15 Reasons Why I’m Proud as Hell of Captain Michael Burnham

Let me tell you the 15 reasons I’m proud as Hell of Captain Micheal Burnam but first, I have to start from the beginning. 

If you haven’t watched Star Trek Discovery and want to see it, then SPOILER ALERT.  Come back here after you’ve watched it.  

When Star Trek Discovery made its debut, it took me a while to join the fray. The show was only on CBS All Access and well, I didn’t want to pay for yet another subscription. Friends kept telling me to try out the show. I finally decided to take a look. Season One got me warmed up. I enjoyed it but then in Season Two I was hooked. I learned so much more about Michael, her family history and her mom. Then, when Season Three began, I sincerely struggled right along with her  but I started to get frustrated. 

I screamed at the TV, “Michael should be a freaking Captain!” I couldn’t understand why they kept her in a subordinate role. It was obvious to me that she was the clear leader. I lamented privately that she wasn’t being made a Captain because she was a black woman. But I still found myself enthralled with Michael’s journey, her identity struggles and the changes in her life but I finally saw the final episode of Season 3 and man, I hollered out loud, “She’s a Captain!”  

I couldn’t be more proud! An absolutely momentous occasion. I’ve always been a Star Trek Fan and I’ve watched them all. My firsts that I love in Star Trek history, of course, are Lieutenant Uhura, Commander Benjamin Sisko and Captain Janeway but I’m going to have to add Captain Burnham because she has made me proud as hell… 

1. She’s Spock’s older sister.
2. She never quits.
3. She thinks outside the box and always wins.
4. She’s willing to make tough decisions even if they are unpopular. 
5. She’s a fighter and scraps when she’s hurt.
6. She’s smart as hell and a scientist by nature. 
7. She risks her own safety to save the freakin’ universe.
8. She’s traveled into parallel universes, time traveled in a suit and  freakin’ survived. 
9. She’s a natural servant leader.
10. She’s humble. 
11. She’s an explorer .
12. She believes in her core mission and never waivers. 
13. She stays on mission and doesn’t lose focus until she accomplishes her goal. 
14. She knows her weapons and not afraid to put people down... 
15. She’s a Black Warrior Woman...She put her hair in braids in Season Three... Anytime a Sista moves from a short fro to braids means she’s about to get down to business. She doesn’t have time to mess around with her hair. 

Watching her in action makes me proud to call her Captain. I can’t wait to see the adventures she’ll take her crew on in future seasons. 

You know how much I love Black Warrior Women and Black Superheroines.  How do you feel about Michael becoming a Captain? Do you believe, too, it’s a step in the right direction for the franchise?