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Sonequa Martin-Green Reflects on Her 'Star Trek' Legacy as First Black Female Captain (Exclusive)

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Sonequa Martin-Green has taken over the captain's chair in the fourth season of Star Trek: Discovery , and the actress couldn't be more excited about the opportunity and her character's growth.

"It was exhilarating, it was solidifying, it was cementing and fulfilling in so many ways," Martin-Green shared with ET's Nischelle Turner. "I felt as if I had arrived, or sort of reached the pinnacle of what this season is about."

With her character, Michael Burnham, in command, she's become the first black female captain in the franchise's history. It's one element of the role that Martin-Green has come to love so much, along with her character's tenacity.

"One of the things I love the most about the character of Michael Burnham is there’s this power, this grit, this heart, and there’s such a rawness there," she said. "I’m always ready to jump in and get down and dirty, which I love."

She's also appreciated the feedback and the support from the franchise's vocal and dedicated fan base.

Reflecting on the most memorable fan encounters she's had since stepping into the Star Trek universe, Martin-Green recalled one time, at a convention in London, she was approached by a man who explained the impact her role and performance has had on his life.

"He said, 'I just need you to know, racism is very rampant in my family, but I watched the whole [first] season, [and] I felt so connected to you. I related to you in such a way that at the end I sort of looked back and thought oh my goodness this a black woman and I'm a white man, and I really felt like it was me,' she remembered. "And he said, 'So now, I feel like I can stop the cycle of racism in my family."

"I of course I bust out crying in front of him," she added.

New episodes of Star Trek: Discovery debut Thursdays on Paramount+.

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Published Feb 1, 2023

The Heroes of Starfleet's Black History

One fan reflects on Star Trek's Black history makers and how it showed him that Black people could and would have a future.

StarTrek.com

Being an African-American with a deep interest in history, especially Black history, I have always looked forward to February, when Black History Month is commemorated in the United States. The holiday started as Negro History Week in 1926, the creation of seminal scholar Dr. Carter G. Woodson, who set the commemorative week in February to honor the birthdays of both Frederick Douglass and Abraham Lincoln.

As a Generation Xer, born in the 1970s, Black History Month was always a part of my remembered education and provided a welcome respite from my history textbooks, as well as newspapers, movies, and television series where Black people, if not absent entirely, were often shunted to the margins. Black History Month, even if occupying the shortest month on the calendar, was a rejoinder to this pernicious narrative. It encouraged all Americans to reflect on the unique story and important contributions of Black Americans.

Star Trek Supports Black Lives Matter

[ RELATED : Nichelle Nichols Remembers Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. ]

What does any of this have to do with Star Trek you may be asking at this point. Well, Star Trek has its own part in Black history. Nichelle Nichols as Uhura, LeVar Burton’s Geordi La Forge, Avery Brooks’ Captain Sisko, or perhaps Sonequa Martin-Green’s Captain Burnham weekly saving the galaxy are obvious standouts, as reams could be written about each actor, the characters they’ve played, and their impact on the real world. But, in addition to the real-world Black history Star Trek has made, the franchise also has some profound in-universe Black history makers.

One perennial theme in many Black History Month commemorations is the acknowledgement and celebration of historical firsts, key markers of social progress for a people who were, and in many unfortunate ways continue to be, shut out of the mainstream of American life. Though human racism is largely a thing of the past in Star Trek ’s future, honoring and respecting human history was not. Let’s take a look at some of the people that students across the Alpha Quadrant might pay tribute to during a Federation-wide Black History Month.

Commander John Mark Kelly

"One Small Step"

Though Star Trek 's canon history doesn’t establish 21st Century astronaut John Mark Kelly (played by Phil Morris) as the first human to visit Mars, Kelly did command one of the first manned missions to Mars. Both Commander Chakotay and Lt. Tom Paris still remember and revere him centuries after his Ares IV module was lost, as we witness in the poignant Star Trek: Voyager episode “ One Small Step .” Interspersing Kelly’s last fateful days with Voyager ’s mission to retrieve the Ares IV module reinforced the importance of preserving history and honoring those who came before, and whose sacrifices forwarded human progress.

Lily Sloane

Star Trek VIII: First Contact

Lily Sloane’s (Alfre Woodard) contributions to humanity’s trek to the stars were uncovered by the timely time traveling of the Enterprise-E crew in the film Star Trek: First Contact . Whereas 23rd Century historians, and arguably those in the 22nd Century as well, gave the lions’ share of credit to Zefram Cochrane for creating Earth’s first warp-capable vessel, First Contact sheds light on the crucial role Sloane played in helping Cochrane accomplish his goal, not unlike the overlooked or under-appreciated roles many Black people have played throughout real history in achieving or assisting similar scientific and technological breakthroughs. Hidden Figures , anyone?

Doctors Emory Erickson & Richard Daystrom

"The Ultimate Computer"

Though their respective tragic stories take place over a century apart, there are notable parallels between the lives of Dr. Emory Erickson (Bill Cobbs, Star Trek: Enterprise 's “ Daedalus ”) and Dr. Richard Daystrom (William Marshall, Star Trek: The Original Series ' “ The Ultimate Computer ”).

Erickson, the inventor of the molecular transporter, and Daystrom, who created the comptronic and duotronic computer systems, were geniuses whose scientific breakthroughs came relatively early in their respective careers, and that dazzling early success left both men eager to scale to such heights again.

"Daedalus"

Dr. Erickson’s hunger for greater acclaim drove him to conduct a risky subquantum transporter experiment, while Nobel Laureate and Zee-Magnees Prize awardee Daystrom created the M-5, a multitronic computer designed to replace starship crews in search of the same glory.

The similarities didn’t end there as both geniuses’ stories took on tragic trajectories. The sub-quantum teleporter experiment cost several lives, including Dr. Erickson’s son Quinn; and when it took control of the U.S.S. Enterprise , the M-5, killed several hundred Starfleet personnel during its trial run.

Still, both Erickson and Daystrom are remembered as Federation heroes. Daystrom’s legacy leaves behind the Daystrom Institute, which continues to play a pivotal part in Star Trek history, as seen most recently in Star Trek: Picard . Erickson’s contributions have been remembered far into the future as well; eagle-eyed viewers may remember seeing his name in the opening credits of Star Trek: Discovery ’s first season.

Captain Tryla Scott

"Conspiracy"

Captain Tryla Scott (Ursaline Bryant), of the U.S.S. Renegade , appeared just once, in Star Trek: The Next Generation ’s first season episode “Conspiracy.” At the time, she was the youngest person in Starfleet history to achieve a captain’s rank — even before Kirk or Picard! Unfortunately, that promising start made her a target for the neural parasites who conspired to take over Starfleet. Scott became one of their victims, and her fate is still unknown. Scott’s story, as scant as it was, represents how some of the most important history makers are unsung or their stories can be quickly, and sometimes, completely swallowed up by time. Here’s hoping that we learn more about Captain Scott and what became of her in a future Star Trek production.

Star Trek Shows Muslim Fans an Inclusive Future

These were but a few of the Black history makers that helped build Star Trek ’s imaginary future. Growing up, the fact that they were fictional mattered little to me — they were still heroes to be revered. Further, Trek’s Black history makers showed me, as a young kid, that Black people could and would have a future, one as positive and consequential as the rest of the human family.

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This article was originally published on February 11, 2021.

C. Edward Sharpe (he/him), hailing from Alexandria, VA, is an aspiring writer and hardcore fan of Trek as well as many other things sci-fi. This is his first piece for StarTrek.com, but he hopes it won’t be his last.

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Sonequa Martin-Green takes the chair as captain in Star Trek: Discovery season 4 trailer

Martin-Green's character Michael Burnham is the first Black woman captain in a live-action Star Trek series.

Sonequa Martin-Green is boldly going where no Star Trek has gone before in Discovery 's fourth season.

After Martin-Green's Michael Burnham was promoted to captain in the season 3 finale, season 4 of the Paramount+ series will see her taking charge as the first Black woman to occupy the captain's chair in a live-action Star Trek show. A new trailer for Discovery 's fourth season, unveiled Saturday at New York Comic Con , teases the crises ahead for Burnham and her crew in the new batch of episodes.

"Today we seek to understand a threat like none our galaxy has faced before," Burnham says in the trailer. The fourth season will see the starship Discovery 's crew dealing with a massive anomaly that threatens life throughout the galaxy, putting Federation and non-Federation worlds alike at risk. The crisis forces these various worlds to work together to confront the unknown and ensure a hopeful future for all.

Multiple new Star Trek series are slated to hit Paramount+ over the next year, including the animated kids' series Star Trek: Prodigy and the Captain Pike-focused Strange New Worlds . Star Trek: Picard is also slated to return for its second season in February.

Star Trek: Discovery season 4, meanwhile, premieres Nov. 18 on Paramount+. Check out the season trailer above.

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Nichelle Nichols advocated for women and people of color in STEM. Now, "Star Trek" actress Sonequa Martin-Green is continuing her legacy

By Caitlin O'Kane

August 2, 2022 / 9:47 AM EDT / CBS News

"I knew this was going to be difficult to talk about her," Sonequa Martin-Green said, tears in her eyes. The "Star Trek" actress was talking about the late Nichelle Nichols, who broke barriers on the same show more than five decades earlier. "She's very much 1,000% actually a hero."

Nichols died this week at the age of 89. She was one of the first Black actresses to star in a television series, paving the way for countless others. But for Martin-Green, the connection to Nichols runs deep. Martin-Green plays Michael Burnham, the first Black female captain in "Star Trek" history – something that might not have been possible without Nichols' role before her.

Not only did Nichols inspire her as an actor, but as an advocate for women and girls, especially in science, technology, engineering and mathematics fields – also known as STEM. 

After "Star Trek," Nichols dedicated her time to recruiting women and people of color to apply to be astronauts at NASA.

Decades later, Martin-Green is working to help women and girls in STEM too. She has partnered with Million Girls Moonshot, an organization that aims to get 1 million more girls into STEM learning opportunities and programs. Frito-Lay has donated $100,000 to further the program's mission, and to send girls to Space Camp.

Martin-Green surprised 16 girls, the first group that the organization is sending to Space Camp, presenting them with ceremonial stars named after them. "I was so excited for them to see my face and see my love and support for them," she said. "I really hope this is an experience that they carry with them, something that they always remember. I hope it sets them on their path."

"There's such a dearth of women in STEM careers and especially Black women, Latina women, Indigenous women, it's 10 percent in STEM careers today," Martin-Green told CBS News. "So, we need more of us out there and that's why I jumped at the opportunity to do this."

Martin-Green said programs like this that aim to recruit girls wouldn't be possible without Nichols. "It's all because of her, really. Because she's the one that helped integrate NASA way back then," she said, crying at the thought of Nichols. 

"She's the one that said, 'Wait a second, I don't see what I need to be seeing. I don't see equality here.' And she dedicated the rest of her life to it — from 1977 to 2015 — to establishing these programs in NASA," Martin-Green said. "And now here we are, and these girls can have this experience. And I'm grateful to be a part of it." 

Now, Martin-Green hopes to continue Nichols' legacy – on and off screen. "I know she said when she was still here, 'If I've inspired you at all, I just ask that you continue this legacy.' So, of course now all of us that have been inspired by her. And I hope these girls can do that too." 

Caitlin O'Kane is a New York City journalist who works on the CBS News social media team as a senior manager of content and production. She writes about a variety of topics and produces "The Uplift," CBS News' streaming show that focuses on good news.

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As Star Trek's First Black Female Captain, Discovery's Sonequa Martin-Green Reflects On Inspirational Words From Franchise Vet Nichelle Nichols

Sonequa Martin-Green shared some kind words about the Star Trek icon.

Star Trek actress Nichelle Nichols is retiring from the convention circuit, which is bittersweet but nonetheless a milestone worth celebrating. Fans at L.A. Comic-Con 2021 did precisely that for Nichols’ final convention appearance, and celebrities were full of reverential praise as well. Many were quick to credit Nichols as a factor in their careers, and Star Trek: Discovery 's lead actress Sonequa Martin-Green was definitely part of that crowd.

For a video tribute that was recorded and played during Nichelle Nichols final panel, Sonequa Martin-Green shared memories of meeting Nichols at the premiere for Star Trek: Discovery . As the star of the diversity-driven sci-fi series, Martin-Green was anxious about meeting the actress who broke barriers so many years ago as Uhura on the original series. And here's how that meeting played out:

I remember the great ball of nervousness that was in my stomach as I was approaching her, but she whispered to me in my ear so delicately she said, ‘Take care. It’s yours now.’ And I melted. And I needed that. I needed that blessing. She made me feel welcomed. She made me feel justified, and she made me feel empowered.

Now a few years later, Sonequa Martin-Green is well into her run on Star Trek: Discovery and made history as the franchise’s first Black female to lead a Trek series as a Starfleet captain. Not that either one of the actresses was likely aware of that in the moment, making it all the sweeter an encounter. 

Nichelle Nichols knows a little something about history herself, of course, as she had the honor of one of television’s first interracial on-camera kisses , smack dab in the middle of the Civil Rights movement in the United States. With her key role within the Star Trek universe in the 1960s, Nichols served as an inspiration to many, and was proof that racial equality wasn't so unthinkable a scenario in the future. At least the fictionalized kind.

Sonequa Martin-Green continued on with her praise and championed Nichelle Nichols’ impact not just on the Black community , but other people of color and women in general. In a kind and humble statement, Martin-Green explained that had it not been for Nichols, she might not be in the position she’s in today .

Nichelle's legacy can be described as that of sacrificial, heroic contribution. She decided to stay and ultimately devoted her entire self to the progression of Black people, people of color, and women. And she gave everything. She gave her time, her energy. She gave her intelligence, her wisdom, her leadership, and her heart for the betterment of the world and the future. I am only here because of her. I also owe it to Nichelle to continue her legacy of heroism through sacrifice. And that is what she has taught me.

It’s a beautiful sentiment that honors Nichelle Nichols in quite the fitting way to mark the icon's potential retirement from public life. She’ll be missed at future Star Trek and sci-fi events, I’m sure, but after the time she spent giving to fans , she certainly deserves to take some time off amidst her health and conservatorship issues.

Nichelle Nichols may soon be mostly gone from the public eye, but fans can still re-live her greatest moments in Star Trek with a Paramount+ subscription . They can also catch new episodes of Star Trek: Discovery , which streams on Thursdays.

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How Sonequa Martin-Green became the first black female lead of Star Trek: 'My casting says the sky is the limit for all'

We talk to the cast and visit the set ahead of netflix's all-new reboot, 'star trek: discovery', with each episode rolling out as a weekly episodic show, article bookmarked.

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Star Trek pioneered diversity long before diversity was a hot-button issue. When the series first launched 51 years ago, its original crew featured black, Asian and, yes, females actors – not merely as eye candy – among its cast.

But an all-new reboot, Star Trek: Discovery , goes boldly where no Trek has gone before by placing two women of colour in command of a starship: Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon actress Michelle Yeoh and Walking Dead’s Sonequa Martin-Green.

Trekkies have always been a passionate crowd, although even Star Trek: Discovery’s genial show-runner Aaron Harberts was caught off guard by the intensity of the internet trolls and haters. “It’s our job to reflect the world we live in; a world where more than half the population are women. Quite frankly, I don’t know what all the fuss is about,” argues Harberts when The Independent meets him and his cast.

If Yeoh brushes off the pressure – after all, the Malaysian martial-arts dynamo has quietly been shattering glass ceilings for the past four decades – then much of the burden falls to Sonequa Martin-Green taking centre stage as (arguably) Trek’s first black female lead (some fans point to Nichelle Nichols, who played Uura from 1966-91, as the rightful owner of that honour).

“My casting says that the sky is the limit for all of us. I think what we’re seeing now in our media is this push to diminish and to devalue and to make people feel that the sky is not the limit for them, that they are meant for the ground,” says Martin-Green, a force of energy so bubbly and exuberant, its hard to imagine she was chosen to play a human raised as a Vulcan. Not only chosen, but actively waited on; production halted until her Walking Dead contract ran out.

“So having me as the first black female lead of a Star Trek just blasts that into a million pieces. I am eternally grateful that the diverse casting of our show means that we are now a part of the conversation and hopefully a part of making the world a better place, as cliché as this sounds. Because I really believe it and think its vital for us all right now,” she says, the spectre of Trump lurking unspoken.

Not that she views her casting as a triumph for women alone. “I think it sends a message to any minority group that’s been disenfranchised. We all benefit when we can see a picture of ourselves in a position of leadership and I think that goes not just for women and people in minority groups – but for everyone to see that this is possible. I think that it will help people see the beauty of women in power and also the beauty of minorities in power, and to incite change.”

It should be noted that Martin-Green is the first black female first officer, rather than captain. There has previously been a female captain, played by Kate Mulgrew who made franchise history in 1995 when she was anointed as Captain Janeway in Star Trek: Voyager; however, there has yet to be a black female captain.

Star Trek: Discovery is a prequel to Gene Rodenberry’s original series, set about 10 years prior in a world at war. An interesting experiment from Netflix, fans will not be able to binge on the series, each episode rolling out as a weekly episodic show.

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One of the most popular pop culture franchises in history, now returning to TV 12 years after the last Starfleet was cancelled, Harberts and fellow show runner Gretchen J Berg have plotted a very different course for Star Trek: Discovery .

“I believe this is the first time that it’s a serialised telling of a tale and an exploration of just one character [Martin-Green’s Michael Burnham] along the path of discovering what it means to be human and finding her individuality,” says Harberts. “Those stories have been well told in the movie spin-offs, but were impossible to do on TV where each episode was closed-ended.”

While visiting the Discovery set at Toronto’s Pinewood studios, plot-lines are shrouded in secrecy and many sets are off-limits, although we are allowed a peek inside the quarters shared by the crew’s first gay couple – Anthony Rapp’s Lieutenant Paul Stamets and Wilson Cruz’ Dr Hugh Culber.

“We don’t want to make a big deal about it. Its just treated as perfectly normal – which it should be,” says Harberts.

Trekkies have long been divided into Captain Kirk or Spock camps, and Martin-Green herself has always favoured Leonard Nimoy’s Spock from the original series. “Spock is my favourite in the canon. I loved what Leonard Nimoy did,” she says, reverently referring to the three original seasons as “ TOS ”.

Jason Isaacs, who plays Discovery’s war-mongering Captain Gabriel Lorca, is likewise a Trek fan from a different era, admiring Patrick Stewart’s Captain Jean-Luc Picard from the big screen versions of the late 1990s.

Unsurprisingly, the new cast all geeked out when Jonathan Frakes, who played Riker alongside Stewart in the early film versions, recently guest-directed an episode.

“I’d never met Patrick Stewart before and Jonathan was excited to introduce us at an event we were both attending,” recalls Isaacs, best-known for his role as Lucius Malfoy in the Harry Potter films. “But Jonathan couldn’t come at the last minute so I wandered up behind the world famous silhouette, heard the echo of the magnificent voice, saw the mob of gorgeous well-wishers and... chickened out. So I still don’t know him.”

Born and raised in Alabama, Martin-Green marked her entry into TV nine years ago with a guest spot on an episode of Law & Order , a rite of passage for all New York-based actors, progressing onto episodes on The Good Wife , Gossip Girl and Once Upon a Time before making her name as The Walking Dead’s fiesty Sasha Williams.

“My parents, in particular my mom, were always supportive of my wanting to act but I don’t think either of them viewed it as a legitimate career until they saw me on Law & Order . I played a bisexual high school lacrosse player involved in the beat-down of a high school boy. So much fun,” laughs the actress who has a two-and-a-half-year-old son with husband, Kenric Green.

Its no accident that her captain takes a male name, Michael Burnham. “It is on purpose. It was Brian Fuller’s idea,” she says referring to the writer who conceived the Star Trek reboot, lobbying for a black woman at the fore, before falling out with CBS executives. “A lot of Brian’s female leads have male names. So I am named after my biological father and I love that because I think it really speaks to the gender fluidity. It’s a subtle yet powerful nod to that.”

Certainly Star Trek: Discovery presents a darker narrative. “It‘s grittier and raw in a way that the other iterations have not been. I think that’s one of the ways we’re going boldly where no-one has gone before,” she winks.

She’s excited to meet Nichelle Nichols, 84, who played Uhura on TOS .

“She reached out to me via social media and it will be a glorious day when we meet.”

If the reboot proudly promotes diversity and gender equality then Martin-Green admits her costume fits way too snugly, a common complaint among all previous female Trek cast.

“It’s tight, but its goood,” she says letting the vowel spread like syrup. “It makes you stand up straight so I appreciate it for that. They’re beautifully made and designed. Nor am I complaining about the lipstick after years of running around with zombies in the dirt.”

Empowered by the strong women in her family, she will tell you, “My mother and my older sister are heroes. Also God, right? Because he’s a woman too. He is all things; that’s what I believe.”

And lest you be wondering – yes, the new Star Trek crew do actually repeat the immortal line, “Live long and prosper”.

‘Star Trek: Discovery’ begins streaming on Netflix on 25 September

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