iMac doesn't recognize superdrive

What do you mean it "doesn't recognize superdrive"?

No drivers are required but, the drive will not appear on its own on the Mac. You need to have a disc in the drive the Mac can read, and understand and then the disc will appear in Finder or the Desktop if the appropriate options "Show CDs,DVDs, and iPods" are set in the Finder Settings, General and Sidebar.

If all is set correctly, then make sure whatever disc you are trying to read is compatible with the Mac. Also make sure the super drive is connected directly to the Mac or via an adapter. Using a dock or hub can sometimes cause the Mac to not correctly access the drive, or for the drive to not have enough power if the dock or hub is not externally powered.

please see Phil0124's reply first.

but also please note, when dealing with a superdrive, there will be a "CDs & DVDs" pane in system settings when a superdrive is connected even if there is not a disc in the drive.

ventura and later:

Monterey and earlier:

Thanks Jeffrey. Learn something new every day.

you're welcome. :)

you're welcome.