Michael Burnham: a WOC with a familial connection to a classic Trek character. She makes a terrific mistake at the beginning of Star Trek Discovery and spends years atoning for it. While she does end up as her ship's captain, it's only after three seasons atoning for it.

Jack Crusher: The actual son of two beloved Trek characters. He's handsome, smart, and speaks 13 languages. Has Borg superpowers from his Dad. Most of Star Trek Picard's third season is about him and how special he is, even Q has named him as the new "Chosen One." Joins Starfleet Academy and is immediately fasttracked to ensign to serve on the latest iteration of the Enterprise. Will probably be one of the focal points of a new Star Trek series

Guess who gets called a Mary Sue?

Michael has to do entire seasons of penance for starting (and that’s debatable whether it’s really even her fault) the Klingon war. And Jack who walked right into the arms of the Borg and definitely is at fault has no culpability or expectation of needing to be redeemed whatsoever? Bullshit.

Me neither, actually. The Klingons already wanted to fight, nothing Michael did was going to change that, and Michael didn’t even get the chance to arm Discovery’s weapons before Captain Georgiou stopped her. And yet… despite that, the narrative comes down on Michael hard. The narrative pins all the blame on her. And it’s pretty much entirely undeserved. Which makes the difference between how Picard treats Jack Crusher and how Discovery treats Michael even more stark.

Beverly & Her Boys

Space Family

Star Trek: The Next Generation
Star Trek: Picard

Jack Crusher is like…the textbook definition of Mediocre White Guy We’re Supposed to Hold in Awe

“This is my original character; he’s the son of Captain Picard and Dr. Crusher; he’s an awesome rogue who drinks whisky and loves classic starships and gets all of the girls, and he can knock people out with one punch and get away with it because he’s so cool, but also he has daddy issues and childhood trauma. His eyes glow red when gets angry and he also has superpowers. And he’s also part Borg and part Changeling and part Pah'Wraith and part Armus. He’s dark and brooding and Seven of Nine likes him.”

A bunch of Trekkies who’ve spent the last six years calling Michael Burnham a “Mary Sue”: “Yeah! Finally! Real Star Trek!”

UPDATE: He’s the Borg Queen’s specialest drone, whatever that means! But he can get out of assimilation through force of will and the power of flashbacks to the last 2 days or so spent kind of bonding with his father. Starfleet waived that whole “Academy” requirement (and indeed that whole “post-secondary education in general” requirement) because of how AWESOME he is! Seven of Nine lets him sit on the bridge as her “special counselor” even though he’s only been an ensign for a day because he’s SUCH a Badass! Q comes back to announce that he’s going to put him on trial for the crimes of humanity!

I’m not joking by the way; literally all of these things actually happened in the series finale.

It really does feel like somebody’s AO3 fic with a $90 million budget.

That’s unfair! Lots of AO3 fics are good.

Dear fanfic writers,

The next time you doubt your work, when you second-guess your ideas, your understanding of the canon, or your skill as a wordsmith…

Remember that Star Trek: Picard Season 3 was a babyfic AU with a bonafide Mary Sue author self insert (whose mummy was Beverly Crusher and whose daddy was Picard) who was such a Very Special Boy that he made ensign in a year, and who strode confidently across the bridge and commanded “lay in a course for the AUTHOR’S NAME system!!”

Remember that.

And then post your stuff to AO3

Can’t really argue. Loved the nostalgia and TNG stuff of the season. But Jack was the weakest link.