Fans of Star Trek: Discovery will know that the series has already put Michael Burnham and her crewmates through some very serious and dangerous tribulations in just two seasons. During that time, Burnham was able to briefly develop a romance with Ash Tyler, but he decided to stay behind when Burnham and the Discovery jumped into the future. Burnham has already come across some new people, though, and the showrunner is now revealing her "spark" with one new character in particular.
Burnham and Tyler's relationship managed to recover a bit from the blow of her (and him...and everyone else) eventually finding out that he was really a Klingon sleeper agent who'd undergone a painful procedure to have his DNA and memories spliced with the actual human he was pretending to be. But, the loss of Tyler to the past doesn't mean that Burnham's life will be without sparks. Discovery's showrunner, Michelle Paradise, recently spoke with TVLine about Book, the new character who helps her in some desperate situations:
There’s a spark. They meet each other when they’re fighting each other, so that’s definitely spark-y… [W]e’re not entirely sure what to make of him. There’s a much, much deeper layer to him, and his motivations are maybe different than what we would expect them to be.
Cleveland Booker, better known as Book, is introduced to Season 3 of Star Trek: Discovery (and Burnham, for that matter) when he suddenly attacks her after she's crashed into his ship and both have landed on an untamed planet. As viewers who tuned in for the premiere will know, the future is very little like when and where Burnham came from, so Book has every reason to suspect that she's up to no good.
Michelle Paradise is right that when you have two characters being introduced to each other in such a way, it can be easy to see sparks between them, and this is certainly what happens with Burnham and Book. Seeing as how the Starfleet officer is very good at talking her way out of things (much like Book), the two are able to stop fighting and come to an agreement rather quickly, which Burnham basically has no choice at, because of her position as a stranger in a new time which is very much unlike her own.
As far as whether or not fans can expect for those rare quiet moments between Burnham and Book to turn into something more than an alliance and friendship, Paradise would only say:
Having someone who is there and can help her guide her through, at least in the beginning, story-wise, that was really important. And they will continue to be in each other’s orbits as the season progresses….As far as a spark goes, who knows where that kind of thing goes?
Well, I, for one, think it goes to space sex, but I suppose we'll just have to wait and see how things between Burnham and Booker turn out as Season 3 progresses. I mean, it would be a shame if we can't use the couple name "Bookham" to refer to these two by the time Season 4 rolls around, right? Star Trek: Discovery airs new episodes on CBS All Access every Thursday, so be sure to tune in. In the meantime, you can see what else is coming up with our guide to fall TV!
