Paul Stamets (Star Trek)

Paul Stamets is a character in the fictional Star Trek franchise. He appears in the television series Star Trek: Discovery. Stamets is portrayed by actor Anthony Rapp.

Paul Stamets
Star Trek character
First appearance"The Vulcan Hello" (2017)
Portrayed byAnthony Rapp
In-universe information
SpeciesHuman
GenderMale
OccupationAstromycologist, Lieutenant Commander
Significant otherHugh Culber
PlanetEarth
AffiliationUnited Federation of Planets
Starfleet
USS Discovery

The character is the first openly gay regular character in a Star Trek television series.[1] Within Discovery's narrative, he is a scientist and engineer who combines physics and mycology into a fictional method for instantaneous faster than light travel.

Character portrayal

In the Star Trek show, Stamets often talks about mushrooms in space.[2] The Stamets character develops real world contemporary mycological science into science fiction concepts in the portrayal.[3][4] Stamets believes the Universe is organized by spores and mycelia as the "building blocks of energy across the universe".[2]

His name is an allusion to Paul Stamets, a self-taught mycologist who advocates for the ecological benefits of mushrooms.[5]

Reception

Various publications described how the character set a precedent in both the Star Trek world and generally in media as a depiction of a gay character.[1][6]

References
  1. Holloway, Daniel (9 January 2018). "'Star Trek: Discovery' Showrunners: Death 'Is Not an Ending'". Variety.
  2. Sloat, Sarah (October 4, 2017). "'Star Trek' Moves Into the Weird, Real Frontier of Space Mushrooms". inverse.com.
  3. Alexandratos, Jonathan (21 February 2018). "Mycelium Running: The Book That May Reveal Where Star Trek: Discovery Goes Next Season". Tor.com.
  4. Cat, Linh Anh (March 19, 2019). "3 Real-Life Inspirations For The 'Star Trek: Discovery' Spore Drive". Forbes.
  5. Brend, Yvette (24 December 2017). "Star Trek's secret weapon: a scientist with a mushroom fetish bent on saving the planet". CBC.ca. Canadian Broadcasting Corporation.
  6. Smith, Duncan (28 August 2017). "A closer look at Discovery's Lieutenant Paul Stamets". Redshirts Always Die.
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