Michael's father is played by Sonequa Martin-Green's real life husband, Kenric Green.
The idea that Michael's mother is tethered to a point in time is similar to DS9: "The Visitor" (also involving a dead parent who returns), in which Sisko is temporally tethered to his son Jake.
According to series creator Bryan Fuller (who has a history of inventing female leads with male names for his various TV shows), Michael is named after her father Michael Burnham, while her mother's first name is Gabrielle.