While Star Trek has always been a story of the many versus the one, when Star Trek: Discovery Season 1 premiered in 2017, it introduced audiences to a new and central character, Michael Burnham; a human Starfleet officer raised on Vulcan after being orphaned as a child whose fate is tied to that of the universe, it seems.

As Burnham, Sonequa Martin-Green has helmed this cast as they traveled to the Mirror Universe, ended a war with the Klingons, solved the Red Angel mystery, battled Control for the Sphere data, and then leaped 930 years into the future where they, once again, saved the universe.

Meanwhile, running the show since the midpoint of Star Trek: Discovery Season 2, Michelle Paradise has been the off-screen creative force behind the flagship of Paramount+'s reborn Star Trek franchise.

In anticipation of the Star Trek: Discovery Season 4 premiere, the star and the showrunner sat down virtually with press to look at where the new season finds the Discovery and its crew.

Star Trek: Discovery has made epic finales a tradition during its run. Season 1 ended with the arrival of the USS Enterprise, which bridged into Season 2's search for Burnham's brother, Spock. Season 2, likewise, ended with Burnham leading the Discovery into the 32nd Century, where Star Trek: Discovery Season 3 took place.

Paradise speaks to how finales are special even if she can't say where Season 4's finale will wind up or how it will tie in with the hypothetical -- but much-hoped-for -- Season 5.

"The ends of seasons are always really interesting and challenging. I joined halfway through Season 2, and, coming into Season 2, they knew from the beginning that they wanted to make this jump to the future. That's where they were traveling to. Alex had already set that up.

"And then coming into Season 3, what we were looking at for the end was to solve this mystery, and we wanted to start bringing the Federation back together again. I do feel like every season has its arc and has a definitive end.

"Sometimes, like with Season 2, it tees up something very specific. We're going to the future. And then other times, it is a wrap-up of the story that we've been telling over the course of the season.

"What Season 4 does, I can't tell you because then that would give it all away, and then you wouldn't want to watch the season, and that would be sad. But I can tell you that there is an end to Season 4."

Saru: Outside can be challenging...
Su'Kal: Dangerous
Saru: ...but it is also beautiful. And diverse. And filled with wonder.

• Permalink: ...but it is also beautiful. And diverse. And filled with wonder.

On Star Trek Day 2020, Trek-verse anchor and icon Jonathan Frakes spoke about directing Season 3 of Discovery and how Martin-Green had returned to the set with an entirely new and wonderful life to her. When he asked about it, she told him that Burnham was no longer driven by fear.

Martin-Green recalls that and expands on how that will affect Burnham and Discovery's crew in Season 4 and how they will conquer the fear of the unknown.

"Going into Season 3, also going into Season 4, Burnham is no longer led by fear or shame. And I think a lot of times they go hand in hand. They definitely did for Burnham. They do for a lot of the folks in our story.

"I think that if you zoom all the way out, the only thing that conquers fear is love because fear and hate go hand in hand a lot as well. It's love in the full sense of it, not in the way that we tend to think about it sometimes -- the very comfortable, convenient, flowery, feel-good way.

"Love is so much more than that. This crew, they love each other. They're learning to love themselves. And they're also learning to just love what they do and what they sacrifice for.

"I think focusing on that is what then helps you say no to fear. Which," she smiles, "is a callback to the graduation speech from the end of Season 1."

The only way to defeat fear is to tell it 'No'. No, we will not take shortcuts on the path to righteousness. No, we will not break the rules that protect us from our basest instincts. No, we will not allow desperation to destroy moral authority.

Burnham

• Permalink: The only way to defeat fear is to tell it 'No'. No, we will not take shortcuts on the path to...

Season 4 sees Burnham achieve and accept the role of captain, a path she began with Prime Universe Georgiou before the Klingon war began. Martin-Green is honest that it's a role that means more than the job of giving orders. It means seeking a balance between many competing pressures.

"This new role as captain -- and just the life of the story for everyone -- is all about that. It really is. It's all about balancing duty versus joy -- not really versus -- but duty and joy in the midst of uncertainty.

"Everyone is grappling for this balance because, as you can imagine, this uncertainty -- being as big as it is and potentially as impactful as it is and what a threat it is -- requires everyone to rise up in a way like they never have before.

"Now, everyone has to find that balance, and they're forced to. Of course, it's like as soon as [Burnham] took the seat, here comes this anomaly. It's a lot, but it is what makes these people leaders. It's what makes them heroes."

Burnham's long-time colleague and one-time rival, Saru, captained the Discovery through the majority of Season 3. Will Season 4 see a dynamic shift in their relationship now that Burnham is flying their ship?

Paradise feels that the relationship is constantly evolving. "I feel like Burnham and Saru have been on a journey together in their relationship, and [while] they've had moments in Seasons 1 and 2, in Season 3, some things came to a head in terms of their friendship and loyalty and trust.

"It feels like by the end of Season 3, they've worked through a lot of those struggles and have gotten to a new place that is really, really great.

"In Season 4, you will see that relationship solidify in whatever form it ultimately takes between the two of them. [There's] a lot of mutual respect and love and care and support for one another, whatever their roles may be."

Martin-Green expresses her affection for the Burnham-Saru bond. "I'll add how brilliant Doug Jones is and how much I flippin' love him and just what a joy it is to be his sister of sorts in the story. I love Burnham and Saru. I really do. [It holds] such a deep, dear place in my heart."

As the head writer and showrunner of Star Trek: Discovery, Paradise is tasked with finding each character's voice and guiding their development. And while it's always hard to pick a favorite child, does she enjoy writing for any particular character more than the others?

She finds it hard to choose. "I don't know. I love writing all of them. All of these characters are so very different, and I enjoy that. I really love the smaller character moments. I love finding out new things about these characters, whoever it may be.

"We spend a fair amount of time in the [writers'] room talking about those sorts of things and how can we, in any given episode, learn something new about someone. To me, the character exploration is a lot of fun, but I enjoy all of it. It's just a blast. It's such a treat to get to write on this show."

Martin-Green calls her bluff facetiously, "To be honest, it's Grudge."

Paradise concedes, "Grudge. Yeah, okay, fine. Y'know, whenever I write 'meow' in a script, it's like... [chef's kiss]."

Serious again, Paradise praises her (human) cast. "All of our actors are just so amazing. Anything you write for them, they're going to take it, and they're going to elevate it. That's, for me, one of the great joys about working with this cast. They're all great."

Star Trek: Discovery Season 4 premieres on Paramount+ on November 18, with new episodes streaming every Thursday after that.

Diana Keng was a staff writer for TV Fanatic. She is a lifelong fan of smart sci-fi and fantasy media, an upstanding citizen of the United Federation of Planets, and a supporter of AFC Richmond 'til she dies. Her guilty pleasures include female-led procedurals, old-school sitcoms, and Bluey. She teaches, knits, and dreams big. Follow her on X.