Michael Burnham and Cleveland Booker looked to be on the path to being one of Star Trek's best couples. That is until it all came to a screeching halt. With Discovery's cancellation and only ten episodes left to close out the series, fans might wonder if they'll get closure on the lovers and their relationship in the final season. Fortunately, we have a promising update from Burnham actress Sonequa Martin-Green regarding the matter, and it comes as a bit of relief for this fan.
The ending of Star Trek: Discovery Season 4 was one of the franchise's best, minus one small bit. Booker ultimately survived his ship's destruction and helped Burnham save the day, but Starfleet couldn't overlook his betrayal and decision to help Tarka try to eliminate species 10-C. As part of his sentence, Booker had to help aid families displaced by the DMA, which wasn't too bad of a punishment for treason. The downside was that it essentially took him out of Burnham's orbit. There was little hope for a reunion, until David Ajala's character sprung up in the trailer for the final season. Sonequa Martin-Green was asked about whether Burnham and Booker will get some closure by TVLine and had the following to say:
The relationship between Burnham and Book is definitely going to be covered. It's part of the story. But there are a lot of relationships. There's no stone left unturned, is a great way to say it. We dig into some of everything in Season 5. And I think people will feel like they're getting to know these people better than ever before.
With no more 32nd-century Discovery adventures set for upcoming Trek shows, I'm loving what I'm hearing so far. Not only will we see more between Burnham and Booker, but we're going to get to know characters "better than ever before" it seems. I'm all about that, and I'm sure the people who complain that the series has often been a show about a few characters and is not a true ensemble Trek series will also appreciate it.
While I'm sad that I'll only have a handful of new Star Trek: Discovery episodes left to enjoy with my Paramount+ subscription, I can take solace in the fact that it sounds like the show is committed to furthering the stories of its characters in addition to other narrative changes. What's been made known is that Season 5 will be more action-packed and that the nature of the adventure has opened the door for the show to emulate Strange New Worlds by having more episodic adventures.
Fans also know that Burnham's love story won't be the only one covered, thanks to a past conversation with Star Trek: Discovery actor Doug Jones. Jones confirmed that Season 5 was likely to revisit the relationship between Saru and T'Rina, who confessed their feelings for one another in Season 4.
As for who we'll learn more about in Season 5, there are plenty of characters within the crew that I would like to learn more about. Detmer and Owosekun are two characters I'd also love to get more information on, especially since there's a chance we never see either again after this series. It's my hope that some of these characters will pop up in the announced Starfleet Academy series, assuming theories about it taking place in the Discovery era are accurate.
Amid all of that though, I'm just glad that Burnham and Booker are indeed going to get their time in the sun. They more than deserve it, and one would think that the writers will wrap up their romantic subplot in a fitting way.
Star Trek: Discovery's new season arrives on Paramount+ in April as part of the 2024 TV schedule. CinemaBlend will continue to track updates about it as we near the premiere, and hopefully get a chance to speak to some of the cast about this epic final season.
