you mean didn't mention him? Stamets was off-putting the first time we see him in Ep. 3, kind of a stuck-up Nerd that hates the Captain and thinks he's better than everyone else, except the scientist collaborator on the U.S.S. Glenn. He improves over the season, becomes more humane, he sacrifices himself for the ship, so yeah, I guess you're right, he can serve as a role model. I just didn't think of him that way.
In his first appearance, Stamets reminded me of David Marcus. "I've told you before, scientists have always been pawns to the military!" David was also the wonderkid, and that had to have given him some feeling of superiority.