Tribbles Aren’t Trouble if You’re Not a Klingon

Yeah, I know this isn’t a picture of tribbles. Copyright by WyoJones. All rights reserved. Used with permission.

I think my all-time favorite, original Star Trek episode is “The Trouble with Tribbles” one. And of course, I also loved “Trials and Tribble-ations” from Deep Space Nine. I love the quirk of something so small and so cuddly not only defeating the (then bad guy) Klingons, but also, um, er, altering their, er, visages going forward.

I mean, Tribbles are only trouble if you’re a) a Klingon and/or b) on a spaceship with limited resources. And possibly a c) if you’re a shady dealer trying to make money off them. I love a sense of humor that infuses the episode. Tribbles are entertaining. They are sort of heroic if you don’t overfeed them.

But is there anything else we can learn from the Tribble?

When we first meet the Tribble, it seems like the ideal pet. It’s cute and cuddly. There is the quirky contrast with cute taking down the not-so-cute Klingons. This got me thinking about perceptions. What we see and what is actually there. Sometimes there is a disconnect.

I still remember a postcard I saw years and years ago that read: It’s funny, but where ever I take my eyes, they always see things from my point of view.

It made me smile, but later, when I was older, I realized how hard it can be to get outside of our view point and see the world in new ways. I think this is why I like reading novels, quirky television shows and writing my own novels. I get a chance to get inside heads other than my own. I can be brave, travel into the past, or to a distant galaxy–or just across the ocean. I can learn from other peoples’ mistakes.

Thanks to books and movies/tv, for instance, I know I never, ever want to get strip searched. (And I’m really glad those nasty x-ray machines at the airports are going away!)

The Lord of the Rings opened my eyes to the magical and the wondrous. Georgette Heyer and Jane Austen taught me to love history, humor, and storytelling that transcends time.

Star Wars. Explaining how it changed the world (and me) and still does could fill a whole blog post all by itself.

The television series Roots took my intellectual understanding that slavery was evil and made it personal and real. I hate what happened in the past. I hate that it still happens now.

I love being a mom and the things I learned from my children, how that changed my perceptions of my own mother (I used to call her a LOT and tell her I was sorry! LOL). I look forward to the next great adventure of becoming a grandmother (which may or may not have happened when this post goes live! O.O Update: Not yet!)

What events/books/movies/television shows have changed your perceptions? Made you see the world or yourself in a new way? Did you like it? Hate it? Fear the change? Embrace it?

All comments are entered into my monthly drawing for $10 AnaBanana gift card. Winner is announced in the first blog post of the new month. 🙂

Perilously yours,

Pauline

As an author, I’ve also loved getting inside heads much more adventurous than mine. If you like adventure, too, and also romance and humor, I hope you’ll check out my books on my website at paulinebjones.com