Star Trek: Discovery

Star Trek: Discovery follows a new era of Starfleet through the eyes of Michael Burnham, a brilliant but troubled officer whose choices set off events that reshape the crew and their missions. The series balances episodic exploration with longer arcs, sending the USS Discovery into strange regions, moral conflicts, and wartime pressures. Burnham's personal growth and her relationships with colleagues like Saru, Sylvia Tilly, Paul Stamets, and Dr. Hugh Culber are central, as she struggles with loyalty, command decisions, and understanding unfamiliar cultures while the show expands Star Trek lore without spoiling its major turns.

Premiering in 2017 on the streaming service then known as CBS All Access, the show was created by Bryan Fuller and Alex Kurtzman and builds on Gene Roddenberry's original universe, updating design and serialized storytelling for modern television audiences.

The series has been recognized by industry organizations, receiving nominations and some wins in technical categories that highlight its effects, makeup, and production design. Those acknowledgments reflect the show's investment in high-end visuals and world building, even when story choices sparked debate among viewers.

Discovery made a notable cultural mark by casting Sonequa Martin-Green as the franchise's first Black female lead, and by featuring a prominent same sex relationship between Stamets and Culber, which broadened representation on mainstream genre television. Its serialized approach and cinematic production helped bring Star Trek back into mainstream conversation and influenced how legacy sci fi franchises could be relaunched on streaming platforms.

Critical and audience response has been mixed to positive, with many praising the performances, character focus, and production values while some critics point to uneven pacing and tonal shifts. User scores sit near 7 out of 10 from roughly 1,900 votes, and recurring themes include identity, duty versus conscience, the ethics of command, and the costs of conflict, all framed within futuristic technology and evolving Starfleet politics.