#SPORE DRIVE SERIES#

Aside from whether its biologically plausible for him to do this, why does tardigrade DNA allow you to interface with the space mushrooms? The human brain has vast processing power and can store an immense amount of information, but I don’t buy that in the 23rd century a state-of-the-art starship isn’t equipped with a supercomputer more capable than a single human/tardigrade brain. Stamets takes it upon himself to change his genetic makeup - giving himself some tardigrade DNA so that he can interface with the system. When it becomes clear that this is actually not great for our friendly neighborhood mushroom space bear, Lt. First off, setting the absurdity of the technology aside, why would Starfleet only give it to two ships (a sister ship to Discovery is destroyed early in the first season) and why would it be so difficult to replicate anywhere else? Second, given this new technology, you seriously think the powers that be in the galaxy would just abandon it (and never even mention it) in any other series? More importantly, why in the universe does using the drive require something living to interface with it? In an attempt to pander to what’s trendy in science, the crew originally uses a giant space tardigrade (eliciting a huge eyeroll from yours truly) - poking it with these pleasant looking needles every time they need to jump. There are several obvious problems I see with Discovery’s “spore drive”, but most of them I can look past for the sake of the narrative of the show. Whatever.Īnyways, this new technology allows Discovery to disappear and reappear instantaneously anywhere in the known universe (and potentially other universes), making the ship an enormous tactical asset in the war against the Klingons. Stamets is right (technically), that everything is physics if you look deep enough (and one might argue mathematics is even deeper), but that doesn’t mean his newfound spore biology will stop following the laws of physics, which currently do not even come close to entertaining starship transport via fungus. Stamets (played wonderfully by Anthony Rapp) explains that really “biology is physics” and somehow that enables magic fungi to transport us across the universe.

#SPORE DRIVE SERIES#

In the third episode of the show (after what may be the greatest pilot of any Trek series ever - whatever you think of Discovery you can’t deny that the “Battle at the Binary Stars” was awesome) we are finally introduced to the USS Discovery and the secrets she carries, including a fancy new way to travel the universe - called the “spore drive.” As resident “astromycologist” (does that not sound a little ridiculous to anyone else?) Lt. But there’s one thing that still nags at me every time I watch - why in Kirk’s name does the ship have to travel across the universe using a fungal network?ĭiscovery’s protagonist Michael Burnham screaming something along the lines of “Khannn!” in frustration at the idiocy of the spore drive. Even if some of Discovery’s choices might cause loyal Trek fans to raise an eyebrow and ask some continuity questions (such as why the Federation apparently abandoned hologram technology) overall I can look past most of those things. The characters are compelling, the acting good, the special effects are stunning, and the set design is beautiful. Also, just as a disclaimer, aside from the controversy surrounding locking Discovery behind CBS’s paywall, I have been overall enjoying the show. With Star Trek: Discovery hitting its mid-season finale recently, I figured it was appropriate to write this post up without spoiling the plot for too many people - but that being said, if you haven’t watched the show yet and don’t want to know about the titular ship’s new mode of transportation, stop reading now. Kirk also helps run the StarTalk Snapchat (startalk-radio).

He spends his summer weekends working at the largest public observatory in Idaho, the Bruneau Sand Dunes State Park Observatory, where he gives educational astronomy presentations and operates various large telescopes for the public. Kirk is majoring in astrophysics while minoring in applied mathematics and piano at Boise State University. Today’s guest blog post is by StarTalk intern Kirk Long. Novem9:00 pm SPOILERS: Star Trek Discovery’s “Spore Drive” is Nonsense (and Other Musings on Sci-Fi Travel Technology).

Spore drive