The Personal log of Michael Burnham contained her entries she made in Starfleet in the 2250s and into the late 3180s.
Entries[]
- Personal log, Specialist Michael Burnham, Stardate 2136.8.
- Despite my fears to the contrary, I seem to have found my place on this Discovery. An air of routine has descended upon the ship, and even I am a part of it. I've made friends. Well, one at least. I take comfort in my work. This ship has quickly become the most important weapon in the Federation's arsenal in our war against the Klingons. And because of her, the tide has turned. Because of us, we are winning. Lieutenant Stamets' ability to pilot the ship's spore drive has given him access not just to all of space, but to unseen parts of his personality as well. As we perform our daily responsibilities, I confess I find some members of my fellow crew more interesting than others. Lieutenant Tyler has suffered so much, and still maintains such dignity and kindness. I find him… intriguing. But I fear my personal history interferes with my ability to forge relationships. I am among the others… but also apart. I wish sorely to step out of my comfort zone, yet don't know how. But tonight, I will face one of my greatest challenges so far. Tonight we are having… a party.
- Personal log.
- Just as repetition reinforces repetition, change begets change. I guess the truth is, we never really know what's coming. Sometimes the only way to find out where you fit in is to step out of the routine, because sometimes where you really belong was waiting right around the corner all along.(DSC episode: "Magic to Make the Sanest Man Go Mad")
- Personal log, Specialist Michael Burnham, Stardate 1308.9.
- We landed on Pahvo eighteen hours ago. It's a seemingly uninhabited planet, but a unique and, for us, strategic one. Every tree, rock, and blade of grass here vibrates with its own specific tone. Together these combine to form a kind of music, the signature sound of the planet heard everywhere on the surface. The sound is even broadcast into space by a towering crystal structure, a sort of naturally-occurring transmitter. It is Starfleet's plan to modify the electromagnetic frequency of Pahvo's signal and harness it as a form of SONAR that can detect the presence of cloaked Klingon vessels decimating our fleet, make them visible to our sensors, and turn the tide of war in our favor.(DSC episode: "Si Vis Pacem, Para Bellum")
- Stardate 1029.46. Personal log, Commander Michael Burnham.
- Any rational explanation for the seven signals that have appeared across the galaxy continues to escape me. And with it, perhaps, any chance of a relationship with my brother Spock. What did he see in them that I can't? My failure to understand feels like a failure to reach him at a time when he might me need me most. (DSC episode: "Point of Light")
- Personal log, Commander Michael Burnham.
- My mother taught me the greatest mysteries come in threes: Birth, life, death. The past, the present, and future. That's where the Red Angel is from. We now have confirmation, thanks to Mr. Saru. The Angel is humanoid, and wearing an exosuit made of future technology we've never seen. But whose future, and why? The only person who may be able to answer these questions is the one person nobody can find. (DSC episode: "Light and Shadows")
- Personal log, Stardate 1051.8.
- We're in the process of abandoning our ship in order to destroy it. This is actually happening, yet somehow I still can't believe it. Long-range sensors show Control is on the move and gaining quickly. Its infiltrated our subspace radio relays, so we can't reach Starfleet for backup. Ship-to-ship communication is all we've got. Discovery contains the one thing in all the galaxy that Control needs, the data to become fully conscious. My mother sacrificed everything to stop Control from getting that data, and now she's counting on us to finish the job. But is this really the only solution? I look in the mirror and can hardly recognize myself anymore. All these questions without answers. There are seven signals, but we've only seen four. We have a time crystal that we don't know how to use. Captain Pike has always had faith that they play a part in some grand design. Now… more than ever… I wish I had his certainty. (DSC episode: "Such Sweet Sorrow")
- Personal log, Michael Burnham
- I don't know what I expected of the future, but this isn't it. Travel and resources are severely limited. The Federation's a distant memory.
It all started with something called The Burn. Hoping my new friend, if I can even call him that, will be able to give me some answers. I honestly have no idea what the next sunrise will bring... other than it will be my first day in this new tomorrow, a chance to start again. All things considered, that is an amazing gift. Where there is life, there is hope. There is always hope.[1]
- Personal log, Commander Michael Burnham. Stardate 865211.3.
- Automatic transmissions to USS Discovery, wherever or whenever it might be. I'm sending you this message because you need to know what I've learned here. I hope that by some miracle you will receive it some day. Seven hundred years after we left, dilithium supplies dried up. The Federation trialed alternative warp drive designs but none proved reliable. Then came the Burn. No one knows how or why it happened but in an instant, all dilithium went inert. Any ship with an active warp core detonated. The Federation, as we know it, disappeared overnight. It's now just a shadow of its former self. We didn't give everything for this version of the future and I'll be damned if I let it stand. I've become a courier. I transport goods in exchange for dilithium to keep exploring sector by sector. Searching for clues as to what caused The Burn. Answers that might help to bring the Federation together again. Wherever I go, I look for you, my friends. I listen for any sign of your arrival but communication remains severely limited. Even if I did find you, I know it would be different, because I am different. But I will always love you. I've had to accept I may never see you again. You can love someone and still let them go. It feels like a dream, this world. A strange, terrible, beautiful dream. Luckily, I'm not alone on this journey. I found a friend in the truest sense of the word. This is my life now and I... (DSC episode: "People of Earth")
- Personal log, supplemental.
- Even after a year of finding my way alone, I truly believed I could find a way to fit back into this uniform, onto this ship. Now I'm not so sure. I've become someone new; still just as committed to the Federation, to my friends — but there's a distance between us now. I know I'll never be at peace until I solve the Burn. But I don't know if I can do it from Discovery. This may not be my home anymore, and I don't know what that means or where it will lead me. (DSC episode: "Unification III")
- Commander log, supplemental.
- More than a hundred and twenty years after it happened, we finally found the source of The Burn. All those theories, all those "what ifs"...
It wasn't an attack on the Federation at all. We still have so many questions, and we need answers, but right now, the priority has to be getting back onto Discovery.
It's the only way we can protect the Federation, the only way we have any hope of saving our captain. And Hugh. Adira...
Time is not on our side but with so much at stake, failure is not an option. Whatever it takes, we will find a way. We have to.[2]
- Personal log, Michael Burnham.
- One of the last before I have the privilege of calling myself Captain. I am beyond lucky, beyond grateful, to be here right now, to be able to serve with this crew, this family. My new home...
The Burn took a toll across the galaxy: planets cut off from each other, loved ones separated, too many lives lost.
But we finally have the answers we need... Now we can rebuild. Reconnect. Heal.
I'm so proud to have been a part of that, and I can't wait to see what we accomplish moving forward. It's up to us, all of us, to leave the past behind, to step out of the darkness and into the light.
I believe we can do it. We are the Federation, we can do anything...[3]
- Personal log, supplemental.
- I'm still trying to piece together what happened today... trying to make some kind of sense out of it.
The mission, what went wrong, I will figure it out. Situational analysis. Data analysis. What I could've done differently.
The Rillak of it all, though... I have no idea what to make of her. I can't imagine being in her shoes: Brand new presidency, all of us barely out from under the Burn — and her entire job is to foster trust, bring planets and species together, make the Federation whole again. I think about that, the pressure she's under... and you know, maybe I could help? Or, at least it could be a point of connection. But I don't think she sees me, not yet. Not really.
Anyway, it doesn't matter. She'll be here in a few minutes for a mission debrief so I should cut this short. Until next time...[4]
- Personal log, Michael Burnham.
- I read a historical record once about how monks on Earth made the best ales. Alongside their spiritual labors, they crafted beers of intoxicating complexity.
I heard something similar about the Qowat Milat. Alongside their labors, they brew a hallucinogenic tea that they only drink in each other's company. I'm told the Qowat Milat tea sessions can last days and in them, bonds that transcend life and death are formed.
I... I've had the thought that it would be nice if my mom brought me a cup of that tea some time and we would spend a day sipping it together.
But I suppose with all that's happening, it's not the right time.
Maybe someday I'll ask her about it...[5]
Appendices[]
Logs of the USS Discovery (NCC-1031) | |||
---|---|---|---|
Personal logs | R. A. Bryce • Michael Burnham • Hugh Culber • Keyla Detmer • Eva Nilsson • Joann Owosekun • Christopher Pike • Jett Reno • Saru • Paul Stamets • Linus • Adira Tal • Slyvia Tilly | ||
Other logs | Medical log |
Notes and refences[]
- ↑ Star Trek Logs on Instagram: "...there is hope...
- ↑ Star Trek Logs on Instagram: "Whatever it takes...
- ↑ Star Trek Logs on Instagram: "We can rebuild. Follow @startreklogs
- ↑ Star Trek Logs on Instagram: "Still figuring out if President Rillak is...
- ↑ Star Trek Logs on Instagram: "Those who are closest help move...
External link[]
Personal log, Michael Burnham article at Memory Alpha, the wiki for canon Star Trek.