Tribbles are a fictional alien species in the ''
Star Trek
''Star Trek'' is an American science fiction media franchise created by Gene Roddenberry, which began with the eponymous 1960s television series and quickly became a worldwide pop-culture phenomenon. The franchise has expanded into vari ...
'' universe. They were conceived by screenwriter
David Gerrold
David Gerrold (born Jerrold David Friedman; January 24, 1944)Reginald, R. (September 12, 2010)''Science Fiction and Fantasy Literature, Volume 2'' Borgo Press p. 911. Archived at Google Books. Retrieved June 23, 2013. is an American science fic ...
and first appeared in 1967, in the fifteenth episode of the second season of ''
The Original Series
''Star Trek'' is an American science fiction television series created by Gene Roddenberry that follows the adventures of the starship and its crew. It later acquired the retronym of ''Star Trek: The Original Series'' (''TOS'') to distingui ...
'', titled "
The Trouble with Tribbles
"The Trouble with Tribbles" is the fifteenth episode of the second season of the American science fiction television series ''Star Trek''. Written by David Gerrold and directed by Joseph Pevney, it was first broadcast on December 29, 1967. In ...
". They are depicted as a small, furry, gentle, cute and slow-moving, but rapidly reproducing, lovable species. Though they appear infrequently on-screen, they have become a popular feature of the ''Star Trek'' universe, featuring in
their own eponymous official card game, and even lending their name to
a conserved family of proteins that was first identified in the
fruit fly as a regulator of cell division.
Representation
Tribbles were first shown in an episode of the second season of the original series, "
The Trouble with Tribbles
"The Trouble with Tribbles" is the fifteenth episode of the second season of the American science fiction television series ''Star Trek''. Written by David Gerrold and directed by Joseph Pevney, it was first broadcast on December 29, 1967. In ...
" (1967). They have appeared in several subsequent series, in brief appearances in four ''Star Trek'' films, and in video games such as ''
Star Trek: Armada II''.
![Tribble](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/bb/Tribble.jpg)
According to
''Star Trek'' canon, tribbles are native to the planet Iota Geminorum IV. While they appear as small bundles of fur with no other visible features, they do produce cooing and squeaking noises. Their coloring ranges from white and grey to black, as well as speckled brown, yellow, and orange. According to
Dr. Leonard McCoy's dialogue, their only two purposes in life appear to be to eat and to reproduce, and they perform both of these functions exceptionally well. McCoy concludes that tribbles use over 50% of their metabolism for reproduction and that they are born pregnant.
Due to their tendency to overpopulate,
Starfleet
Starfleet is a fictional organization in the ''Star Trek'' media franchise. Within this fictional universe, Starfleet is a uniformed space force maintained by the United Federation of Planets ("the Federation") as the principal means for conduc ...
considers tribbles to be dangerous organisms and forbids their transportation. A creature genetically engineered to hunt tribbles was introduced in the animated episode "
More Tribbles, More Troubles
"More Tribbles, More Troubles" is the fifth episode of the first season of the animated American science fiction television series ''Star Trek''. It first aired in the NBC Saturday morning lineup on October 6, 1973, and was written by David G ...
" (1973). The
Klingon
The Klingons ( ; Klingon: ''tlhIngan'' ) are a fictional species in the science fiction franchise ''Star Trek''.
Developed by screenwriter Gene L. Coon in 1967 for the original ''Star Trek'' (''TOS'') series, Klingons were swarthy humanoids c ...
s, in whose presence tribbles produce a convulsive, shrieking reaction, consider them "mortal enemies", as stated in the ''
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine'' episode "
Trials and Tribble-ations
"Trials and Tribble-ations" is the 104th episode of the American science fiction television series '' Star Trek: Deep Space Nine'', the sixth episode of the fifth season. It was written as a tribute to the original series of '' Star Trek,'' in th ...
" (1996).
The ''
Star Trek: Short Treks'' episode "
The Trouble with Edward" reveals that tribbles were not originally "born pregnant", and in fact their reproductive rate was exceedingly slow. A
Starfleet
Starfleet is a fictional organization in the ''Star Trek'' media franchise. Within this fictional universe, Starfleet is a uniformed space force maintained by the United Federation of Planets ("the Federation") as the principal means for conduc ...
scientist, Edward Larkin, genetically engineered them into their current form, in an attempt to solve a planetary food shortage. The experiment went disastrously wrong, resulting in Larkin's death, the destruction of his ship (overrun by tribbles), and the subsequent evacuation of the planet they were trying to save. Also, some tribbles managed to reach
Klingon
The Klingons ( ; Klingon: ''tlhIngan'' ) are a fictional species in the science fiction franchise ''Star Trek''.
Developed by screenwriter Gene L. Coon in 1967 for the original ''Star Trek'' (''TOS'') series, Klingons were swarthy humanoids c ...
space, also with disastrous results.
Origin
David Gerrold
David Gerrold (born Jerrold David Friedman; January 24, 1944)Reginald, R. (September 12, 2010)''Science Fiction and Fantasy Literature, Volume 2'' Borgo Press p. 911. Archived at Google Books. Retrieved June 23, 2013. is an American science fic ...
has written that his original idea for tribbles was based on the well-known problems associated with the overpopulation of
rabbits in Australia
European rabbits (''Oryctolagus cuniculus'') were first introduced to Australia in the 18th century with the First Fleet, and later became widespread likely because of Thomas Austin (pastoralist), Thomas Austin. Such wild rabbit populations are a ...
. He wanted a creature prop that would be cheap to produce and took inspiration from a ball of pink fuzz attached to a key ring. The name for tribbles was originally "fuzzies", but to avoid confusion with the 1962
H. Beam Piper
Henry Beam Piper (March 23, 1904 – ) was an American science fiction writer. He wrote many short stories and several novels. He is best known for his extensive Terro-Human Future History series of stories and a shorter series of "Paratime" alt ...
novel ''
Little Fuzzy
''Little Fuzzy'' is a 1962 science fiction novel by H. Beam Piper, now in public domain. It was nominated for the 1963 Hugo Award for Best Novel.
The story revolves around determining whether a small furry species discovered on the planet Zarath ...
'', Gerrold brainstormed some nonsense words, arriving at "tribble".
Shortly before the episode was produced Kellam de Forest Research pointed out the similarities between Gerrold's creatures and the
Martian flat cats from
Robert A. Heinlein
Robert Anson Heinlein (; July 7, 1907 – May 8, 1988) was an American science fiction author, aeronautical engineer, and naval officer. Sometimes called the "dean of science fiction writers", he was among the first to emphasize scientific accu ...
's novel ''
The Rolling Stones
The Rolling Stones are an English rock band formed in London in 1962. Active for six decades, they are one of the most popular and enduring bands of the rock era. In the early 1960s, the Rolling Stones pioneered the gritty, rhythmically d ...
'' (1952), and recommended purchasing the rights to the novel. Instead, ''Star Trek'' producer Gene L. Coon contacted Heinlein by telephone and asked that he waive the similarity. Heinlein did, but later regretted the decision when the ''Star Trek'' franchise continued to use tribbles in their productions.
Gerrold discusses the matter of potential inadvertent plagiarism in his 1973 book ''The Trouble with Tribbles'', but he does not admit to it. He claims that instead of money or credit, Heinlein asked only for a signed copy of the script, and that afterwards Heinlein wrote to him dismissing the similarity, "we both owe something to Ellis Parker Butler...and possibly to Noah." However, Gerrold's account does not agree entirely with Heinlein's own recollection of the matter as related in private correspondence cited in his authorized autobiography.
Reception
In 2007,
''WIRED'' magazine noted the tribbles as one of the top ten classic, cheesy creatures of ''Star Trek''.
In 2017, ''
Den of Geek
''Den of Geek'' is a US and UK-based website covering entertainment with a focus on pop culture
Pop or POP may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Music
* Pop music, a musical genre Artists
* POP, a Japanese idol group now known as Gan ...
'' ranked tribbles the 12th best aliens of the ''Star Trek'' franchise.
References
External links
Tribblearticle at official site, StarTrek.com
{{Robert A. Heinlein
Star Trek species
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
Star Trek: The Animated Series
Star Trek: The Original Series
Fictional extraterrestrial life forms
Fictional extraterrestrial–human hybrids
Television characters introduced in 1967