Star Trek: Discovery “Michael Burnham and The Vulcan Privilege”

In the Star Trek universe, Vulcan seem to have a special kind of privilege that other Federation members don’t.

Does the Vulcan Science Academy have a special arrangement with Starfleet?
Do graduates from the Science Academy have a fast track to a Starfleet commission?

It seems that anyone who graduates from Vulcan Science Academy doesn’t have to do years of training and learning at Starfleet Academy to become a commissioned officer.

Michael Burnham is a prime example of this Vulcan privilege. After graduating from the Vulcan Science Academy, Michael Burnham wanted to join the Vulcan Expeditionary Group. The Vulcan Expeditionary Group is made up of Vulcan scientists and explorers who conduct scientific research, exploration, and peaceful diplomatic missions on behalf of Vulcan.

Unfortunately, Sarek was given the choice that only one of his “experiments” would be admitted into the Expeditionary Group, so he chose Spock and convinced Michael to join Starfleet.

There’s no evidence suggesting that Michael went to Starfleet Academy. In season 1, episode 7, of Star Trek: Discovery, Burnham said that she spent 7 years on the Shenzhou. In the first episode of season 1, in her personal log, she stated that it was May 11, 2256, a Sunday on Earth, 6 months before episode 7.

Episode 2 begins with a flashback of Burnham and Sarek beaming onto the Shenzhou; there’s a superimposed caption saying 7 years earlier. This means that she earned her commissions while serving on the Shenzhou, eventually becoming the ship’s number one. The scene of Sarek and Captain Georgiou’s interaction seemed so casual—as far as Vulcan casualness goes—as if it were normal for Vulcan Science Academy graduates who weren’t accepted into the Expeditionary Group to join Starfleet instead.

And if that’s the case, then it seems like this privilege only applies to Vulcan Science Academy graduates. In the Kelvin Timeline, McCoy, although a trained doctor, still had to spend several years at the academy to earn his commission.

Even Wesley Crusher, who regularly piloted a starship, worked alongside some of the most brilliant engineers, helping them solve problems, but still had to take an entrance test to get into Starfleet Academy.

On rare occasions, Starfleet does allow someone to gain a commission without having graduated from Starfleet Academy. A few members of the Maquis on Voyager were given field commissions. B’Elanna Torres, for example, had, by the time Voyager got back home, ranked up to lieutenant commander and chief engineer, although she did have some Academy training.

Seven of Nine, on the other hand, with her Borg knowledge, was field-commissioned as a commander by Admiral Picard. However, all of them had to prove themselves and demonstrate a high level of competency.

So why do Vulcan Science Academy graduates get the privilege of being commissioned without having to demonstrate a high level of competency? It’s plausible to assume that, in their studies, Starfleet’s rules and regulations are part of Vulcan’s curriculum. In fact, it might be the other way around. General Order One, Starfleet’s highest code of conduct in dealing with first contact and non-federation alien species, is actually a Vulcan protocol that was adopted by Starfleet.

In Season 1, Episode 9 of Star Trek: Enterprise “Civilization,” Sub Commander T’Pol sites the Vulcan protocol warning against making first contact with a non-warp-capable species and suggesting that Starfleet should adopt them, and it looks like they did just that after the Federation was formed.

So it’s safe to assume that many of Starfleet’s rules and regulations are actually Vulcan in origin. Not only that, but Vulcan science at the time was well ahead of many Federation member world. So, it’s easy to see that Science Academy graduates bring a lot of skills and knowledge vital to Starfleet’s agenda.

It could even be said that Starfleet Academy is based on the Vulcan Science Academy, and perhaps many of their core subjects are similar, with Vulcan’s being a bit more advanced. Similarly, it could also be said that Starfleet itself is based on the Vulcan Expeditionary Group, since many of its core principles are also similar—diplomacy, space exploration, and scientific research.

So with Starfleet being based on the Vulcan Academy, Michael Burnham, like any graduate from Vulcan, doesn’t necessarily have to attend Starfleet Academy to become a commission officer.