Warning: contains spoilers forStar Trek#25!
After seven years,Star Trekhas finally revealed the awe-inspiring reach ofDiscovery’sMycelial Network. Introduced inStar Trek: Discovery’sfirst season, the titular ship used the Network to traverse great distances, almost single-handedly winning a war in the process.Much is still not known about the Mycelial Network, but inStar Trek#25, the crew of theTheseuslearn just how important it is–and why it must be protected.
Star Trek#25 was written by Jackson Lanzing and Collin Kelly and drawn by Liana Kangas. TheTheseusis traveling through Fluidic Space, when the crew make an interesting discovery: biological matter has attached itself to the ship. Analyzing it, Data learns it is a mycelium. Data then mentions the Mycelial Network, with Scotty explaining the basic premise behind it. TheNetwork is rooted there, but it grows throughout all creation, making it the glue that holds together theStar Trekuniverse.
Star Trek: Discovery’s Mycelial Network Was One of the Franchise’s Coolest Innovations
There Is a Real World Precedent ForStar Trek’sMycelial Network
Star Trek: Discoveryintroduced some new and controversial elements to the mythos, and the Mycelial Network was one of them.Discovered by Starfleet engineer Paul Stamets,Discoveryharnessed the Network through a device called “the Spore Drive.” When activated, the Spore Drive could take the ship through the Network to any destination in the galaxy. While Spore Drive technology was instrumental in winning the Klingon War, it proved too dangerous for use, and Starfleet discontinued its research in the area. Furthermore, Starfleet covered up bothDiscoveryand the Spore Drive’s existence.
Scotty’s flippant comment refers to Paul Stamets, a real world mycologist and the namesake ofDiscovery’sengineer, who postulated the existence of a network of fungi they use to communicate.
While the Spore Drive and the Mycelial Network are fantastic inventions, even forStar Trek, they are grounded in real world science. When explaining the concept of the Network, Scotty calls it a “20th century concept by a mad bloke who spent too much time in the dirt.” Scotty’s flippant comment refers to Paul Stamets, a real world mycologist and the namesake ofDiscovery’sengineer, who postulated the existence of a network of fungi they use to communicate.Discovery’swriters were inspired by the real Stamets’ work, and supercharged the idea for the show.
The Mycelial Network Holds the EntireStar TrekUniverse Together
The Mycelial Network’s Reach Goes All the Way to the Kelvin Universe
AlthoughDiscoverymade good use of the Mycelial Network, much about it remains a mystery.It is known to be a domain of subspace, and features a variety of indigenous lifeforms, but beyond this, it is still a great unknown. AfterDiscovery’sdisappearance, Starfleet judged the technology unworkable, and abandoned their research into it. However, other story elementsDiscoveryintroduced and were later classified,such as the murderous AI CONTROL, all managed to be rediscovered, and it was naive of Starfleet to think no one would ever try again. Ironically,Discoveryproved the tech could work, it just needed refining.
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Yet what is truly incredible about the Mycelial Network’s rediscovery is the revelation that it stretches across the entireStar Trekmultiverse. It connects the Prime timeline to the Kelvin universe, as well as Fluidic Space.Discoveryalso showed it touches the Mirror Universe too. Just as Earth’s fungi have a network covering the globe, the cosmic Mycelial Network encompasses all existence. Extrapolating from this, the Mycelial Network may be the most important realm in theStar Trekuniverse, even more than the Pleroma.
Will Lore Target the Mycelial Network inStar Trek: The Lore War?
The Mycelial Network Could Be Key to Lore’s Evil Plans to Recreate theStar TrekUniverse in His Image
The importance ofDiscovery’sMycelial Network also puts a huge bullseye on it, namely from Lore. Lore destroyed the PrimeStar Trekuniverse, and as seen in issue 25, it has had consequences for other realms,such as Fluidic Space. While it does not seem the Network took any damage (yet),Lore may very well try to destroy it in the forthcomingThe Lore War.This event, which arrives in early 2025, sees Lore remake the universe in his image, and the Mycelial Network could play an important role in his schemes of conquest.
