Star Trek: Discovery

Largely original characters, though it reframes the franchise around a Black female lead in a prequel era.

• Michael Burnham positioned as Spock's adopted human foster sister, retroactively inserted into established Vulcan family lore

Michael Burnham is a frequently centered, exceptionally capable lead whose instincts repeatedly prove right while authority figures defer to her.

• Burnham repeatedly drives the resolution of major crises across seasons
• Multiple captains and admirals validate her judgment over protocol

Features a central married gay couple plus a prominent non-binary and transgender pairing as core cast.

• Stamets and Culber as an openly gay married couple central to the crew
• Adira (non-binary) and Gray (transgender) introduced as significant recurring characters
• Adira's coming-out conversation about they/them pronouns

Strongly diverse principal cast presented as deliberate inclusivity, consistent with Trek's egalitarian ethos but foregrounded heavily.

• Diverse bridge crew across race, gender, and identity
• Prominent women and people of color in command roles

Frequent earnest speeches about unity, empathy, and inclusion that sometimes prioritize message over plot.

• Recurring monologues on hope, connection, and acceptance
• Identity and belonging framed as central thematic lessons

Some critique of militaristic/aggressive postures but not a sustained anti-male or anti-West framing.

• Klingon antagonists framed around isolationist 'remain Klingon' ideology
• Emotional vulnerability valued over stoic command toughness

Tonally and visually departs from established prequel-era continuity and canon, prompting fan continuity debates, later sidestepped by a time jump.

• Redesigned Klingons and advanced tech in a pre-TOS setting
• Spock given a previously unmentioned adopted sister