10 Dumbest Things In Star Trek: Discovery
4. Captain Burnham
If Kirk's rise to command in the Kelvin Timeline movies was just a bit too quick for fans, then there was always the slightly more restrained promotions of Starfleet mutineer Michael Burnham.
Initially, the first officer of the USS Shenzhou, overpowering and overriding her commanding officer, Burnham is stripped of rank, only to be plucked from her prison wagon to join the crew of the USS Discovery.
Yes, she is experienced, and yes, her record to that point was untarnished, but in the world of Starfleet, mutiny was almost the unforgivable sin. Also reflect on the Burnham/Book relationship we've already mentioned and the probably oversharing and freedoms she allowed her partner, which didn't turn out most positively. You could easily argue Kirk or Sisko were similarly wayward in some decisions, but Burnham has a track record of insubordination, mutiny and recklessness that surpasses them all.
Yet Starfleet happily offers her a captaincy where again she has serious personal conflicts which continue to cloud and affect her judgement, especially when it came to Ruon Tarka's involvement with the 10-C in season four. There is a degree of blind faith and almost adoration following Michael's lightning-fast solving of The Burn, but Starfleet seems to have forgotten past misdemeanours incredibly quickly.