Why was Stamets chosen to be gay?

[OpenMaw]

When do these things stop being an "issue" is what I want to know. Is it only okay for the straight white male to be the spy, or the one who dies? It's pretty obvious the writers aren't being malicious, nor are they trying to put these characters into some kind of a trope category. Stamets homosexuality is presented fairly straight forward and up front. With not a shred of apprehension, exactly as it should be.

I love Stamets, he's basically my favorite character on the show. Do I think he'll die? It's possible, but my hope, especially when factoring in that scene of him laughing after the first spore jump, and having that sense of enlightenment, will be that he will, as King Daniel put it, ascend. He'll have an epiphany, be able to travel anywhere in the universe, and stop anyone else from spore-jumping because it causes the network a great deal of harm.

 

[Kemaiku]

Due to, as I already mentioned, the disproportinate amount of LGBTQ characters that die, despite them being one of the smallest shown groups in media accounting for 10% of deaths. They would have to survive much more often to even make it even.

But I guess most people are more comfortable when they die and not stick around.

 

[Crazy Eddie]

I assumed it was because the actor who plays him obviously is and the producers just figured they might as well let him run with it to get a more genuine and convincing performance.

 

[The Memetic Susurrus]

I think they will kill a Stamets off tonight - the uptight, no-nonsense jerk we first met in episode three. But the other Stamets - the zonked-out hippie surfer type - will be waiting to rejoin Discovery and her crew where it's going next in the season's second half...

That thought had occurred to me, too. After all, if I don't completely miss the boat, we're seeing something interesting in the lead-up to the Mirror Universe duology: a conscious mixing of characteristics between the Prime and Mirror counterparts. Stamets is "seeing" glimpses of other timelines and, unless I'm misinterpreting, they are leaving imprints on him. So, Hippy Stamets may be an imprint from elsewhere (perhaps the Mirror universe, perhaps another timeline). Clearly we're meant to believe that Stamets is in mortal peril, based on last week’s episode and the preview for tonight’s. And, since we’ve seen him developed as a character and as he’s risen in the estimation of some fans (myself, included), it would make a certain degree of sense to see his “final” personality—post-Mirror episodes—somewhere close to that of the Hippy Stamets vice Grumpy Stamets.

So, I, too, wouldn’t be surprised to see “a” Stamets die. I would also not be surprised to see that Stamets be the Grumpy one…

 

[GeekUSACarl]

I don't think he'll die. If anything, he'll ascend and become Gay Fungi Jesus.

i dunno, jesus wasnt a very fun guy so...

 

[Nerys Myk]

i dunno, jesus wasnt a very fun guy so...

The stand up on the mount was a killer set.

 

[ITDUDE]

Kill them all except Tilly (and maybe Burnham). Promote Tilly to Captain, Burnham back to 1st officer (as was promised from the get go), after she saves the galaxy. Also save Saru and demote him to Science officer (he is not commanding officer material). Kill the rest.

 

[Nerys Myk]

With his tardigrade DNA Stamets might be "kill proof"
Scientists Finally Figured Out Why Tardigrades Are So Indestructible

 

[Shawnster]

I don't think he'll die. If anything, he'll ascend and become Gay Fungi Jesus.

I like the idea that he ascends and becomes The Traveler from TNG.

 

[Infern0]

Don't get me wrong, I love that we have a gay main character, I like both him and Culber and their relationship but I fear it won't last.

We all know the spore drive won't last, it's not used in any other Star Trek media taking place later, we also know it's affecting Stamets, right now he appears to be a bit high and can remember time loops but I think it's obvious where the story is going. Something will happen to Stamets, something so bad that the spore drive will be mothballed because starfleet won't dare to use another officer as navigator ever again.

So yeah, I think Stamets will be gone by the end of the season and that makes me sad, we got our first openly gay main character will be gone after just a few episodes. Not that it wouldn't also hurt to lose him if he was straight, but that he's gay makes it extra bad.
Under those circumstances wouldn't it have been better to either make Stamets straight or make someone else the navigator?

I'm not sure if this is trolling or what but I see nothing to suggest that sramets wouldnt be in season 2 even if they drop the spore drive.

I'm seeing hysteria for no reason.

 

[Mr. Adventure]

i dunno, jesus wasnt a very fun guy so...

Hey, he didn't have to turn the water into wine, y'know?

 

[indranee]

He's not gonna die, people. He's going the Gary Mitchell route

 

[Takeru]

I'm not sure if this is trolling or what but I see nothing to suggest that sramets wouldnt be in season 2 even if they drop the spore drive.

I'm seeing hysteria for no reason.

They need a reason to drop the spore drive, if Stamets is ultimately fine then why drop it? If the effects on him are reversible and ultimately not that bad the spore drive should at least be an option for emergencies even if it is is not used regularly.

Maybe he won't die but if you see hysteria for no reason I question if you have even warched Discovery. Are you actually telling me Stamets is fine?

 

[Nerys Myk]

They need a reason to drop the spore drive, if Stamets is ultimately fine then why drop it? If the effects on him are reversible and ultimately not that bad the spore drive should at least be an option for emergencies even if it is is not used regularly.

Maybe he won't die but if you see hysteria for no reason I question if you have even warched Discovery. Are you actually telling me Stamets is fine?

There do seem to be side effects, perhaps permanent ones. And there is that pesky genetic modification needed to make it work with a human.

 

[Crazy Eddie]

With his tardigrade DNA Stamets might be "kill proof"
Scientists Finally Figured Out Why Tardigrades Are So Indestructible

I'm waiting for the episode where Stamets gets angry and dessicates himself, curling up into a little dried out fetus thing until Tilly apologizes for making fun of his haircut...

 

[MrPointy]

Stamets is gonna be the proto-Gary Mitchell.

 

[galad2003]

When there is a more diverse cast then it is more likely they will die off/be a spy or whatever else. We only have one straight white male in the main cast. If we had everything bad happen to him and everyone else get a free pass lest they be "portrayed negatively" then we would have people complain everything happens to the straight white guy and the rest of the cast can't do anything.

Logically, Stamets needs to die or leave the show when the spore drive fails. If he lives or the effects can be reversed then the spore drive isn't bad enough to rule out use of such a super weapon. However, he is one of, if not the most, popular characters (my second favorite behind Lorca). So I think he will stick around.

 

[Psion]

Underepresenteted minorities need more protection to achieve anything resembling fair treatment. The one and only gay main character in the history of Star Trek cannot be killed off in the first season without it looking bad..

Um ... isn't Stamets' partner gay, too? Or am I confused about the way homosexual relationships work? And the last thing we need is the writers sparing a character because he or she should be a member of a protected class. Watching Dr. Culber handle Stamets slipping away and then coping with that loss could be some of the best moments in the history of Trek, depending on the writing and acting. We watched Sisko grieve for the loss of Jennifer without much context for their relationship -- Dr. Culber's arc could easily trump that.

 

[The Mighty Monkey of Mim]

He wasn't. He was just born that way.

How can this thread have gone on this long without anyone cracking off that one? OP walked right into it...

 

[XCV330]

I don't see Stamets dying. They telegraphed that WAY too obviouisly