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In Star Trek Discovery S1:E1 - The Vulcan Hello - with Captain Georgiou, we see Michael Burnham wearing a Star Trek insignia badge.
Later in Star Trek Discovery S01:E07 - Magic to Make the Sanest Man Go Mad we see that Michael Burnham doesn't have an insignia badge - despite having a position in the science crew.
My question is: Why does Michael Burnham not regain her insignia badge when she joins The Discovery?
One of the purposes of the badge is to present the holder's rank. Michael Burhnam has been stripped of rank at her court-martial, therefore, although not clearly stated anywhere, she is not eligible for having a badge.
Please note that these badges are not commbadges, known from TNG+ era. Commbadges may be required to be worn by everyone (including civilians and specialists without a Starfleet rank) onboard, as they work as a communication and user-location device. We clearly see that in ST:DIS the crew uses a TOS-era communicator devices, not the badges. We have not seen that the badges are used to locate the wearer either. Therefore, a DIS-era badge serves no practical purpose for someone without a rank.
