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Tribble Polygeminus grex (scientific classification)
Captain Kirk in pile of tribbles
Homeworld:	Iota Geminorum IV
Affiliation:	None

Tribbles are small, soft, gentle fictional animals in the Star Trek universe whose cute appearance and soothing purring endears them to every sentient race which encounters them — except Klingons and Romulans. While only appearing in a handful of episodes, they are one of the most popular and famous species in the Star Trek universe. Image File history File links Information. ... The current Star Trek franchise logo Star Trek is an American science fiction entertainment series and media franchise. ... Tribble may refer to these people: Christopher Tribble, music video director Guy L. Bud Tribble, computer software developer Harold W. Tribble, former president of Wake Forest University Keith Tribble, former CEO of the Orange Bowl Committee and athletic director of University of Central Florida Kim Tribble, an American pop/country... Image from Star Trek: The Original Series episode, The Trouble with Tribbles © 1967 Paramount Pictures, produced by Gene Roddenberry. ... The current Star Trek franchise logo Star Trek is an American science fiction entertainment series and media franchise. ... A purr is a sound made by some species of felines and is a part of cat communication. ... This article is about the fictional race. ...

Physiology

Tribbles are native to the planet Iota Geminorum IV. They are essentially small bundles of fur with no visible external features. The fur of live-action and animated tribbles ranges from solid white to grey, speckled light to dark brown, yellow to reddish orange, and black. According to Leonard McCoy's dialog their only two purposes in life appear to be to eat and to reproduce, and they perform both of these functions well. McCoy concludes that tribbles use over fifty percent of their metabolism for reproduction. A creature that keeps the tribble population under control on their homeworld is introduced in the animated episode "More Tribbles, More Troubles". Dr. Leonard H. McCoy (nicknamed Bones), played by DeForest Kelley, is a character in the original Star Trek series, and the first six Star Trek films. ...

Inspiration

David Gerrold, in The Trouble With Tribbles: the Birth, Sale, and Final Production of One Episode [1] mentions that after the episode was aired, people asked him if tribbles were inspired by the Flatcats of Robert A. Heinlein's novel, The Rolling Stones, which are a similar small, fuzzy creature. David Gerrold, born Jerrold David Friedman (January 24, 1944), is an award-winning science fiction author who started his career in 1966 as a college student by submitting an unsolicited story outline for the television series Star Trek. ... In Robert Heinleins science fiction novel The Rolling Stones, flatcats are a species of emotional symbiotes native to Mars, with very adaptive metabolisms. ... Robert Anson Heinlein (July 7, 1907 – May 8, 1988) was one of the most popular, influential, and controversial authors of hard science fiction. ... The Rolling Stones (also published under the name Space Family Stone in the United Kingdom) is a 1952 science fiction novel by Robert Heinlein June 1, 1952, Atheneum, library binding, ISBN 0684923033 June 13, 1985, Del Rey, paperback reissue edition, 256 pages, ISBN 034532451X May 12, 1977, Del Rey, paperback...

Look—I thought I was telling the “rabbits in Australia” story. When rabbits were first introduced to Australia, they multiplied at an incredible rate because there were no predators or natural enemies to keep them in control. It was an ecology story—and a spaceship is the perfect setting for it because a spaceship must be a balanced ecology.

When it came to designing the creatures though, I had to be simple—they had to be easy to build; they had to be cheap, and they had to be believable. We wouldn’t want to use rabbits for the story—we wanted something…well, gimmicky. We needed a science fiction animal. ...

I had to think—what would be easy?

Holly ... Sherman had a key ring attached to a ball of pink fuzz. The more I looked at it, the more obvious it became. ...The ease with which a fluff ball could be manufactured made it a natural candidate.

The concept is an old one that predates even the Heinlein novel, since it is central to the story "Pigs is Pigs", which was very popular from its first publication in 1905 and beyond. Pigs is Pigs cover when originally published in 1905. ...

The name for the creatures was originally "fuzzies", but in order to avoid confusion with the H. Beam Piper novel, Little Fuzzy, Gerrold brainstormed some nonsense words, arriving at "tribble" almost at random. To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ...

History

The date of first contact with tribbles has never been established in canon. Chronologically speaking, the earliest known appearance of tribbles was in the 2003 Star Trek: Enterprise episode "The Breach" (which takes place in 2152) in which Doctor Phlox uses them as food for his medicinal pets in Sick Bay. They were presumably known by his race before this date, but most likely were unknown to humans as Hoshi Sato was the only person to see the tribble before Phlox fed it to one of his creatures. The Star Trek canon consists of the television series Star Trek (the original series), Star Trek: The Next Generation, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Star Trek: Voyager, Star Trek: Enterprise, and the ten motion pictures based upon the series. ... Year 2003 (MMIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The starship Enterprise (NX-01) Star Trek: Enterprise is a science fiction television series set in the Star Trek universe. ... The Breach is the title of a Star Trek: Enterprise television episode from season two. ... Doctor Phlox is a fictional character in the television series Star Trek: Enterprise played by John Billingsley. ... Spoiler warning: Hoshi Sato (July 9th, 2128-2246) is a character in the fictional Star Trek universe and the communication officer aboard the starship Enterprise (NX-01) in the science fiction television series Star Trek: Enterprise. ...

Viewers first saw tribbles in the 1967 Star Trek: The Original Series television episode "The Trouble with Tribbles". The episode was written by David Gerrold, and the original tribble props were designed by Wah Chang. It has been noted as one of the most popular episodes of the series, owing to its intelligent sense of humor. This episode was not, however, a depiction of first contact since it was a human named Cyrano Jones who introduced the tribbles to Captain Kirk's crew, indicating the creatures were known prior to the episode. Year 1967 (MCMLXVII) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display full calendar) of the 1967 Gregorian calendar. ... The starship Enterprise as it appeared on Star Trek Star Trek is a culturally significant science fiction television series created by Gene Roddenberry in the 1960s. ... The Trouble With Tribbles is an episode of Star Trek: The Original Series, first broadcast on December 29, 1967 and repeated June 21, 1968. ... David Gerrold, born Jerrold David Friedman (January 24, 1944), is an award-winning science fiction author who started his career in 1966 as a college student by submitting an unsolicited story outline for the television series Star Trek. ... On this book cover, Wah Chang poses with the jeweled dragon he built and animated for The Singing Bone segment of George Pals The Wonderful World of Brothers Grimm. ... In the fictional Star Trek universe, Cyrano Jones, played by Stanley Adams, is a small-time merchant who deals in tribbles, among other things. ... Captain James T. Kirk James Tiberius Kirk, a fictional character in the Star Trek television series, was the captain of the starship Enterprise (NCC-1701 and NCC-1701-A). ...

In the same episode, Spock explains that Vulcans see no useful purpose for tribbles, so the species is not endearing to them, but it's not mutual for the ever-adoring species. For a moment, Spock (a half-Vulcan) begins to find the charm of the cuddly creatures and is caught lovingly petting one; once Spock realizes everyone is staring at him, he tries to hide his feelings and quickly puts the tribble down, a scene heavily laden with humor, since Spock was just stating how the soothing purr of the tribbles would not affect him: "Fortunately, I am ... immune to its effects," he says, quite obviously affected by it. For other uses, see Spock (disambiguation). ... It has been suggested that Tplana-hath be merged into this article or section. ...

Tribbles return in the Star Trek: The Animated Series episode "More Tribbles, More Troubles" and they also make brief reappearances in the bar scene of Star Trek III: The Search for Spock and the evacuation scene of Star Trek: Generations. Although non-canon to the series, some fans speculate that by the time of third Star Trek movie, a genetically-altered breed of tribble may have been created that kept their reproduction in check allowing them to become popular pets aboard starships and stations. Before that time, tribbles were considered a dangerous menace to other planets' environments and transporting it off its native home could incur a lengthy prison sentence. Star Trek: The Animated Series is an animated science fiction television series set in the Star Trek universe. ... More Tribbles, More Troubles is an episode of Star Trek: The Animated Series. ... Star Trek III: The Search for Spock (Paramount Pictures, 1984; see also 1984 in film) is the third feature film based on the popular Star Trek science fiction television series. ... Star Trek: Generations (Paramount Pictures, 1994, see also 1994 in film) is the seventh feature film based on the popular Star Trek science fiction television series. ... The current Star Trek franchise logo Star Trek is an American science fiction entertainment series and media franchise. ...

In Deep Space Nine episode "Trials and Tribble-ations" the crew of the USS Defiant encounter the tribbles once more when they accidentally travel back in time and participate in the events of "The Trouble with Tribbles". Worf reveals that the creatures were actually hunted down and exterminated by the Klingon Empire; specially-trained warriors were sent to kill every tribble in existence, and an armada of Klingon vessels obliterated the tribble homeworld. Klingons are unique among Star Trek's races in their extreme hatred of these cute little creatures (the feeling was apparently mutual). This is because they were "ecological disasters", and emitted a loud shrieking noise instead of their normal soothing purr in the presence of Klingons (this may be due to the tribbles reacting to the Klingons' reptilian ancestry, similar to the tribbles' natural enemy). Deep Space Nine Security Officer Odo dryly remarks, "Another glorious chapter in Klingon history. Tell me, do they still sing songs of the Great Tribble Hunt?" A number of tribbles were brought back to Deep Space Nine from the past and the species was re-established. It is not known whether or not their return was deliberate. Space station Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (ST:DS9 or STDS9 or DS9 for short) is a science fiction television series produced by Paramount and set in the Star Trek universe. ... Trials and Tribble-ations is a fifth season episode of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine that was written as a tribute to the original series of Star Trek. ... The USS Defiant (NX-74205) is the lead ship of an experimental class of starship design in the Star Trek fictional universe. ... The Trouble With Tribbles is an episode of Star Trek: The Original Series, first broadcast on December 29, 1967 and repeated June 21, 1968. ... Worf (Klingon: worIv) is a Klingon Starfleet officer in the Star Trek fictional universe. ... This article is about the fictional race. ... This article is about the fictional race. ... This article is about the fictional race. ... In the Star Trek fictional universe, Deep Space Nine (or DS9) is a space station. ... Odo is a shapeshifter played by Rene Auberjonois on the science fiction television series Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. ...

References in popular culture

Tribbles made a brief appearance on Jeopardy! in the 1997 Teen Tournament when they were the object of a Daily Double answer. The tribbles appeared on host Alex Trebek's podium during the clue and then multiplied every commercial break, eventually covering the camera. Jeopardy! is an international television quiz game show, originally devised by Merv Griffin. ... Alex Trebek, with his once-iconic mustache, hosting a 1986 episode of Jeopardy! George Alexander Trebek (born as Giorgi Suka-Alex Trebek [1] on July 22, 1940) is an Emmy Award-winning Canadian-American television personality and game show host whos best known as the host of the game...

In one chapter of the book What Does A Martian Look Like? The Science of Extraterrestrial Life Dr Jack Cohen and Professor Ian Stewart claim the tribble as the most believable alien in Star Trek, and speculate as to how it might have evolved. Evolving the Alien: The Science of Extraterrestrial Life (2002, second edition published as What Does a Martian Look Like? The Science of Extraterrestrial Life) is a book about xenobiology by biologist Jack Cohen and mathematician Ian Stewart. ... Jack Cohen is a reproductive biologist at the University of Warwick, England. ... Ian Stewart, FRS (b. ...

The 1991 computer game Crystal Caves: Trouble with Twibbles is apparently another reference. Crystal Caves is a video game written and published by Apogee Software. ...

The Smurfs cartoon episode "Fuzzle Trouble" featured similar creatures called fuzzles, clearly inspired by "The Trouble With Tribbles." Papa Smurf mentioned upon first sighting that "little fuzzles are big trouble," indicating that the Smurfs had had previous experience with the creatures long before the current generation. The Smurfs (Les Schtroumpfs in French) are a fictional race of small blue creatures who live in a forest somewhere in Europe. ...

The froglike, rapidly reproducing Gizka in the Bioware Star Wars RPG Knights of the old Republic are clearly inspired by tribbles. The title of a quest dealing with their removal, "The Trouble with Gizka," is also a reference to the episode. It has been suggested that this article or section be merged into List of Star Wars races (F-J)#Gizka. ... Star Wars is an epic space opera saga and a fictional universe initially developed by George Lucas during the 1970s and expanded since that time. ... Coordinates Mayor Marija Ćatović (DPS - SDP) Municipality area 335 km² Population (2003 census)  - city  - municipality  - density 1,331 22,947 {{{density}}} No. ...

In an episode of the cartoon Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends, "The Trouble with Scribbles," Foster’s is overwhelmed by simplistic imaginary friends called "scribbles." As in the episode's namesake, the scribbles prove useful for a short while. Fosters Home for Imaginary Friends (sometimes called Fosters for short, and abbreviated as FHIF/FHFIF) is an American animated television series created and produced at Cartoon Network Studios by animator Craig McCracken, who also created The Powerpuff Girls. ...

One episode of Futurama "The Problem with Popplers" is also loosely based on the subject of tribbles creatures. This article is about the television series. ... The subject of this article may not satisfy the notability guideline for Television episodes. ...

The game Space Trader for Palm OS has a mystery item that the player can purchase which, randomly, may be a tribble. If the player purchases food, the tribble will eat the food (reducing the amount you have), and multiply. The more tribbles you have, the more small boxes begin to appear on the screen. If the player purchases narcotics, the tribbles will also eat that, and die. The player may be cited by police for an "ecological" danger. Eventually, the player may be able to find someone to purchase the tribbles. Space Trader is a strategy game for Palm OS and Windows Mobile PDAs. ...

The Commodore 64 version of the game Elite introduced "trumbles" (creatures based on the tribbles with one or two notable differences such as breeding cycles only occurring during hyperspace jumps). The Commodore 64 is the best-selling single personal computer model of all time. ... Elite is a seminal space trading computer game, originally published by Acornsoft in 1984 for the BBC Micro and Acorn Electron computers. ...

Fuzzy tribble toys, similar in appearance and in their quivering and squeaking to the tribbles on the show, are available for purchase, for example at one of the kiosks outside Quark's Bar at Star Trek: The Experience in Las Vegas. A teddy bear A toy is an object used in play. ... The view from the outside of the Las Vegas Hilton Star Trek: The Experience is a theme park at the Las Vegas Hilton in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA, based on the fictional Star Trek universe. ... For further information, see Las Vegas metropolitan area and Las Vegas Strip. ...

In the Nickelodeon Channel animated television series, "My Life as a Teenage Robot" in one episode the character Sheldon is sneaking around Dr. Nora Wakeman's house trying to locate Jenny's blueprints. He opens the door of attic only to have tribbles fall on him.

An episode of MADtv from 2001 parodied an episode of Star Trek featuring the tribbles, dubbing the story into Spanish. MADtv is an American sketch comedy television series based on the humor magazine, Mad. ... Year 2001 (MMI) was a common year starting on Monday (link displays the 2001 Gregorian calendar). ... The current Star Trek franchise logo Star Trek is an American science fiction entertainment series and media franchise. ...

An episode of the PBS childrens' series Arthur once had an episode named "The Trouble With Tibbles" (an obvious reference) after the mischieves Tibble twins, Timmy and Tommy, from the series. Not to be confused with Public Broadcasting Services in Malta. ... Arthur is an American and Canadian educational children’s television series which airs primarily on PBS in the United States; CBC Television, Radio-Canada, Knowledge Network and TVO in Canada; and BBC One in the UK, although it has been syndicated to numerous other stations throughout the world. ...

The online RPG AdventureQuest has a creature called a "trobble" which resembles a tribble with eyes, small feet, and a beak. AdventureQuest (also referred to by its website name BattleOn or simply as AQ) is an online single-player RPG developed by Artix Entertainment in 2002. ...

The orange, yellow, and green poof balls used in the Botball Robotics Competitions (run by the KISS Institute for Practical Robotics) are called tribbles in reference to the Star Trek tribbles.

In Gilmore Girls season 1, episode 13, Rory references Tribbles during the rummage sale: "Geez, this stuff is like Tribbles." Gilmore Girls was an American television drama/comedy that began on October 5, 2000 and aired its final episode on May 15, 2007. ...

Trivia

• Tribbles is the name of a gene in the fruitfly genome that is responsible for stopping excessive cellular proliferation. Named as such because when the gene is removed, there is an over proliferation of cells in the growing mesoderm.

• Several prop tribbles from the show were auctioned off at the 1967 Worldcon, the 25th World Science Convention held in New York City. They each sold in the $20 range.

• Several stuffed tribbles were given away as a promotion for the DS9 episode. They included a tag with pictures from the original episode and the DS9 episode that said in part: "30 YEARS AGO, 1,771,561 OF THESE FRIENDLY TRIBBLES TOOK OVER THE STARSHIP ENTERPRISE... THIS WEEK, TRIBBLES INVADE DEEP SPACE NINE"

• A species of marine snail is named Conus tribblei, after the Star Trek creatures.[2]

It has been suggested that World Science Fiction Society be merged into this article or section. ...

See also

• flatcat
• Shmoo
• Crystal Caves
• Wah Chang

In Robert Heinleins science fiction novel The Rolling Stones, flatcats are a species of emotional symbiotes native to Mars, with very adaptive metabolisms. ... A shmoo (plural, shmoon) is a fictional cartoon creature, created and first drawn by the cartoonist Al Capp in his newspaper comic strip Lil Abner. ... Crystal Caves is a video game written and published by Apogee Software. ... On this book cover, Wah Chang poses with the jeweled dragon he built and animated for The Singing Bone segment of George Pals The Wonderful World of Brothers Grimm. ...

External links

• Tribble article at Memory Alpha, a Star Trek wiki