Star Trek Characters That Must Return (2026)

12. Michael Burnham

Quite honestly, this was a return we all expected in the first season of Starfleet Academy. Star Trek has a habit, though not consistently, of handing over the baton from one show to the next. McCoy appeared in Encounter At Farpoint, while Picard appeared in Emissary. Quark tried to swindle Kim in Caretaker, while Cochrane delivered a speech in Broken Bow.

Star Trek: Discovery switched things up, abandoning this trend. However, with such emphasis placed on the importance of moving forward and development, it was assumed that Michael Burnham would be present to deliver a commencement speech to the new class of cadets in Kids These Days. Alas, she was a no-show, though Admiral Vance and the EMH were on hand to carry the Trek torch across.

Mary Wiseman popped up to reprise the role of Tilly in The Life Of The Stars, while some other Discovery-era names adorned the Wall Of Heroes. However, Starfleet's Captain with the greatest track record for getting into (and out of) tight spots has yet to make an appearance. Granted, the USS Discovery, Starfleet's enchanted vessel, only makes a brief cameo in Rubincon. Perhaps this is to set the scene for Captain Burnham to pop over and say hello?

Sonequa Martin-Green is currently quite busy filming Boston Blue, so the likelihood of an appearance is up in the air. However, if the streaming era of Star Trek is coming to an end (at least this version of it), having Burnham pop in for a final goodbye seems both poignant and timely.