Starfleet has a rule that starship captains can't be emotionally compromised, but Star Trek: Discovery's Captain Michael Burnham (Sonequa Martin-Green) breaks it constantly and gets away with it. This rule, Regulation 619, states that a commanding officer is required to relieve themselves of command if their current mission left them emotionally compromised and unable to make rational decisions. Regulation 619 has been evident throughout the various Star Trek TV series and movies, but it was most dramatically implemented in J.J. Abrams' Star Trek 2009.
James T. Kirk (Chris Pine) became Acting Captain of the USS Enterprise when he coerced Spock (Zachary Quinto) into violently demonstrating he was emotionally compromised by the destruction of Vulcan. However, Star Trek: Discovery's Captain Burnham, maintains command of the USS Discovery-A even when she is emotionally compromised, which happens often. This was never more evident than in Star Trek: Discovery season 4 when Burnham was at odds with her lover, Cleveland Booker (David Ajala). Burnham even has a noise-canceling bubble installed over her Captain's chair to contain and give privacy to her emotional moments and intimate conversations on the bridge. Yet Michael remained in command of the Discovery as they tried to stop Book and Dr. Ruon Tarka (Shawn Doyle) from attacking Species 10-C.
The Reasons For Star Trek's Captain Emotions Rule
The logical reason for Regulation 619 is to maintain a starship Captain's ability to make rational command decisions. A Captain is in charge of hundreds of his or her crew's lives, and the safety of their starship and personnel must be paramount over any personal issues or desires. Captains always have to choose their ship over their personal feelings. This is one of the reasons so many Captains in Star Trek choose to be alone and don't have families. Meanwhile, Captain Carol Freeman (Dawnn Lewis) on Star Trek: Lower Decks, ordered her Number One, Commander Jack Ransom (Jerry O'Connell), to be Ensign Beckett Mariner's (Tawny Newsome) supervisor to insulate the Captain from her troublemaking daughter.
One of the best examples of a Captain recognizing he is becoming emotionally compromised was in Star Trek: The Next Generation season 6 episode, "Lessons." Captain Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart) became romantically involved with Lt. Commander Nella Daren (Wendy Hughes), and Picard had no choice but to prioritize the Enterprise-D and end their relationship. Daren, in turn, accepted a transfer from Picard's ship. In Star Trek 2009, Spock immediately surrendered command of the Enterprise to Kirk when the Vulcan realized he had lost control of his emotions and violated Regulation 619.
Why Burnham Is The Exception To Star Trek's Captain Emotions Rule
Captain Burnham is repeatedly prone to be emotionally compromised, especially where Book is involved, but she remains in command because of the unique nature of Star Trek: Discovery itself. It's no secret Star Trek: Discovery is Michael Burnham's show and is more focused on its main character than any other Star Trek series. Discovery boasts an ensemble cast, but everything is centered around Burnham, who drives the action of every episode. The series is also a character study of Michael Burnham, and laudably allows her a dynamic range of emotions and character growth. Star Trek: Discovery literally began with Burnham's spectacular failure and told a multi-year arc of her redemption to become Captain.
The USS Discovery-A also has a singular crew that is recognized as a family unit because they all share the experience of taking a one-way trip 930 years into the future together - and they did it for Burnham. Discovery's bridge crew and senior staff don't just see Michael as their Captain, but she is also their beloved friend and the figurative head of their family. Thus, Michael is allowed extraordinary leeway to express her emotions because Discovery's crew knows and trusts Burnham in a more intimate way than other starship crews regard their captains. Federation President Laira Rillak (Chelah Horsdal) even had to accept this truth about Captain Burnham and came to allow her this grace when Rillak personally oversaw Michael in Star Trek: Discovery season 4.
Star Trek: Discovery Season 5 is expected to premiere in 2023 on Paramount+.