<Tr> <Th> Affiliation </Th> <Td> United Federation of Planets Starfleet USS Shenzhou USS Discovery ISS Shenzhou </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Th> </Th> <Td> 2226 </Td> </Tr> <P> Michael Burnham is a fictional character on Star Trek: Discovery portrayed by American actress Sonequa Martin - Green . She originally appears as the First Officer of the USS Shenzhou under Philippa Georgiou (Michelle Yeoh) until she commits mutiny and is stripped of rank . Burnham is later recruited by Gabriel Lorca (Jason Isaacs) on the USS Discovery as a science specialist after serving only six months of her life sentence, with Lorca viewing Burnham as an asset in the war against the Klingons . She serves as the series lead . The character is introduced as an anthropologist helping the Earth - based Starfleet understand and engage with new cultures in outer space . </P> <P> The character is the first black female to lead a Star Trek television series, as well as the first leading character that has never been a Starfleet captain . (However, Burnham is captain of the ISS Shenzhou in the mirror universe .) Bryan Fuller conceived the character based on the cultural impact of Nichelle Nichols' portrayal of Uhura, Mae Jemison and Ruby Bridges . She is also revealed as the foster sister to Spock (Leonard Nimoy). Burnham is an orphan after her parents are killed by Klingons, until she is taken in by Sarek (James Frain). Controversy of the character arose with the decision to connect her history to Spock's family, with debates of continuity discussed among Trekkies . There was also controversy in casting a black female protagonist, which spawned debate online and accusations of racism . Development of the character was largely praised by critics leading up to the debut for having a black female lead for the first time in Star Trek history and reviews of Martin - Green's performance have been positive . </P>

Who plays michael burnham on star trek discovery