The producers of ‘Star Trek: Discovery‘ have been impressively tight-lipped regarding any number of details, ranging from plot points to character names. But as the series has taken shape, more of those details have been released, albeit in a piecemeal fashion. And now we have one of the more important – and conspicuously absent – pieces of information about the show: the name of our lead character.
Played by Sonequa Martin-Green (best known for her role on ‘The Walking Dead’), the lead character of ‘Discovery’ is the first officer of the titular starship. Described by former showrunner Bryan Fuller as “a lieutenant commander – with caveats”, the character has thus far been known only as Number One (and thus echoing Majel Barret’s character in the original ‘Star Trek’ pilot episode). Despite previous rumors suggesting that Martin-Green’s character would go by the name Lt. Commander Rainsford, a post from the official ‘Star Trek: Discovery’ Twitter account…
From walkers to Klingons – #StarTrekDiscovery is pleased to officially welcome @SonequaMG as First Officer Michael Burnham. pic.twitter.com/dpQBH5ePZj
— Star Trek: Discovery (@startrekcbs) April 3, 2017
…has in fact identified as First Officer Michael Burnham.
As the cast of ‘Star Trek: Discovery’ takes shape, one of the more interesting things that has become clear is that the series will apparently follow events across at least three starships, including the Discovery herself (with Burnham, Science Officer Saru, and Cadet Tilly serving under Captain Lorca), the Shenzhou (which sees Michelle Yeoh’s Captain Georgiou at the head of a crew that includes Dr. Nambue and a junior officer named Connor) and an unnamed Klingon ship (crewed by T’Kuvma, Kol and L’Rell). It will be interesting to see how this plays out and to what extent the show focuses on each ship. This approach also marks an unorthodox way of setting ‘Discovery’ apart from prior ‘Star Trek’ shows.
‘Star Trek: Discovery’ is currently scheduled to premiere later this year on the CBS All Access streaming service, though a specific date has yet to be announced. The series’ confirmed cast includes Sonequa Martin-Green, Doug Jones, Jason Isaacs, Anthony Rapp, James Frain, Michelle Yeoh, Terry Serpico, Maulik Pancholy, Sam Vartholomeos, Shazad Latif, Chris Obi, Mary Chieffo, and Rainn Wilson.
Be sure to check back with ScienceFIction.com for more great ‘Star Trek’ content, including more news on ‘Star Trek: Discovery’ as it becomes available!
