[Allan Hood]

"The idea of using horizontally transferred DNA for space travel is so nutty, so bad, that it's not even wrong. Even if tardigrades could absorb foreign DNA (they can't), how the heck is this supposed to give them the ability to tap into the (wildly implausible) intergalactic spore network? DNA that's been taken up through HGT isn't connected to the source any longer. This is no more plausible than asserting that people could connect to the mushroom network by eating a plate of mushrooms. And how would the space-traveling tardigrade take the entire ship with it? Are we supposed to assume it's creating some kind of mushroom-DNA field?"
https://www.forbes.com/sites/stevens.../#36bb6f671b37

[Sul-Matuul]

Pretty sure (and this is just my head canon + science understanding) that the tardigrade has genes which allow it to express proteins that somehow interact with the network of the spores. So if you put that DNA into another animal that can express the same proteins then it should be also able to connect.
Just like how if you put squid DNA into a mouse you can make it glow because it can express those genes that allow the glowing effect. This is just a fictional take on that.

How the link allows the transport of the ship though i'm guessing has something to do with the link creating some sort of pseudo-wormhole or something. Maybe get enough of a link and you start to open a subspace fold or something between points.

It's all fiction anyway, there's be far crazier nonsense in Trek before this.

[Scarlett]

"Here be dragons", so to speak.

[Strathkin]

Pretty sure (and this is just my head canon + science understanding) that the tardigrade has genes which allow it to express proteins that somehow interact with the network of the spores. So if you put that DNA into another animal that can express the same proteins then it should be also able to connect.
Just like how if you put squid DNA into a mouse you can make it glow because it can express those genes that allow the glowing effect. This is just a fictional take on that.

How the link allows the transport of the ship though i'm guessing has something to do with the link creating some sort of pseudo-wormhole or something. Maybe get enough of a link and you start to open a subspace fold or something between points.

It's all fiction anyway, there's be far crazier nonsense in Trek before this.

Yes... a very NICE way to describe how the genes influence the process. Science has found that splicing genes from various breeds has resulted in many unique traits being carried by the other; although in later timelines Starfleet has mostly outlawed this outright, or at least directly on humans or federation dominate lifeforms.

I believe Stamets originally eluded to the fact that he needed a quantum computer, as the current computer was having a problem generating the computational power to produce accurate Star Charts. While I don't think this has anything to do with Wormhole's other than the transportation mechanism utilized... Clearly the Tardigrade genes enabled superior mental capability and/or new awareness, which likely enables their minds to process vastly more information, despite being limited in it's ability to communicate vocally.

While science today has barely began to understand what if any six or additional senses may be at work in the brain... Example: How the brain can correctly interpret emotions when facial expressions are shown to a stroke patient blinded eye from a stroke yet is able to correctly identify the emotion when brain scans show signals are redirected to an alternate part of the brain not responsible for visual imagery. Science really has only just began understanding how the brain works.

But is more while known is that Scientists have theorized computational power of a human brain may likely surpasses 100's of thousands of today's fastest processor's possibly a great many more; especially if Penrose & Hameroff are correct that part of our brain's operate more like a Quantum Computer. Regardless the Human brain is capable of an extraordinary amount of computational power, and we ourselves are only aware perceptually (consciously) of but a small fraction of it.

So if that type of power was then only expanded in Stamets mind by being genetically enhanced closer to the Tardigrade the bounds of what potential that might open up is really unknown... given it's already a very high standard of computational power even before the genetic manipulation.

Those wanting a little detail's (Penrose and Hameroff theory) called ORCH-OR and quantum computing in microtubules:

http://www.quantumconsciousness.org/...orch-or-theory -full research site

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stuart_Hameroff

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roger_Penrose
(See: Physics and Consciousness)

http://jonlieffmd.com/blog/human-bra...brain-and-mind
(See: Quantum Computers in Microtubules re: Penrose & Hameroff)

*Roger Penrose is a mathematical physicist, mathematician and philosopher of science. He is the Emeritus Rouse Ball Professor of Mathematics at the Mathematical Institute of the University of Oxford.

*Hameroff received his BS degree from the University of Pittsburgh and his MD degree from Hahnemann University Hospital. From 1975 onwards, he has spent the whole of his career at the University of Arizona, becoming professor in the Department of Anesthesiology and Psychology and director for the Center for Consciousness Studies, both in 1999, and finally Emeritus professor for Anesthesiology and Psychology in 2003.

[Gustav]

wow it's almost like its a science fiction tv show

[Noram]

The Spore Drive is fake, a red herring for whatever they're really researching. An early iteration of the Excelsior transwarp project maybe

[Mack]

The Spore Drive is fake, a red herring for whatever they're really researching. An early iteration of the Excelsior transwarp project maybe

I suppose a great explanation to try to explain how the Excelsior could transwarp jump to several spots in the universe as well - I guess, even though at that point in them they didn't really explain the excelsior transwarp as a jump cycle - it's more of that's how its on STO tbh.

[Strathkin]

Still I think the idea of spore drive is really stretching things for many Trek fans... Were seen a lot of episodes talking a little about how it apparently works but actually very little fighting which was what Discovery was originally created to tell.

This was to be a story about or start with the Klingon War and only the first episode had any which didn't even include Discovery; then when we finally see a fight with Discovery they jump in for 2-3 minutes not even firing once, before being heavily attacked and jumping out.

For a series that was initially created to explore the Klingon War I'd give it a 1 out of 10 stars. I wish we could only know the earlier writer's story who was later fired by CBS - I suspect many may have likely enjoyed that story line far more.

[Bridger]

Why is it that all the time I hear Spore Drive I think about Fungus Engines.

[Strathkin]

"The idea of using horizontally transferred DNA for space travel is so nutty, so bad, that it's not even wrong. Even if tardigrades could absorb foreign DNA (they can't), how the heck is this supposed to give them the ability to tap into the (wildly implausible) intergalactic spore network? DNA that's been taken up through HGT isn't connected to the source any longer. This is no more plausible than asserting that people could connect to the mushroom network by eating a plate of mushrooms. And how would the space-traveling tardigrade take the entire ship with it? Are we supposed to assume it's creating some kind of mushroom-DNA field?"
https://www.forbes.com/sites/stevens.../#36bb6f671b37

I agree with you... the whole horizontally transferred DNA process to interconnect this spore network and how it enables wormholes to open and transport is really an extreme stretch. Warp drive today is still on the fringe of being at least plausible but the whole spore drive and how it is enabled really takes that to an entirely new direction. Entirely created by someone who likely eats too many mushrooms.

My original comment above specifically ignored the spore drive... I was focused purely on Stamets comment who claimed his computer was incapable of the calculations required to assemble accurate star charts limiting them to shorter jumps as it likely needed a quantum computer.

How the calculations could be done by the Tardigrade or even Staments later... ...where a mind or brain from a human or other living creature is at least more based in actual science - but the whole spore drive idea really seems like a massive blunder or fail.

I admit I don't like they changed the Klingons which took several series to finally correctly explain; as it was finally resolved on Enterprise. Still while I'm trying to give the writers freedom and like it to be a success; I won't say it's horrible writing, but they should have kept spore drive off the table along with changing Klingons look again.

[Montross Farlander]

...An early iteration of the Excelsior transwarp project maybe

The transwarp project came about due to Spock's research into interspace after the Defiant incident in Tholian space. Prior to that Starfleet had no idea that transwarp would be possible.

[Sul-Matuul]

When you think about it though the Spore Drive is no different to the Borg's transwarp network, or the Underspace network the Vaadwaur used, or evne the Iconian gate tech.
It's just that it relies on a living organism to link to said network rather than technology. And if people are worried about living beings with odd powers then look at all the previous species with magical abilities: Betazoid, El' Aurian, Vulcan for example.

[Bridger]

The Borg Transwarp Network was created by the Borg it is no natural phenomenon and so was Iconian Gateway technology.

Also the only race that come close to magical powers would be the Q.

[Noram]

The transwarp project came about due to Spock's research into interspace after the Defiant incident in Tholian space. Prior to that Starfleet had no idea that transwarp would be possible.

There's no canon source for that.

[Sul-Matuul]

The Borg Transwarp Network was created by the Borg it is no natural phenomenon and so was Iconian Gateway technology.

Also the only race that come close to magical powers would be the Q.

True, but both are still a system of interconnected pathways that allow the user to jump from point A > infinity effectively provided you know the "address" and can interact with said pathway network.
Whereas the Borg and Iconians built their systems, the Spore Drive seems to work off a natural version of the same idea. Discovery itself is merely a vehicle to traverse that network, it still needs the key to unlock the doorway, in this case the original orgaism or now Lt. Stammets.