Star Trek: Discovery’s spore drive may be a work of science-fiction, but the name of Anthony Rapp’s character reveals more thought has gone into the bizarre form of propulsion than it seems. Rapp’s presence in theStar Trek: Discoveryseason 5 castmay very well have resulted in him playing Paul Stamets for the final time, although the franchise does have a long history of bringing characters back via time travel and otheroverused sci-fi TV tropes. That being said, hisStar Trekreturn may not be necessary,Discoveryended pretty satisfyingly for the main cast.
Rapp played Commander Paul Stamets throughout allfive seasons ofStar Trek: Discovery, with his unique arc becoming one of the most compelling parts of the show from day one. The story behindPaul Stamets' name reveals a lot about where his journey was headedeven before the first episode had aired. The figure on which Rapp’s character was loosely based heavily influenced the direction of the show and what happened to the USS Discovery’s crew, allies, and enemies.
Anthony Rapp’s Star Trek: Discovery Character Shares A Name With A Real Mycologist
The Real Paul Stamets is also a mushroom specialist
Mushrooms feature unusually heavily inStar Trek: Discovery, which can take some getting used to. The role of Anthony Rapp’s character on board the USS Discovery is as the ship’s mycologist. His experience and research don’t just help him maintainDiscovery’s spore drive- he also helped design the technology that lets the ship jump instantly from one location to another, sometimes covering huge distances in the process. The entire process seems very bizarre, butStar Trek: Discoverygrounded the invention by giving Rapp’s character the exact same name as a real-world mycologist: Paul Stamets.
The real Stamets is respected in his field, very well-versed in various types of mushrooms, and a major proponent of their use in a medicinal manner.
The real Stamets is an amateur mycologist, so his fictionalStar Trek: Discoverycounterpart is far more qualified. That being said, the real Stamets is respected in his field, very well-versed in various types of mushrooms, and a major proponent of their use in a medicinal manner. His entrepreneurial spirit combined with his love of mycology led to Stamets founding a company named Fungi Perfecti in 1980 - which is still active today. According to theFungi Perfectiwebsite,Stamets has been, “teaching mushroom seminars for over 30 years.”
Star Trek: Discovery’s Mycelial Network & Spore Drive Are Based On Real Science
The USS Discovery’s mushroom-based propulsion system isn’t entirely fictional
Although they don’t all interact in exactly the same way as they do inStar Trek: Discovery, all the buzzwords like “spores,” “tardigrade,” and “mycelial network,” aren’t fictional. Spores act in pretty much the same way in the real world as they do inDiscovery, butthe concept of an alien tardigrade is whereStar Trekstarts to veer from the path. Tardigrades do exist, but they haven’t yet been proven to exist anywhere other than Earth.
Star Trek: Discovery Ends With 1 Last Spore Drive Mystery
There’s one more question that the Star Trek: Discovery series finale left unanswered about the USS Discovery’s spore drive.
Star Trek: Discovery’s mycelial network also hugely bends the truth of its real-life counterpart. Said system is how mushrooms connect and communicate with each other underground. It has the same general idea inDiscovery, but it doesn’t exist in space, and therefore can’t be navigated like it is in the show. However,Star Trek: Discovery’s attention to detail and use of actual scientific concepts is still impressive.
Star Trek: Discovery
Cast
Star Trek: Discovery is an entry in the legendary Sci-Fi franchise, set ten years before the original Star Trek series events. The show centers around Commander Michael Burnham, assigned to the USS Discovery, where the crew attempts to prevent a Klingon war while traveling through the vast reaches of space.
