There have been a few mentions of a “Pathway Drive” in Star Trek: Discovery, which has confused some viewers. The primary form of travel for the USS Discovery is the Spore Drive, and pretty much everyone else uses Warp Drive. So, what’s this new form of travel, and how does it work? We’ll take a look at the Federation’s latest form of propulsion below.
How is a Pathway Drive different from Warp Drive in Star Trek?
The Pathway Drive is Starfleet’s newest faster-than-light propulsion system in Star Trek: Discovery. After the burn, the Federation intensified the development of engine technology that didn’t use Dilithium. From what we can tell, the Pathway Drive is the winner, and the Federation even chose to develop it over the Spore Drive that the USS Discovery brought with them from the 23rd century.
So far, details about the Pathway Drive are sparse. We know it’s a separate technology from Warp Drive and doesn’t use Dilithium. In the Discovery Season 5 episode “Lagrange Point,” we find out that the USS Mitchell has been retrofitted with the Pathway Drive and that it’s considered fast enough to intercept Primarch Tahal’s fleet before it can reach Moll’s Dreadnought. Considering Breen vessels are equipped with Transwarp Drives, that means the Pathway Drive is incredibly fast.
We have to wonder why the Federation developed the Pathway Drive instead of the Spore Drive when the latter can instantaneously transport a vessel to practically any point. However, the Spore Drive has some notable weaknesses that a more traditional engine doesn’t. It requires a navigator and a steady supply of mycelium spores. As such, the Pathway Drive could be more reliable and adaptable, making it a better choice despite its lower performance. Also, we know from the same episode mentioned above that it can be adapted for use in vessels as small as a shuttlecraft, which is not possible with a Spore Drive.
