Michael Burnham (Sonequa Martin-Green) and Benjamin Sisko (Avery Brooks) are Star Trek's greatest Black Captains, but they also share one other important aspect in common. Burnham is the lead heroine of Star Trek: Discovery, which is about to begin its fifth and final season in 2024. Sisko was the first Black lead of a Star Trek series, and he was the top character of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine for all of its 7 seasons.
Like Benjamin Sisko and Avery Brooks, Michael Burnham and Sonequa Martin-Green also made history as she was the first Black woman to headline a Star Trek series. While Star Trek: Deep Space Nine was more of an ensemble, with a sprawling cast of dozens of ancillary characters who became crucial to the series, Star Trek: Discovery primarily revolves around Michael Burnham. Before she was Captain of the USS Discovery, Michael had a controversial, roller-coaster Starfleet career. Introduced as Commander Michael Burnham of the USS Shenzou, she was imprisoned as Starfleet's first mutineer before Michael clawed her way back to redemption, first as Commander Burnham once more, and finally as Captain of the Discovery.
