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

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.

The character is one-half of the first openly gay regular character couple 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. 1.0 1.1 Holloway, Daniel (9 January 2018). "'Star Trek: Discovery' Showrunners: Death 'Is Not an Ending'". Variety. {{cite web}}:
  2. 2.0 2.1 Sloat, Sarah (October 4, 2017). "'Star Trek' Moves Into the Weird, Real Frontier of Space Mushrooms". inverse.com. {{cite web}}:
  3. Alexandratos, Jonathan (21 February 2018). "Mycelium Running: The Book That May Reveal Where Star Trek: Discovery Goes Next Season". Tor.com. {{cite web}}:
  4. Cat, Linh Anh (March 19, 2019). "3 Real-Life Inspirations For The 'Star Trek: Discovery' Spore Drive". Forbes. {{cite web}}:
  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. {{cite web}}:
  6. Smith, Duncan (28 August 2017). "A closer look at Discovery's Lieutenant Paul Stamets". Redshirts Always Die. {{cite web}}:

External links[]

  • Template:Memory alpha

Template:Star Trek: Discovery

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