Starfleet did not attempt to remakeStar Trek: Discovery’s spore drive inStar Trek: The Original SeriesorStar Trek: The Next Generation’s eras.Star Trek: Discoveryseason 1, which was set in 2256-2257, introduced the displacement-activated spore hub drive, or spore drive, for short.Discovery’s revolutionary spore drive was the series ‘big idea,‘which was a significant leap forward as aStar Trektechnology. The spore drive allowed the USS Discovery to instantaneously travel through the mycelial network so that the starship essentially teleports to its destination. But why did Starfleet limit the spore drive to the USS Discovery?
Star Trek: Discovery’s spore drive was controversialbecause it was canon-breaking technology far more advanced than anything seen inStar Trek: The Original Series, which takes place a decade later. Nor is a spore drive and instantaneous starship teleportation seen inStar Trek: The Next Generation’s 24th century era.Star Trek: Discoveryseason 2 solved these grievancesby making the spore drive part of an overall crisis surrounding the very existence of the USS Discovery. After Discovery merged with a 100,000-year-old sphere and its data was uploaded into Disco’s computers, the starship became the target of a rogue A.I. called Control. With the sphere data, Control could become fully sentient and wipe out all organic life in the galaxy.
Discovery’s Spore Drive Technology Was A Closely-Guarded Secret Within Starfleet
The USS Discovery and the spore drive were redacted
At theend ofStar Trek: Discoveryseason 2, the combined forces of the USS Discovery, the USS Enterprise, and their allies, including the Kelpiens, destroyed Control, Section 31’s genocidal threat assessment A.I. However, to prevent another Control from becoming online and sentient, Discovery, its sphere data, and its spore drive had to be removed from the 23rd century. To safeguard the galaxy, Commander Michael Burnham (Sonequa Martin-Green) led the USS Discovery on a permanent, one-way trip 930 years into the 32nd century. In the real world, this was alsoStar Trek: Discovery’s solution to the problem of the starship being too technologically advanced forStar Trek’s 23rd century. In the distant future, Discovery could setStar Trekcanon instead of defy it.
Knowledge of the USS Discovery and its spore drive was simply forgotten by the 24th century.
Once the USS Discovery was no longer in the 23rd century,Captain Christopher Pike(Anson Mount) and Lieutenant Spock (Ethan Peck) of the USS Enterprise reported to Starfleet that Discovery was destroyed and all hands lost. Further, Spock redacted the USS Discovery from Starfleet records to protect Michael Burnham, his adopted sister.The USS Discovery’s spore drive technology was redactedalong with the starship’s records so that Starfleet could not build another. As time passed, and Starfleet continued to rely on standard warp drive, knowledge of the USS Discovery and its spore drive was simply forgotten by the 24th century.
Starfleet Knew The Spore Drive Was Almost Impossible To Use In Practice
A spore drive needs a navigator
The USS Discovery’s spore displacement hub drive was also dangerous technology thatrequired a specialized navigator for it to work.InStar Trek: Discoveryseason 1, two Crossfield Class starships experimented with spore drive technology. The USS Glenn attempted a spore drive jump through the mycelial network that killed everyone aboard. However, the Glenn had a giant tardigrade that was brought aboard the USS Discovery, and the crew soon deduced that the tardigrade, named Ripper, could serve as the spore drive’s navigator. Unfortunately, the tardigrade was debilitated by interfacing with the spore drive, so Discovery’s crew released it back into space.
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Pathway Drive
Star Trek: Discovery
Lieutenant Paul Stamets (Anthony Rapp)injected himself with tardigrade DNA and augmented himself to become the USS Discovery’s spore drive navigator. InStar Trek: Discoveryseason 3, Cleveland Booker (David Ajala) learned his Kwejian DNA and empathic abilities also let him serve as the spore drive’s navigator. However,the genetic manipulation Stamets underwent is illegal in the United Federation of Planets. Since tardigrade DNA was a requirement to safely interface with the spore drive, it was logical for Starfleet to abandon the technology, which would be impossible to replicate on other starships.
Any Spore Drive Research Would’ve Been Quashed By Starfleet
Section 31 doesn’t want another Control to be created
Even if Starfleet scientists had access to the USS Discovery’s redacted files, Starfleet and Section 31 would never allow new research into spore drive technology. The combined tragedies of the USS Glenn and the USS Discovery are enough to keep Starfleet from pursuing the creation of another spore drive. In addition, Control was Section 31’s A.I. and the black ops organization would have prevented any attempt to create a spore drive that could somehow lead to another Control being built. Ultimately,the concept of starships instantly teleporting was abandonedin favor of Starfleet finding new ways to make standard warp travel faster.
Starfleet also knew the USS Discovery’s spore drive was used to jump to and from the Mirror Universe, which is another danger that justified banning spore drives.
Instead of new spore drive or starship teleportation technology,improving warp drivesbecame Starfleet’s goal. InStar Trek III: The Search For Spock, the USS Excelsior was built with"the Great Experiment,“a transwarp drive. Unfortunately, after it was sabotaged by Scotty (James Doohan), Starfleet also mothballed the transwarp drive. Trapped in the Delta Quadrant, the USS Voyager developed quantum slipsteam technology to accelerate its journey home inStar Trek: Voyager.Star Trek: Prodigyintroduced the Proto Drive, which harnesses the power of a baby star to make the USS Protostar the fastest starship of its time.
Star Trek’s 32nd Century Also Abandoned Discovery’s Spore Drive
Starfleet chose to adopt the Pathway Drive
Ironically, Starfleet in the 32nd century also chose to abandon spore drive technology. Even though the USS Discovery was almost a thousand years old when it arrived in 3189, Starfleet had no technology that could equal Discovery’s spore drive. In fact, the Federation was broken and isolated for nearly a century after a calamity calledthe Burn wiped out dilithium crystals in starshipsand eliminated warp travel. With its ability to teleport using the spore drive, as well as a functional standard warp drive, theUSS Discovery became the lynchpin of 32nd century Starfleetand its primary weapon to diffuse crises threatening the Federation.
Star Trek: Discovery Season 5 Finale Ending & Shocking Epilogue Explained
Star Trek: Discovery comes to an end with season 5’s finale wrapping up the Progenitors treasure hunt and an epilogue concluding the entire series.
And yet, despite Commander Paul Stamets’ dream of replicating spore drives throughout 32nd century Starfleet, the Federation went in a different direction. Perhaps due to the familiar problems of spore drives needing navigators who can safely interface with the mycelial network,the Federation decided spore drives weren’t workable. Instead, the Federation developed anext generation warp drive called the Pathway Drivethat was successfully tested by the USS Voyager-J before being installed throughout Starfleet. As the sole starship equipped with a displacement-activated spore hub drive, the USS Discovery remains unique in Starfleet at the end ofStar Trek: Discovery.
