helped him to locate his runaway foster sister, showing him a vision of an alternate timeline in which Burnham died from an attack by a vicious predatory animal. Sarek and the authorities found Burnham at Vulcan's Forge, thus saving her from being killed by the animal. ()

Early in handling the loss of her parents, Burnham would sometimes run away to the Cliffs of Surak and stare out at the view of Lake Yuron. ()

During her childhood, her foster mother often read to Michael and to her biological son, Spock, particularly Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. Even as an adult, Michael still owned a physical copy of this book, which was a gift from Amanda. ()

On Burnham's tenth birthday, she and Amanda visited the seventh moon of Eridani D to attend a book exchange, an ancient Human ritual. ()

On her eleventh birthday, Burnham read Alice in Wonderland out loud to herself, pretending to read it to her deceased parents. ()

The Vulcan Science Academy and Expeditionary Group 

In 2245, Burnham began attending the Vulcan Science Academy, where she studied quantum physics. She graduated four years later at the top of her class and was a recipient of the Vulcan Scientific Legion of Honor. ()

After her graduation, Burnham applied to join the Vulcan Expeditionary Group. Unbeknownst to Burnham, the Group rejected her application on the basis of Burnham being Human, and forced Sarek to choose between allowing Michael to join now, or allowing Spock – who was half-Human – to join in the future. After reluctantly choosing Spock over Michael, Sarek hid the truth out of personal shame and reported her rejection as being a result of her "insufficient" abilities. This led Burnham to believe that it was her weaknesses that resulted in the decision and that Sarek was wrong to believe in her – a sentiment her foster mother dismissed. Sarek's shame ultimately only grew when, eventually, Spock unexpectedly chose to join Starfleet instead of the Expeditionary Group, rendering Sarek's sacrifice of Michael's Vulcan career pointless. ()

Starfleet career

USS Shenzhou 

Sarek sought to find Burnham a place where she could thrive and approached Captain Philippa Georgiou to give his ward an opportunity in Starfleet. Burnham, therefore, joined the service and was assigned to the Shenzhou under the command of Georgiou in 2249, at the age of 23. Serving as a xenoanthropologist, she eventually rose to the rank of commander, and by 2256, had become Georgiou's first officer. ()

Just prior to the Battle of the Binary Stars, Burnham was charged with mutiny after incapacitating Captain Georgiou and taking command of the Shenzhou, preparing to attack the Klingons by firing on them first. She subsequently pleaded guilty to these charges during a court martial, and was stripped of rank and sentenced to life in prison. () She thus became the first and only officer ever convicted of mutiny in the history of Starfleet to that date.

USS Discovery

The Federation-Klingon War 
After serving six months in prison, Burnham was transported via shuttlecraft to another facility at Tellun. The shuttle transporting them was disabled, but she and three other prisoners were rescued by the USS Discovery. Following orders by Captain , she participated in a boarding party aboard the . Lorca then offered her a berth aboard Discovery, assuring her that her life sentence would not be a problem. Burnham began sharing quarters with Sylvia Tilly. ()

Burnham was reassigned from the command division to the sciences division and allowed to wear a Starfleet uniform again, albeit without any rank or other insignia. Lorca assigned her to work on the , which had been captured aboard the Glenn. Burnham named the creature "Ripper" because of its strength and ability to damage even a starship's tritanium hull. In collaboration with Tilly and Paul Stamets, she discovered the tardigrade's connection to the mycelial network, which enabled the full utilization of the spore drive in order to stop the Klingon attack on Corvan II. ()

In the following weeks, the Discovery used the spore drive several times; Burnham grew concerned with the effects of this usage on the tardigrade, which became weaker and seemed to be at great discomfort when utilized for the drive. After voicing her concerns to acting captain Saru, she was confined to quarters by him. Following the successful mission to rescue Captain Lorca, she and Tilly released the tardigrade into space, where it regained its strength and traveled away. ()

After recovering Sarek from an assassination attempt by the same extremists who had targeted her as a young girl, Burnham was offered a position as bridge science specialist by Lorca, which she accepted. In the process, Burnham learned the truth about her rejection by the Expeditionary Group – Sarek had chosen to enable Spock to serve with the Group instead (although Spock had turned down that offer). ()

Burnham then assisted Stamets in stopping Harry Mudd from stealing the Discovery and selling it to the Klingons. Burnham, Lorca, and Tyler then turned Mudd over to his fiance, Stella Grimes and . During this time, she and Tyler developed feelings for each other. ()

Burnham then went with Tyler and Saru to Pahvo. There, they hoped to use a crystal structure to act as a SONAR in order to detect cloaked Klingon ships. During this time, Burnham noticed that Saru had become fearless after making first contact with the Pahvans. However, he had become hostile toward her and Tyler. Burnham was then able to convince the Pahvans to withdraw their influence over him and allow to complete their mission. Burnham was successful and the three of them returned to Discovery. ()

The mirror universe 
Following the Battle at Pahvo and the subsequent deception by , the Discovery found itself stranded in the mirror universe. Burnham took the place of her , long assumed to be dead, in an attempt to find a way home. While in command of the , she was ordered to hunt down Gabriel Lorca, who was attempting a coup against the emperor. Her shuttlecraft was destroyed during this operation and she was presumed dead. Burnham was forced to disguise herself as her Terran counterpart on the Shenzhou in order to retrieve the data files on the   to uncover how it crossed into the mirror universe's past. Burnham and Lorca play the part of their Terran selves. Ensign Connor, who is now Captain Connor, attempts to kill Burnham in an attempt to maintain his new position, but fails. The crew of the Shenzhou applauds Burnham for her killing as she takes the captain's chair. Later, Burnham appears exhausted keeping up the act and goes to her quarters where she and Tyler, who joined Burnham as her personal bodyguard, have sex. ()

Burnham becomes increasingly agitated with her facade as mirror Burnham, and questions how long someone can keep a facade up until they actually become something they initially were not. She was alarmed by mirror Saru, who was a nameless slave in this universe, and decided to name him Saru in honor of her friend. Mirror Saru was shocked by her friendly gesture.

Burnham was tasked to destroy a rebel base on the planet Harlak. Instead, she and Tyler opted to form a secret alliance with the Vulcans, Klingons, Andorians, and Tellarites, who opposed the Terran Empire. Voq appeared, the mirror universe counterpart of the Klingon she fought at the Binary Stars, and asked Mirror Sarek, known as The Prophet, to mind meld with Burnham to see if her intentions were pure. Mirror Sarek was taken aback by Burnham's memories and concluded she was a compassionate person who meant them no harm. Burnham became curious of Voq's ability to forge alliances with other alien races in order to find the solution to the Klingon war in her universe. Voq's explanation triggered Tyler, who spoke in Klingon and attacked Voq. Burnham convinces mirror Voq to spare Tyler's life. When Burnham and Tyler returnws to the Shenzhou, having faked the attack, she confronted Tyler. Tyler admitted that he didn't think he was actually Ash Tyler. It became apparent that Tyler was actually Voq and that speaking with mirror Voq set off his true nature, having been brought on the Discovery originally as a sleeper agent. Burnham was confused, but then realized that Tyler was the one she fought at the Binary Stars. Tyler, now mentally fully turned into Voq, attempted to kill her. Burnham was unable to defend herself, and mirror Saru arrived and attacked Tyler, saving her. Burnham faked Tyler's execution, actually transporting him to the Discovery together with the files from the Defiant, where he is held captive. Later, Burnham was dismayed to learn her falsities at Harlak had been uncovered by the silent emperor, who turned out to be her former captain Philippa Georgiou's mirror version. ()

Burnham and Lorca were transported to the ISS Charon, as the revelation that Georgiou was the emperor weighed down on her, making her feel the situation was a reckoning for her betrayal of her own Georgiou. Lorca refused to bow to Georgiou, and was taken to an agony booth. Georgiou suspected Burnham of deception, and holding a knife to her neck asked why she came there, revealing she was aware that she conspired to kill her and take her throne with Lorca. Burnham was left shocked by this revelation of her mirror counterpart's betrayal as well. When she referred to the emperor as "Philippa", she was outraged, as she would normally have referred to her as "mother". Later, Burnham revealed prior to her execution that she was from another universe, using prime Georgiou's insignia as proof. Emperor Georgiou agreed to make a deal with Burnham to exchange the spore drive technology in exchange for her freedom to go home. Later, Burnham learned more about her mirror counterpart's history. In this universe, due to Terran supremacy, rather than Sarek and Amanda raising Michael after her parents were killed, Emperor Philippa Georgiou did instead. However, mirror Burnham's quest to hunt down Lorca appeared to be a ruse, as she was conspiring against her own adoptive mother to kill her and take her throne with Lorca, who mirror Burnham once viewed as a father figure, until she grew up and it became romantic. Georgiou told Burnham about Lorca planning to "cross time and space itself to take what was rightfully his" and Burnham put the pieces together, along with Georgiou's sensitivity to light (the single biological difference between the Terrans and humans), that Lorca was from the mirror universe and their crossing over was not an accident. ()

Burnham worked out a plan to deliver Georgiou to Lorca in the same way she planned. Burnham told Lorca that she would stay in exchange for Discoverys safe passage home, but it was a ruse, as Georgiou and Burnham began attacking and killing Lorca's men. Eventually, Burnham got the upper hand on Lorca with a phaser, telling him that they would've helped him get home, because that's who Starfleet was, and that was who she was, which was why she wouldn't kill him. Georgiou, however, killed him instead. She then allowed Burnham to go back home, with her reign as emperor gone given Lorca's rebellion, deciding to die killing Lorca's men. However, Burnham saved Georgiou at the last minute, holding onto her, as they were transported back to the Discovery and into the prime universe. ()

End of the war 
The Discovery jumped nine months ahead in 2257, with the Federation suffering significant losses in the war with the Klingons. Burnham revealed to Admiral Cornwell and Sarek about the arrival of their guest, Emperor Georgiou. Burnham asked Cornwell to give Emperor Georgiou political asylum, feeling sympathy for her, despite not being her Georgiou. Later, Tilly convinced Burnham to confront Ash, who was now fully recovered with dual memories, feeling deep remorse for Voq's actions. Sarek told her not to regret loving someone, encouraging her further. Burnham ultimately ended their relationship. Ash begged her, saying he couldn't make it without her, but Burnham explained she was lost after the battle of the binary stars, and having to reclaim life was punishing and solitary. ()

Emperor Georgiou posed as Prime Georgiou, enlisted by Starfleet to end the war, however she saw fit, in exchange for her freedom. Burnham, Tilly, and Tyler accompanied her to Qo'nos. Ultimately, Burnham was forced to stop Georgiou's genocidal attack on the Klingon home planet, outraged at Cornwell and Starfleet for enabling the act. Burnham manipulated Georgiou to give her the explosive device by telling her that if she didn't, she would have to watch her daughter die again. Georgiou reluctantly agreed and walked off to her freedom. Burnham offered L'Rell a peace treaty, to call off the Klingons' planned invasion on Earth in exchange for the device as a measure of peace and diplomacy in order to end the war. Ash reassuree a reluctant L'Rell to take charge. After the incident, Burnham's act of diplomacy in finishing the war ended with her, and many of the Discovery crew, decorated by Starfleet with the Medal of Honor for their heroic actions. Burnham was fully reinstated as a commander in Starfleet, her record was expunged, she was pardoned by the Federation President, and she became the chief science officer for the Discovery. Burnham and Tyler decided to go their separate ways, Tyler planning to find a union between Humans and Klingons with L'Rell, and Burnham back aboard Discovery. On their course to Vulcan to pick up the new Discovery captain, they received a transmission from Captain Christopher Pike of the USS Enterprise. ()

The red bursts

En route to Vulcan, the Discovery stopped to assist the USS Enterprise, which had experienced a ship-wide systems failure. Burnham was disappointed to learn from Captain Christopher Pike that her foster brother was not on board the ship, and was worried that she would not have an opportunity to patch things up with him. With the approval of Captain Pike, she went to her brother's quarters to find that he had been keeping track of the red bursts and that this might have something to do with his current condition. ()

Burnham later helped cure a mentally-disabled Spock by taking him to Talos IV, where the Talosian Keeper and his people were able to cure Spock in exchange for the memory of the start of the conflict between Spock and Burnham. ()

Learning that Section 31's Control was seeking to evolve so that it could become sentient and wipe out all sentient life in the galaxy, Spock helped Burnham temporarily trap The Red Angel in the 23rd century before she was pulled back in to the future. After Burnham's mother was pulled back to the 32nd century Spock and Burnham began to repair their relationship. ()

Determining that Discovery held data that Control was looking for in order to evolve, Burnham helped take Discovery into the 32nd century. When Spock was unable to accompany them, she advised her foster brother that there was a galaxy full of people looking to reach out to him, and that he should seek the person furthest from him for guidance. After defeating Control, Burnham and the rest of the Discovery crew jumped 930 years into the future to not allow Control to be able to return. ()

The 32nd century

Arrival
Arriving through the wormhole in the year 3188, Burnham crashed into Cleveland Booker's ship. Both Booker and Burnham crashed on the planet Hima. An uneasy alliance was formed between the two. She learned that the United Federation of Planets had mostly been dissolved because of an event called The Burn which destroyed most of the galaxy's dilithium and killed many people. Booker took her to Requiem a large city on the planet, where she was captured and interrogated by Andorian-Orion authorities. The two were chased around the planet by them using portable transporters. The two reached Booker's ship where he revealed his cargo to Burnham, a trance worm named . After escaping the authorities Burnham accompanied Booker to Sanctuary Four to deliver Molly. Booker then took her to meet Aditya Sahil at a Federation relay station. The two discussed the situation and both agreed to find the Discovery and her crew and help reform the Federation. ()

Burnham became a courier and, along with Booker, tracked down what information she could about The Burn and the whereabouts of Starfleet and the Federation. She made many connections and had gone through some changes personally while she waited for Discovery to come through the wormhole. ()

Back aboard Discovery

A year later, Burnham came across the Discovery as the crew was attempting to get the ship out of parasitic ice so they could leave the planet. Burnham's ship used a tractor beam to lift Discovery off the surface. Burnham contacted the ship to tell them she had waited a year for them to arrive and that she had finally found them. ()

Upon arriving back on Discovery, she was greeted by the crew. They all hugged her and shared a moment with her. Burnham explained what had happened in the last 930 years. Burnham shares a moment with Tilly where she admits that things have changed for her during her time apart from the crew. Following a message from a Starfleet admiral sent twelve years prior, Burnham and the crew head to Earth where they encountered the United Earth Defense Force, after a confrontation, the members of the EDF beamed on board to investigate the ship. When a raider known as Wen showed up, Burnham and Booker took it upon themselves to take the ship's dilithium and distract Wen. The plan worked and Burnham and Booker beamed back to Discovery with Wen and got him, Captain Saru, and Captain Ndoye to speak. After some tension, Wen and Ndoye agree to halt hostilities and share resources. Burnham stayed on Discovery as first officer to Saru. Later, the two learned through Paul Stamnets that the Earth Defense officer known as Adira was the host for a Trill symbiont named Tal, which was the admiral that sent the message twelve years prior, but Adira was having trouble accessing the memories of the previous host so they set out for answers. ()

Burnham went with Adira to  so Adira could reconnect with the memories of the Tal symbiont's previous hosts, but after the Trill s saw Adira and realized they were Human, they confronted them for being a non Trill host and questioned the Federation. As Burnham and Adira walked away from the meeting, they were ambushed so the Tal symbiont could be retrieved, but Burnham protected Adira and dealt with the attackers. At that moment, Guardian Xi approached and offered to guide them. He took them to the Caves of Mak'ala where Adira could heal their lost connection with the previous hosts by entering the sacred pools, however, after being in the water for a while, her life signs began to drop and Burnham had to dive in to help. They both experienced the memories of when Gray Tal (the previous host and Adira's boyfriend) became joined and later died, passing the symbiont on to Adira. Burnham convinced Adira to face these memories because this would fully join them and that way Starfleet could get the message that Sena Tal had for them. After the ritual was finally complete the Trill apologized for their prior behavior and told Michael that when the time was right they might join the Federation again. Michael and Adira then went back to Discovery where the two shared a moment in Adira's quarters as they played cello. After finishing, Adira told Michael that they knew the coordinates for the Federation Headquarters. ()

Captain of Discovery

After the Discovery was captured by the Emerald Chain, Burnham helped retake the ship from the Chain's leader, Osyraa. Afterwards, Saru suggested Michael became the new captain of Discovery and temporarily left to take his fellow Kelpian Su'kal back home for the first time since Su'kal was a child. In his absence, Admiral Charles Vance promoted Burnham to Captain and named her the CO of the Discovery, realizing that Burnham was just the kind of officer needed to heal the Federation. ()

Alternate timelines and realities 
According to Gabrielle Burnham, she witnessed hundreds of versions of her daughter's death during her time traveling efforts to stop Control. ()

In one alternate timeline, Burnham was killed by a creature in Vulcan's Forge after running away from home. Gabrielle, as the Red Angel, warned a young Spock who alerted Sarek and Amanda Grayson who came to Burnham's rescue just in time. ()

Relationships 

After returning a Akaali lalogi orb to its owner in 3190, Burnham found herself thinking a lot about family, friendships, and connections, and the impact the past had on her present. It inspired her to create a similar family tree to model those that had shaped her life. After surviving a near-death experience alongside Zora, Burnham added more of her present friendships from the Discovery crew to her tree, and inspired Zora to do the same. ()

Friendships

Philippa Georgiou 

Burnham and Philippa Georgiou had almost a mother–daughter relationship; after taking on Burnham as a member of her crew, Georgiou decided to take a chance on Burnham and made her first officer. From their first encounter, Philippa boosted Michael's self-esteem, telling her that her confidence was justified, much to Michael's shock and complimenting her back. Over the course of seven years, they developed an extremely close relationship. Georgiou grew to trust Burnham, and while exploring with her in 2256, said she trusted her with her life. ()

Georgiou once took Burnham to her home city of Pulau Langkawi, Malaysia, to see the beautiful beaches. ()

On a relatively primitive planet, the duo opened a well, and enabled the planet's residents to survive a coming eighty-nine-year drought. ()

Burnham warned Georgiou of her encounter with a Klingon, and with hesitation, Georgiou believed her and locked weaponry on the object. Starfleet ordered the Shenzhou to wait until reinforcements arrived. When Burnham recommended firing first against the Klingons, Georgiou refused. Burnham disabled Georgiou with a Vulcan nerve pinch and took command of the ship, ordering an attack on the Klingon vessel. Georgiou recovered in time to stop the attack. ()

Georgiou arrested and imprisoned Burnham for mutiny. However, Burnham escaped the brig after telepathic encouragement from Sarek, and convinced Georgiou to take T'Kuvma hostage, instead of making him a martyr. Georgiou told Burnham she worried that one day her Vulcan upbringing would cloud her Human side, and was disappointed to learn that she had such an ego to believe she could rip the Vulcan shell away from Burnham. Burnham retorted that she turned against her because she believed it was the only viable option to avoid a full scale war, and to save her life as well as the crew's, which was worth going against Starfleet's principles. Georgiou did not respond to her justification, but agreed to go with her plan to infiltrate the ship together, rather than Burnham alone as she originally suggested, indicating Georgiou had not given up on her.

Using an explosive sent to T'Kuvma's ship with a Klingon corpse as a distraction, the duo boarded the ship and attacked. Burnham fought off Voq, but Georgiou was killed during the Battle of the Binary Stars, by T'Kuvma. A moment later, Burnham shot T'Kuvma and made a martyr of him. Burnham was distraught, weeping at the loss of her friend and captain, and becoming consumed with grief. Following Georgiou's death, Burnham felt she was responsible for the death of her captain and friend, completely guilt-ridden. ()

Six months after Georgiou's death, Burnham received Georgiou's will, in which Georgiou had left Burnham her most prized possession, a telescope handed down through her family for centuries. In her will, Georgiou said she was proud of Burnham as if she were her own daughter. () However, Burnham felt undeserving of the possession, believing herself to be guilty of Georgiou's death, so she gave the telescope to Saru instead. ()

Burnham felt having to face Georgiou's , the emperor, was a reckoning for her betrayal. She remained feeling extremely guilty for having went against her captain's wishes. After revealing her true identity, Burnham told Emperor Georgiou that their bond seemed to cross universes, as Burnham and Georgiou's mother/daughter-like bond is a literal mother/daughter bond in the mirror universe. () Burnham's guilt over her captain's death led her to declare she would not let Emperor Georgiou die, no matter how cruel or ruthless she is. () When she returned to the prime universe with Georgiou, having kept her promise, she admitted she wanted to show her a place of morality and hope. Mirror Georgiou told her that she wished to save her because she couldn't save her own Georgiou and that it weakens her, to which Michael responded, "Well, I feel it every day of my life". ()

Sarek 
Sarek and Burnham had a father-daughter relationship due to the fact that, after her parents were killed, Sarek took Burnham as his ward. Afterward, he helped her countless times whenever her judgment was clouded by her Human emotions. ()

Saru 

Burnham served with Saru aboard the Shenzhou, though they were meanwhile in near-constant disagreement in how to read and approach situations. Georgiou noted their rare agreement for once. () Even after Burnham's mutiny, which came as a surprise to Saru, he still considered Burnham a valuable asset and the smartest officer in Starfleet, but he was now afraid of her and considered her very dangerous. ()

Burnham reported to Saru that every jump the ship made with the spore drive was negatively impacting Ripper. Saru dismissed this, while she warned that she was unsure of how many jumps the tardigrade could sustain. Later, Saru confronted Burnham upon discovering Stamets had taken the spore drive offline. Tilly, Stamets, and Burnham were looking for compatible DNA sequences, as Burnham said they could use a Human host. Saru noted that he told her to stand down earlier and she disobeyed another order. Burnham said she knew his Kelpien culture made him alert of enemies but assured him she wasn't one of them. Saru angrily fired back that she wasn't an enemy, but a predator, leaving Michael hurt. He told her that saving Ripper would not bring back nor change the fact that her behavior was exactly the kind that led to the death of Georgiou.

Burnham later asked Saru whether he was afraid of her. Saru said he was angry and jealous that he never had the chance to be the first officer under Georgiou and learn everything she had to teach. He anticipated that Burnham would get her own command and he would move up, but he never got that chance. He believed that if he had, he would have been more prepared for the events of today. Burnham assured Saru that he did very well and that Captain Georgiou would have thought so, as well. Burnham then went under her bed to get Captain Georgiou's telescope and told Saru that it is his now. Saru then told Burnham to save Ripper. ()

Sylvia Tilly 

Burnham and Sylvia Tilly eventually grew to have an unlikely bond. She was assigned to be Cadet Tilly's roommate on the Discovery after six months of imprisonment. Tilly awkwardly admitted that Burnham was sleeping on her bed and that she suffered from chronic snoring. She then tried to make conversation with Burnham, learning her name and trying to form a "more approachable" nickname with "Mickey". Burnham rejected this, however. Tilly then noted that the only other person she had heard of with the name was the infamous mutineer, Michael Burnham, but it couldn't be her new roommate. Burnham glared at her, confirming the outlandish notion, making Tilly nervous.

Burnham and Tilly had another awkward exchange when Tilly lied, saying the engineering officers had assigned seats. Burnham learned from Stamets later that this wasn't true and went back, next to Tilly, as she tried to ignore her. On Tilly's first boarding party with Burnham, Tilly apologized, explaining that it was important for her to make a good impression and that she didn't want to be seen with a mutineer. Burnham understood and said it was okay, but Tilly said it wasn't okay, and that she was just afraid of what other people would think of her.

Later, Tilly was shocked to see that Burnham had not left the ship, as Lorca extended her stay to contribute to the war effort. Tilly told her she was glad and confided that she intended to be a captain someday, but there were things about command she didn't yet know. Having read everything on Georgiou – which Burnham quietly corrected to "Captain Georgiou" – she suggested that Burnham could help teach her. Tilly was surprised when Burnham unpacked an actual, physical book, which Burnham handed to her: Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. Burnham explained that her foster mother used to read it to her son and Burnham, and that it taught her that the world was not always logical. When Tilly asked her name, Burnham replied, "Amanda." ()

Tilly secretly helped Burnham, giving her spores to successfully tame and befriend Ripper. Burnham smiled, appreciating her help. Later, in her shared quarters with Tilly, the cadet congratulated Burnham on a job well done, but the tardigrade being utilized in a way that caused it to feel agony clearly weighed on Burnham, in spite of the heroic act. She then said she had another reputation growing. Tilly noticed Burnham hadn't opened the capsule containing Georgiou's will and encouraged her to open it by noting her bravery and saying she wasn't afraid of anything. ()

Tilly and Burnham later ate lunch together. Tilly told her roommate that she looked awful, and Burnham sarcastically thanked her. Tilly suspected something was wrong with her, but Burnham dismissed this. Tilly then assumed Burnham had made new, more interesting friends but she assured her it wasn't her. Burnham explained it is about her, having been preoccupied with Ripper's condition from the use of the spore drive that she has no job to do aboard the ship. Tilly told her that it was time to reflect upon herself, emotionally. Burnham said she didn't like that, to which Tilly responded, "Really? I love feeling feelings". Later, they worked on helping Ripper together. Burnham and Tilly released Ripper together. ()

Romance

Ash Tyler 

Ash Tyler was one of the very few aboard Discovery who did not judge Burnham harshly for her earlier crimes and escaping justice. Upon meeting her, Tyler declared that he preferred to evaluate people based on their current behavior rather than their pasts. () As time went by, the two began to form a friendship which eventually blossomed into romance.

Rivals

T'Kuvma 
T'Kuvma's plan to wage war against the Federation was set in motion. Burnham committed a failed mutiny in order to stop this with the intention of firing at the Klingons first. Later, after escaping captivity, Burnham suggested capturing T'Kuvma to cause his reputation to damage. By doing so, Burnham predicted the Klingon war effort would not be successful if its leader had been quickly suppressed. However, when Burnham and Georgiou encountered T'Kuvma and Voq at the Binary Stars, T'Kuvma killed Georgiou. Burnham disregarded her previous suggestion upon seeing Georgiou being killed, and in an emotional response, she killed T'Kuvma. ()

Kol

Gabriel Lorca 

The nature of 's relationship to Burnham was mysterious for a long time. Unknown to Burnham and the rest of Discovery at the time, Lorca was secretly his mirror universe counterpart in disguise, with a plan to get back to his universe and convince Burnham to pose as her presumed dead counterpart to rebel against Emperor  in an attempt to take the throne for himself. () Tilly felt that Lorca "practically adopted" Burnham. () Emperor Georgiou revealed to Burnham that her mirror universe counterpart had conspired with Lorca to kill her, and that he groomed her. At one point as a child, Georgiou felt the mirror universe Burnham saw Lorca as a father figure, but when she grew up, the relationship became romantic, much to Prime Burnham's shock and disgust. ()

Upon their initial meeting, Burnham noted to Lorca that her prison shuttle changed course halfway through the journey, and assessed that Lorca had brought her to Discovery intentionally, testing her abilities. She revealed she knew about the experimental technology he had been using. Lorca told Burnham her suspicions were correct, but he didn't choose her for the reasons she thought. Lorca explained that, due to the circumstances of the war, he wanted to recruit her because her actions leading up to the Battle of the Binary Stars were predictive, and she chose to do the right thing despite it being against protocol. He believed this to be thinking that "wins wars". Lorca convinced Burnham to stay, manipulating her by suggesting that she stay to achieve atonement or redemption for Georgiou's loss. ()

Lorca was hesitant to send Burnham away to find Sarek, who was in danger. Lorca told Ash Tyler to bring Burnham back in one piece or don't come back at all, to which Tyler assumed he was referring to the ship. At one point, Lorca questioned how Sarek could mind meld with her, as she was not Vulcan. In actuality, Lorca had been using information based on the mirror Burnham by mistake, who had not been raised by Vulcans. Later, Burnham told Lorca she was grateful to be serving under a captain like him. ()

Tyler and Burnham transported to 's ship and plant sensors that created an algorithm for detecting the cloaked Klingon ships, much to the disapproval of Lorca. Eventually Lorca agreed to let her go. Burnham explained that she needed to go, being the most qualified person having been on the same vessel and knowing the surroundings, but Lorca curiously and illogically disagreed. Due to the nature of Lorca's relationship being revealed later, it was clear Lorca did not want to face Burnham getting killed again, being vital to his plan to stop the emperor and also because of his romantic feelings for her based on her mirror counterpart. ()

When Lorca jumped Discovery to the mirror universe, Burnham revealed, based on the personnel files, she was presumed dead and his counterpart was a fugitive wanted for her murder. Lorca told Burnham to look outside and said, "A different universe and yet somehow the same people have a way of finding each other… might be the strongest argument that I've ever seen for the existence of destiny." Burnham dismissed Lorca's destiny argument, insisting that "Destiny didn't get me out of prison, captain. You did." At this point, Lorca relied on Burnham to take care of the crew. Burnham agreed with the plan to disguise as their Terran selves in order to retrieve the files on the USS Defiant to find a way back home. ()

After Tyler was revealed to be a sleeper agent Klingon, Lorca held Burnham's hand, telling her she wasn't alone. () Lorca's secret plan to lead Burnham to Emperor Georgiou was successful, as she was summoned to the . Burnham told Lorca it felt like having to face Georgiou again was a reckoning, but Lorca told her that Captain Georgiou was dead and Emperor Georgiou was a ghost. Burnham retorted, "Haven't you ever been afraid of a ghost?" Later, after spending time with Emperor Georgiou as Lorca went to an agonizer booth, Burnham finally realized that Lorca's sensitivity to light was a trait all Terrans possessed, and from Georgiou's words, Lorca believed destiny brought her daughter and Lorca together. Burnham pieced together that Lorca was from the mirror universe and it was not an accident they jumped there. () 

With Lorca's true nature revealed, Burnham agreed to help Emperor Georgiou due to her attachment to the prime Georgiou. She tricked Lorca the same way they intended to trick Georgiou, by handing Georgiou over to Lorca, and a bemused Lorca told Georgiou that Burnham was destined to betray her in every universe. Lorca questioned Burnham's motives, and Burnham told him that in exchange for Discoverys safe passage home, he could have her, but only "her mind" (indicating to Lorca her awareness of his romantic feelings for her). Lorca agreed and communicated this information to Saru on Discovery. However, Burnham and Georgiou worked together to attack and kill Lorca's men. Burnham and Lorca fought, and he told her he didn't want to have to kill her. Burnham grabbed a phaser and told him that they would have brought him home had he asked, and because she was Starfleet, she wouldn't kill him. Emperor Georgiou quickly impaled Lorca instead and Lorca attempted to die holding onto Burnham, but she turned away instead. ()

Key dates 
 2226: Born on Earth
 2236: Adopted by Sarek and Amanda Grayson after the death of her father and mother
 2245–2249: Attends the Vulcan Science Academy
 2249: Assigned to the  under the command of Captain Philippa Georgiou
 2256:
 Participates in the Battle of the Binary Stars; abandons the Shenzhou with the remaining crew after the death of Captain Georgiou; is later court martialed on charges of dereliction of duty, assaulting a fellow officer, and mutiny, to which she pleads guilty, leading to a loss of rank and a sentence of life imprisonment
 Is assigned to the  on the behest of Captain 
 Given a position of bridge science specialist by Lorca
 2257:
 Due to her efforts in ending the war she is pardoned by the Federation President and is reinstated to the rank of commander
 Awarded the Starfleet Medal of Honor
 Serves as science officer under the temporary command of Captain Christopher Pike
 Reunited with her mother on Essof IV
 Travels forward in time to the 32nd century, presumed dead by Starfleet
 3188:
 Arrives to Mercantile and befriends Cleveland Booker.
 Becomes a courier alongside Booker, while searches for the Discovery.
 3189:
 Reconnects with the Discovery.
 Appointed First officer of the USS Discovery
 Demoted to Chief Science officer 
 Appointed Captain of the USS Discovery

Memorable quotes 
"From my youth on Vulcan, I was raised to believe that service was my purpose. And I carried that conviction to Starfleet. I dreamed of a day when I would command my own vessel, and further the noble objectives of this great institution. That dream is over. The only ship I know in ruins. My crew… gone. My captain… my friend. I wanted to protect them from . From the enemy. And now we are at war… and I am the enemy."
- Michael Burnham, after pleading guilty to her crimes ()

"The real world doesn't always adhere to logic. Sometimes down is up, sometimes up is down… and sometimes when you're lost, you're found."
- Michael Burnham, telling Tilly about the physical book copy of Alice in Wonderland given to her by Amanda Grayson ()

"We are no longer on the eve of battle. Even so, I come to ask myself the same question that young soldier asked the general all those years ago: 'How do I defeat fear?' The general's answer? 'The only way to defeat fear is to tell it no.' No, we will NOT take shortcuts on the path to righteousness. No, we will NOT break the rules that protect us from our basest instincts. No, we will NOT allow desperation to destroy moral authority. I am guilty of all these things. Some say that in life, there are no second chances. Experience tells me this that this is true. But we can only look forward. We have to be torchbearers casting the light so we may see our path to lasting peace. We will continue exploring, discovering new worlds, new civilizations. Yes - that is the United Federation of Planets…. Yes… that is Starfleet… Yes, that is who we are… And who we will always be "
- Michael Burnham, during her speech at the award ceremony ()

"Let's fly."
- Her way of ordering the Discovery into action ()

Appendices

Appearances

Reference

Background information

Development 
Burnham was played by Sonequa Martin-Green as an adult and Arista Arhin in  scenes of her childhood.

One reason the first name "Michael" was chosen for this character was that Bryan Fuller often had female protagonists who had typically male first names (such as "Chuck" and "Jaye"). "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," recalled Executive Producer/Writer Aaron Harberts. "We were just pitching around the writers' room. We had a couple on the board and I said, 'Well, how about Michael?' Because I had remembered a gossip columnist in Chicago. I used to work in Chicago in publicity, and , she wrote for the . Then, there was the bass player for , a musician named . 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." 

Extremely contented prior to learning there was an opportunity to possibly appear regularly in a Star Trek series, actress Sonequa Martin-Green was meanwhile looking forward to her next project. "I was in such a place of contentment and peace about everything," she related. "I was excited for what was next. I was excited to turn the page. I was just trusting what was happening […] and then Star Trek came – it felt like a snug fit. It really did." ()

Though she watched a lot of Leonard Nimoy's portrayal of Spock in , Sonequa Martin-Green based her performance of Michael Burnham on the character's backstory. "In terms of who I modeled myself after," the actress recalled, "it's just the story. There's a lot going on, so I just had to dig into all these different facets of who I am, as Michael Burnham, and try to make them as real as I could." Martin-Green also imagined that Michael Burnham had been named after her biological father, which was later confirmed in . Though this would make her proper name Michael Burnham Junior, she is never referred to as such.()

In , Bryan Fuller met with Sonequa Martin-Green to play his lead character, Michael Burnham. "Her audition was fantastic," Fuller remarked. "I found her incredibly insightful as an actor and delightful as a human being." Aaron Harberts was also impressed with the actress. "We read a lot of people who either went too robotic or too emotional," he recalled. "She was able to be aloof and logical but still warm and surrendering her emotional side to the audience." (Entertainment Weekly, issue 1476, p. 27) Harberts also recollected, "I'll never forget Sonequa walking in the door to read for Michael Burnham. We looked at so many actors for that part." In agreement, Gretchen J. Berg attested, "We felt we weren't gonna find her." Continued Harberts, "Yeah, and it was just… We were down to the wire, and to have her just walk in, and the warmth that she brought with her, and she just kind of made eye contact with all of us, and I just remember, like, looking into her eyes and just saying, 'Yeah, that's… that's Michael Burnham.' And barely even listening to her read, I mean, just kind of waiting for her to be done so that we could run out and call CBS and say, 'We've found her." ("Discovering Discovery: The Concepts and Casting of Star Trek: Discovery", DIS Season 1 DVD & Blu-ray special features)

However, as Rod Roddenberry recalled, there was some initial difficulty with finalizing the casting of the Michael Burnham role. "Sonequa Martin-Green, when she came in, we loved her, but she wasn't available," he explained. "And so, we were kinda bummed, but there were a lot of great people at that point, and so we looked down the road; there were some other people that we looked at."  Martin-Green assumed that her lack of availability, which was due to commitments she had made to another project, ruled her out for anything related to Star Trek in the future. "It moved on for me because of the scheduling conflicts," she reflected. "So, I said, 'You know what? It felt like a snug fit, but, it's gone, so that's fine. I trust what's happening. I trust what's meant to be will be.' I let it go." However, when Discoverys premiere date subsequently got delayed, it had a knock-on impact on the casting of the role . "Then Star Trek came around again," Martin-Green stated. "I said, 'I knew it was a snug fit." () Rod Roddenberry added, "All of a sudden, she became available, and, you know, everyone felt the same way [….] She just stood out, and so we were so lucky." Roddenberry didn't take credit himself for having found Martin-Green, an accomplishment he attributed to "the entire team." 

When she learned that she had won the role of Michael Burnham, Sonequa Martin-Green was with her husband at a restaurant in Buenos Aires. "My team called, and they said, 'It's happening.' My husband actually recorded it. And so, I cried, and everything, and it's forever captured," she reminisced. "So, it was just… surreal. It was completely surreal. Like, 'Is this happening?!' My husband and I kept looking at each other, and we wouldn't say anything. We would just look at each other and go (she opened her mouth, and kept it open)." 

Writing staffers such as Erika Lippoldt and Bo Yeon Kim found that the casting of Sonequa Martin-Green in the role of Michael Burnham helped inform their writing of the character. "Once we saw her in the first two episodes, we were kinda like, 'Oh, okay; that's who she is,' you know, because the very early drafts, we had her much more Vulcan," Lippoldt stated. "You know, like, she was just full on, like, completely logical, not really any emotional intonations, but Sonequa's just naturally a very empathetic person." Kim agreed, "I think, you know, it's one thing to write and to imagine how the character would sound and look in your head, but I think once it went through the Sonequa filter and she was sort of reinterpreting what was on the page in her own beautiful way, that's when it kind of finally clicked for us. But then, even so, that was all just watching, at least for us, Erika and me, it was watching her on the dailies." When Lippoldt and Kim got a chance to visit the set during the shooting of , Kim realized she couldn't imagine anyone else playing the part.

Reception 
Bryan Fuller was the person who publicly revealed that the main character of DIS would be a female who wasn't a captain. He announced this news on , during an interview session with journalists at the Television Critics Association Summer Tour. 

In early news stories which suggested the casting of Sonequa Martin-Green in this role, the character was given the name "Rainsford".  Martin-Green's casting as Burnham was officially announced on . 

By the time 2017's San Diego Comic-Con was held, it had been publicly revealed that, in the then-forthcoming TV series Star Trek: Discovery, Burnham would serve as the Shenzhous first officer. During the DIS panel at the aforementioned event, the show's producers chose the occasion to drop the bombshell that Burnham would be Spock's adopted sister. ()

Continuity 
Burnham is not the first character to have been depicted as being adopted by Sarek; in the first draft script of , Sarek adopted a Vulcan male named Galt, who had been spying for the Klingons.

Burnham's backstory, involving her parents being killed in a terror raid by Klingons and she then being raised on an alien planet (i.e. Vulcan), also shares some similarities with Worf, whose father was killed in an attack by Romulans before he himself was likewise raised on an alien planet (i.e., Earth). This was pointed out to Aaron Harberts on , but he stated that he hadn't previously thought of the similarities between Burnham's backstory and that of Worf.

Apparently, Burnham never attended Starfleet Academy; she graduated from the Vulcan Science Academy in 2249 and was immediately assigned to the USS Shenzhou.

Burnham is the second of two main characters to be canonically portrayed as being recruited aboard a series' main starship immediately after serving time in prison; Tom Paris likewise joined the crew of the  after serving time at New Zealand Penal Settlement.

Aaron Harberts once joked that Michael Burnham doesn't ingest fluids, but then stated that he reckoned her favorite drink was tea. ()

Michael Burnham is the only character to appear in every episode of Star Trek: Discovery.

Apocrypha 
In the Gallery DIS  Desperate Hours, Burnham became first officer in 2255, following the promotion of the previous first officer, , who left to accept a post as the commanding officer of the starship .

Burnham makes an appearance in Star Trek Online, with Sonequa Martin-Green providing her voice. In the two-part episode "The Measure of Morality" for the game's tenth anniversary, the player character's ship is pulled to Excalbia, where the Excalbians force them to undertake further "trials" to determine good and evil (a sequel of sorts to The Original Series episode ). While Yarnek and President  oversee the trials, another Excalbian takes the form of Burnham, joining the player character, one of their bridge officers, and Seven of Nine in representing "good" while facing the forces of "evil", represented by enemies from some of the player's past missions (the Tal Shiar, the Borg, the Iconians), from Burnham's Starfleet career (Control, taking the form of the Discovery crew), and finally a Borg Queen created from Control's nanites and Seven's genetic material. After the "trials" are concluded, Burnham – who is aware she is an Excalbian duplicate – is allowed to maintain that form permanently, and returns with the player to Alliance space to reactivate her Starfleet commission. Burnham is the second Discovery-era character to be "resurrected" in the 25th century, the first being Stamets (who was recreated as a hologram with a mobile emitter).

The novel Dead Endless depicts a parallel universe where Burnham did not mutiny against Georgiou and the Federation-Klingon War never happened. In this universe, Burnham is captain of the Discovery at the time of the story.

Burnham appears as part of Paramount+'s "Paramount Mountain Expedition" commercials. In the commercial "Ice Bridge", Burnham attempts to cross the titular bridge, only for it to crack, prompting her to tell her crew of other Paramount-related characters to lose some weight. When Lt. Dangle of Reno 911 eagerly begins stripping out of his uniform shirt, Burnham can only look in confusion before exclaiming they need to lose more weight, prompting Coach Bill Cowher to send Dangle packing. In an alternate version, "Ice Bridge 'Crack'", her attempt to cross the bridge has her telling the group that there was a giant crack in the ice from their weight, prompting Beavis and Butt-Head to immediately start laughing at "giant crack", annoying the group with Burnham trying her best to stay professional.

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