Summary
- Sawandi Wilson played Leto, Burnham's son in the Star Trek Discovery finale, continuing the family legacy in Starfleet.
- Leto is the only Captain's child to become a Captain himself, a first in the Star Trek universe.
- Star Trek Discovery season 5 ended with Burnham as a four-star Admiral, celebrating family and new beginnings on the USS Discovery.
Star Trek: Discovery jumped even further into Star Trek's future in its series finale, offering a glimpse into the life of Admiral Michael Burnham (Sonequa Martin-Green), Cleveland Booker (David Ajala), and their son. At the end of Discovery season 2, Captain Burnham and the USS Discovery traveled to the 32nd century, where they began helping the Federation rebuild. After the devastation caused by the Burn, the Federation and Starfleet suffered heavy losses, but they were eventually able to bounce back, even reopening Starfleet Academy. Burnham and her crew brought new hope to the 32nd century, and Burnham's son seems poised to continue the family legacy.
In Star Trek: Discovery season 5, Captain Burnham and her crew embarked on an intergalactic treasure hunt for the powerful technology of the Progenitors. After Burnham decided that the power of creation was too much for any one culture to control, Discovery's crew went home to celebrate the wedding of Admiral Saru (Doug Jones) and Ni'Var President T'Rina (Tara Rosling).
While Discovery could have ended there, the finale included an epilogue that checks in with Burnham about 30 years later. Now a four-star Admiral, Burnham has settled down with Booker on Sanctuary Four and the couple share a son who followed in his mother's footsteps by joining Starfleet. But who plays the new character?
Sawandi Wilson Played Michael Burnham’s Son Leto In Star Trek: Discovery’s Finale
Leto Is Named After Booker's Nephew Who Died When Kwejian Was Destroyed
In the epilogue after Star Trek: Discovery's season 5 ending, the recently promoted Captain Leto (Sawandi Wilson) arrives to transport his mother, Admiral Michael Burnham, to Federation Headquarters. Leto hugs his parents, before he and Burnham head off for one last mission on the USS Discovery. On the journey, Leto worries about his impending captaincy, but Burnham assures him that he'll do fine, telling him that he and his crew will one day see each other as family. Upon arriving at Fed HQ, Burnham reunites with Discovery and its sentient computer system, Zora (Annabelle Wallis), before setting off to deliver the ship to an important location.
As part of another Red Directive mission, Zora and Discovery must wait for the arrival of Craft (Aldis Hodge), which will connect Star Trek: Discovery with Star Trek: Short Treks season 1, episode 2, "Calypso."
Sawandi Wilson began his entertainment career as a breakdancer, appearing in 2010's Step Up 3D. Since then, he has popped up in episodes of Quantico, The Get Down, Law & Order: SVU, Bull, and The House of Flowers. Wilson had a minor role in Isn't It Romantic, starring Rebel Wilson, and he also co-starred in 2020's The Dinner Party. Most recently, Wilson appeared in an episode of Amazon Prime Video's Harlem as Marcus and two episodes of Prime Video's Dudes as Andrew. Sawandi Wilson is set to co-star in the upcoming Protector of the Gods, an afro-futuristic film trilogy written and directed by Kameko Tarnez.
Michael & Leto Burnham Made Star Trek Captain History
Leto is currently the only Captain's kid to become a Captain himself.
Throughout its long history, Star Trek has cycled through plenty of Starfleet Captains, but Burnham and Leto accomplished a Star Trek first. No other Captain's child has successfully risen to the rank of Captain themselves. Although Captain James T. Kirk (William Shatner) had a son, he followed in his mother's footsteps and became a scientist, before his tragic death at the hands of the Klingons. Star Trek: Picard season 3 revealed that Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart) had a son who joined Starfleet at the end of the season, but remains a long way from becoming a captain.
Captain Benjamin Sisko's (Avery Brooks) son, Jake (Cirroc Lofton), was never interested in joining Starfleet, instead pursuing a career in writing. Captain Kathryn Janeway (Kate Mulgrew) and Captain Jonathan Archer (Scott Bakula) have no children, nor does Captain Christopher Pike (Anson Mount). Lt. Beckett Mariner (Tawny Newsome), the daughter of Captain Carol Freeman (Dawnn Lewis), resists any kind of promotion, preferring to remain a Lower Decker. This leaves Leto as the only Captain's kid to have truly followed in his parent's footsteps, but Star Trek: Discovery came to an end before revealing the kind of captain he will be.
