The original Star Trek name for the Tribbles was adorable

Unless they’re a Klingon or Captain James T. Kirk (William Shatner), almost everyone loves Tribbles. The alien creatures, first introduced in the “Star Trek” franchise in the original series’ season 2 episode “The Trouble with Tribbles,” are cute little furballs that reproduce at incredible speed, sort of Like faceless bunnies on hyperdrive making babies. They are both adorable and a big deal because they reproduce asexually and are born pregnant, capable of producing a litter of 10 baby Tribbles, each pregnant, every time they are fed. Anyone who has ever tried to prevent their pet from getting food they weren’t supposed to get knows that it can be nearly impossible, and if you have a pet Tribble, that means you now have 11 Tribbles.

The Tribbles were supposedly wiped out by Klingon forces according to Worf (Michael Dorn) in “Star Trek: Deep Space Nine,” but a murderous Tribble variant appeared in “Star Trek: Picard,” so they’re probably still out there, in somewhere. Tribbles can be dangerous when they start clogging things up (though they’re at least less deadly than the equally precious but murderous Moopsy from “Star Trek: Lower Decks”), but they originally had a name that made them sound much less formidable.

In an interview with StarTrek.com“Star Trek: The Original Series” writer David Gerrold, who worked on “The Trouble with Tribbles,” revealed that the tribbles’ original name was actually “Fuzzies,” which just didn’t sound right. He explained:

“I made the name change and in retrospect, Tribbles is a much better name because Fuzzies is too cute. I don’t think Fuzzies would have developed the same kind of cultural recognition. There wouldn’t be people referring to Fuzzies the same way that they did. they refer to Tribbles and I think because Tribbles was a neutral word – “Here’s this cute little creature and it’s called ‘Tribble’ – we added a word to the English language. I made a list of silly-sounding words you could call such a creature and crossed out any that were too silly. “I wanted people to take them seriously.”

I’m not sure anyone has ever taken Tribbles too seriously, given the fact that they are little balls of fuzz that purr and squeak, but you’re absolutely right in thinking that “Tribble” is a better name than “Fuzzie.” , which is ultimately forgettable and doesn’t lend itself to a great episode title name. (What would they have done? “The Frustration with Fuzzies?”) “Tribble” also sounds funnier, and since a large portion of “The Trouble with Tribbles” is comedy, that matters.

Tribbles have become a fan favorite on “Star Trek” because they are adorable and a little annoying, making them fun to hug (plus, Worf is cute when he’s angry). They have appeared in live action in “Star Trek: The Original Series”, “Star Trek: Deep Space Nine” and “Star Trek: Picard”, in animated form in “Star Trek: The Animated Series” and “Star Trek”. : Prodigy”, and is possibly one of the most popular species in the franchise despite being giant, quivering fluffs. In “Prodigy”, the “Star Trek” series aimed at a younger audience, the franchise got its first Tribble with a face on the character of Bribble the Tribble, a totally sentient little creature who was a genetically modified super-Tribble I, for one, would love a Bribble.

It will be interesting to see if we encounter more Tribbles in the future, because it could be a challenge to write them into “Star Trek: Strange New Worlds” given the fact that many members of the team will later discover the little ones for the first time. moment when they are older, during the events of the original series. The prequels are complicated, but given that “Star Trek” has the ability to play with different dimensions, time warps, and more, it’s entirely possible that we could see Captain Pike’s (Anson Mount) Enterprise crew face their own problems. with Tribbles at some point. .