With "Star Trek: Discovery" only a few months away from its premiere, executive producers Aaron Harberts and Gretchen J. Berg gave some important details that could shed light on the plot of the upcoming series. They reveal that in the pilot episode, the main character makes a difficult choice with great consequences.
The series will introduce protagonist Michael Burnham, played by Sonequa Martin-Green, as a First Officer in Starship Shenzhou. She then makes a decision that is the "most difficult choice you can make," Harberts told Entertainment Weekly: "It affects her, affects Starfleet, affects the Federation, it affects the entire universe." The said choice leads her to a different ship — the Starship Discovery.
The showrunners also said that Burnham, while fully human, has spent a lot of time on planet Vulkan. Sarek, the father of popular "Star Trek" character Spock, plays an important role in her life. Burnham will be the first human to attend the Vulcan Learning Center as a child and then the Vulcan Science Academy as a young woman.
In the spirit of deviation from the norm, Burnham, who was deliberately given a man's name, will also be the first "Star Trek" lead who is not a captain. Asked about the advantages of this choice, Berg responded, "The advantage to her not being in charge of the bridge right now is we get to tell stories from a very different point of view. It's a fresh feeling because we're not on the bridge all the time. We get access to more parts of the ship."
Joining Martin-Green in the cast are Michelle Yeoh who plays Philippa Georgiou, captain of Starship Shenzhou, Jason Isaac who portrays Captain Lorca of the Starship Discovery, and James Frain who plays Sarek.
"Star Trek: Discovery" will air on CBS starting Sept. 24 with a two-part premiere.
