My other, more far fetched theory, based on the Elon Musk reference: the drive is just shifting their reality.
Why Spore Drive may not work in the future
- Thread starter XCV330
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I didn't say Ripper killed them directly. His breaking free of his restraints and smashing his way out of the reaction cube during a jump led to the reaction going out of control, and ultimately to the Glenn smashing into the radiation barrier mentioned by Stamets - that's what deformed and liquefied the crewmembers.
Ripper did, however, undoubtedly rip the Klingons found aboard the Glenn limb-from-limb, as they were probably attacking him, and he doesn't like that.
Or later seasons might deal with whatever issues lead to its discontinuation....
Eventually the Borg will try to assimilate the Spore technology.
The only source in the galaxy is in Federation space and it took the Federation's unique focus on science to discover it.
Romulans would see it as a planet of no strategic significance. Klingons would only be interested in wrestling giant water bears.
Or it could just be a test by a Q-like being. Give them the ability to travel all over the universe, but it'll hurt a living creature. Also the nature of the spores and Ripper does make you wonder if there's something further up the spore foodchain. If Ripper can travel straight to the spores, maybe something even larger and meaner can.
Romulans would see it as a planet of no strategic significance. Klingons would only be interested in wrestling giant water bears.
Or it could just be a test by a Q-like being. Give them the ability to travel all over the universe, but it'll hurt a living creature. Also the nature of the spores and Ripper does make you wonder if there's something further up the spore foodchain. If Ripper can travel straight to the spores, maybe something even larger and meaner can.
This explains Lorca's tribble! We now know why he has one and not a beagle.
I predict that Ripper will make a permanent bond with the spores and together they will depart for parts unknown. Thus making the 'spore drive' useless, because there won't be any spores (or tardigrade) left to power it.
Yep. My prediction is that:
1) They'll find the creature is intelligent and sentient.
2) The 'Spore Drive' will eventually kill/cause great harm to the creature.
So yeah the moral issue is: Does the Federation continue to effectively kill/injure/enslave these creatures for their ability to run an infinite improbability drive (which is what this Spore Drive tech is) and go anywhere instantly.
During the war the answer will be 'Yes'; and will be pushed by Lorca.
As the war ends and civilian oversight comes back into the picture and the tech will be banned
OR
The Klingons will try to obtain and use the Spore Drive tech; and if/when they can't they will either totally destroy the planet where these 'navigator' creatures live (or wipe them and the spores out completely some other way); and as a result, the tech will become useless <--- And that explains why no other race in the Galaxy (except perhaps the Iconians in the distant past) has any type of tech resembling the 'Spore Drive' in future eras of the Star Trek Universe.
My guess is that since it appears there's an entire ecosystem out there, there's something that eats tardigrades and thinks starships look even tastier.
Could the monster be extremely rare and enslaving them is a question of ethics? It'd be very un-Federation like to inflict pain upon the animal, all against its will, for tactical gain. Though Lorca definitely has it in him to overlook this, he seems to be willing to cut a lot of corners and ethics to win the war. I mean the Equinox episode of Voyager kind of addresses this, they were enslaving or killing (can't remember) creatures to gain faster warp travel and Voyager never implemented this tech.
Perhaps the tardigrade suffers a little bit of brain damage every time the spore drive is used.
Nah...it killed random redshirt guy on the boarding party too...didn't it?
I think it's weird that there are a lot of fans who call out this aspect of the show as being something they don't enjoy.
We get something that is completely unique for Star Trek (when was the last time those words were uttered??) and is based in some actual, albeit obscure science...and people think it's ridiculous and implausible.
Really? 700+ hours of Star Trek...and THIS is the element you think is ridiculous and implausible?
We get something that is completely unique for Star Trek (when was the last time those words were uttered??) and is based in some actual, albeit obscure science...and people think it's ridiculous and implausible.
Really? 700+ hours of Star Trek...and THIS is the element you think is ridiculous and implausible?
It is indeed pretty unique in its stupidity.
No it is not. As I said in other thread, it is based on real science in the same way as the Force is based on real science because it works using midichlorians, which live in cells and there is real science which studies cells.
It is certainly pretty high on that list, this is 'Threshold' level stupid and rather than being one episode we can forget ever happened, it is a central plot point of the entire series.
It's "unique in its stupidity?" That's an engaging and intelligent position to take. Thank you.
For you to ignore such magical constructs as
Red Matter
Protomatter
Universal Translators
Transporters (and all the things we've seen transporters do, like de-age people, send people to an alternate universe, split people into good and evil, etc)
Genesis Devices
etc etc etc
...ilustrares your bias.
Isn't this twice you've tried to lecture me on the plausibility of scientific theories and realities? I'm assuming you have some kind of science credentials besides watching the Science Channel and reading Neil Degrasse Tyson books?
Nah, I have an art degree, I'm just not completely scientifically illiterate. You said 'it's based on real science', it simply is not.