The Spore Drive Technology. What Do You Think About It?

[Longinus]

When the spores are all used up and the mushroom creatures are all dead from overuse of the technology by Starfleet, the Grateful Dead Magic Mushroom Drive won't be available to anyone, especially Voyager.

They said these spores are all over the galaxy, how could they all be destroyed? Also, the tardigrade is optional, Stamets said that a super computer would do. Besides, I'm sure they took a DNA sample, so they could clone a new one if something happens to Cuddles.

 

[ominous_thunk]

I have a somewhat different take. Since the whole technology seems to depend on a microscopic species of fungal life form existing in subspace, my prediction is that we'll see the whole network obliterated at some point. No fungal network, no spore drive. Whether it gets destroyed accidentally through misuse or intentionally as a form of area denial remains to be seen.

In the alternative, who's to say that this fungus isn't later known as the Omega Particle?

 

[Bad Thoughts]

They said these spores are all over the galaxy, how could they all be destroyed? Also, the tardigrade is optional, Stamets said that a super computer would do. Besides, I'm sure they took a DNA sample, so they could clone a new one if something happens to Cuddles.

It's going to be a situation in which there is but a limited understanding of the whole spore system, and some bio-babble problem is going to be impossible to resolve by techno-babble.

 

[Longinus]

It's going to be a situation in which there is but a limited understanding of the whole spore system, and some bio-babble problem is going to be impossible to resolve by techno-babble.

But it already works!

 

[Long Syntax]

In the alternative, who's to say that this fungus isn't later known as the Omega Particle?

Omega Molecule / Particle - it would seem a stretch, even for the most forgiving treker / trekie (not sure of the proper term) to forgive the writers conflating the two ideas.

 

[Bad Thoughts]

But it already works!

In the past, Trek writers were expected to uphold the notion that technology would solve future problems. I think that in some way, this one will reflect a complex system that will lose cohesion due to human activity, and will be impossible to re-establish. Yes, it's something of a metaphor for climate change.

 

[F. King Daniel]

So... when do they start mutating into transwarp factor 10 salamanders?

 

[m.lp.ql.m]

So this spore thingy needs a poor tortured creature to make it work.

Sorta like Le Guin's The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas.

People, spore drive isn't new. Jeep's been using it since the mid-90s at least:

 

[The Rock]

I'm just glad it isn't turning anyone into salamanders, like in that other show when they developed a way to instantaneously warp at any point they wanted to.

 

[Nerys Myk]

It's possibly one of the more ludicrous, flakey concepts ever to come up in what is presumably a serious sci-fi show. And I know there's competition for that title.

Warp speed limit?

 

[Fateor]

I think the whole story-line is meaningless since we already know how it will end.

 

[Refuge]

It really just got more stupid in my opinion. The spore drive was not cutting it and then miraculously The Glenn attracts the very conduit critter to provide a way... Discovery captures Ripper, nano seconds later Michael works out the whole mystery of the universe by looking at a few screen shots of a targ and tilting her head as she out Stamets in his own field. Warp speed to (was it the same day) a battle stations trial run. Worked a treat!

Torture and spores, the new way to fly.

 

[Nerys Myk]

I think the whole story-line is meaningless since we already know how it will end.

That's not how "stories" work.

 

[gamer1]

I like it so far, they are trying to make their own version of Dunes melange and the navigators who would bend space.

 

[Fateor]

That's not how "stories" work.

That's not how standalone stories work, it is how serialized one's do.

 

[CardassianAssassin]

They said these spores are all over the galaxy, how could they all be destroyed? Also, the tardigrade is optional, Stamets said that a super computer would do. Besides, I'm sure they took a DNA sample, so they could clone a new one if something happens to Cuddles.

Wild guess 1: Cuddles turns out to be a semi sentient species, somewhere around a chimp on the IQ scale. (He’s got a map of the whole galaxy memorized, can’t be that dumb!) Burnham develops a conscience and takes a stand against Lorca.

Wild guess 2: Burnham and Stamets figure out how Cuddles uses the spore network to travel. Trek fans everywhere collectively lose their shit when it turns out the secret is...

Spoiler: SUPER SEKRIT!!!

Cuddles has a unusually high number of Midichlorians in her cells. Stamens theorizes that these can be used for other purposes and starts to inoculate crew members with them. He calls the new abilities this gives them “Spore-Force”.

 

[Nerys Myk]

That's not how standalone stories work, it is how serialized one's do.

Nope. Stand alone. Episodic. Serial. They all work the same. The Spore drive working is not the story. It failing in the end and knowing that doesn't render the story meaningless. Fiction is full of films, books and TV shows where the ending is known. Just about any "Base on actual events" story has an ending that is known. Or were you surprised at the end of The People v. O. J. Simpson when O. J. got off?

 

[Mechanoid1]

I think this zoom-shroom technology is so bad.
#1, who would have EVER found this creature and have come up with the idea of hooking it up and using it as a supercomputer. I wounder if they tried using dolphins?
#2, Just the tech to link a new UNKNOWN newly discovered alien animal to the ships mushroom drive. Wow...
#3, they should call it the improbability drive and have Marvin do the calculations.

 

[Fateor]

Nope. Stand alone. Episodic. Serial. They all work the same. The Spore drive working is not the story. It failing in the end and knowing that doesn't render the story meaningless. Fiction is full of films, books and TV shows where the ending is known. Just about any "Base on actual events" story has an ending that is known. Or were you surprised at the end of The People v. O. J. Simpson when O. J. got off?

So basically put you are saying you don't understand the difference between fiction and non-fiction.

Got it.

 

[Nerys Myk]

So basically put you are saying you don't understand the difference between fiction and non-fiction.

Got it.

Not in the least. There a lot of fiction that use historical settings. Knowing the Americans win WWII doesn't make a story set in WWII meaningless. Knowing that the Titanic sinks doesn't make Jack and Rose's story meaning less.