#A Tribble Called Quest

[spockvarietyhour]

Star Trek Prodigy "A Tribble Called Quest"

[spectraspecs-writes]

Good on Chakotay for finally explaining what the tribbles did to the Klingons

[ltwharfy]

Continuing my "Star Trek: Prodigy" Season 2 viewing (what better way to spend a sick day?) and I utterly love the fact that there is an episode titled "A Tribble Called Quest". Beautiful. One of my favorite Trek episode titles.

[startrekucast]

Star Trek: Prodigy Season 2 Review

Here it is, maman. Don't let the beginning fool ya. We loved us some Prodigy season 2. There were some bumps, but this is some of the best Trek of the last seven years! If you haven't seen it, don't be spoiled! If you have, we get into it, maman!  

Episode Reviewed: Star Trek: Prodigy Season 2

Hosts: David C. Roberson Matthew Carroll

Note: This episode of Star Trek Universe continues Dave and Matt's ongoing journey discussing Star Trek as they have since they were 6 years old during the early '90s.

Join Us: Site: http://startrekucast.com Apple: http://bit.ly/StuCast Spotify: http://bit.ly/StarTrekUCast Spreaker: http://bit.ly/StuCastSpreaker

[ashleywritesstuff]

It must be said: Best. Episode. Title. EVER. Check out my review of Star Trek: Prodigy 2x13 "A Tribble Called Quest" on @fangirlishsite.

[quasi-normalcy]

Star Trek episode titles referencing specific characters or species:

So I've been through the list of every Star Trek episode ever, looking for titles that specifically reference characters or species. I'm talking specific references here, i.e., name drops, rather than just allusions. So, for example, I didn't count "The Squire of Gothos", but I would have counted it if the episode had been called "Trelane"; I counted "I, Borg", but not any of the episodes called things meant to evoke the Borg (e.g., "Collective", "Assimilation", "Drone", etc.).

Anyways, my results are as follows:

Characters:

Of the ST episodes named after specific characters, a plurality (17 out of 55) were named after what I am calling "minor" characters, which I am here defining as those who appear in only 1 episode. These included: "Charlie X," "Miri," and "Elaan of Troyius" (from TOS); "Bem" (from TAS); "11001001" (which is technically the names of the 4 Bynars) and “Aquiel” (from TNG); “Melora” (from DS9); “The Caretaker,” “Jetrel,” “Tuvix,” and “Alice” (from VOY); “Rajiin” (from ENT); “Jinaal” (from DIS); “I, Excretus” and "In the Cradle of Vexilon” (from LWD); and “The Trouble with Edward” and "Ephraim and Dot” (from Short Treks).

Q, of course, led the "major" characters, with 8: "Hide and Q," "Q Who,” “Deja Q,” “Qpid,” and “True Q” (from TNG); “Q-Less” (from DS9); and “The Q and the Grey” and “Q2” (from VOY)

Next was Data, with 4 episodes to his name (“Datalore” "Elementary, Dear Data” “Data’s Day,” and "A Fistful of Datas," all from TNG)

There was a 2-way tie for fourth place between Harry Mudd ("Mudd's Women" and "I, Mudd" from TOS; "Mudd's Passion" from TAS) and Spock ("Spock's Brain" from TOS, the movie Star Trek III: The Search for Spock, and "Spock Amok" from SNW), each having 3 episodes to their name.

Bashir was the only other character to have multiple episodes to his name ("Our Man Bashir" and "Doctor Bashir, I Presume?", both from DS9

An additional 19 regular or recurring characters had one episode named after them. These include: Lore ("Datalore"), Sarek ("Sarek"), Troi ("Menage a Troi"), Ro ("Ensign Ro"), Okona ("The Outrageous Okona), Dax ("Dax"), Quark ("The House of Quark"), Shakaar ("Shakaar"), Khan (Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan), Morn ("Who Morns for Morn?"), Dr. Chaotica ("Bride of Chaotica!"), The Doctor ("Tinker, Tenor, Doctor, Spy"), Su'kal ("Su'Kal"), Vox ("Vox"), Boimler ("Much Ado About Boimler"), Kayshon ("Kayshon, His Eyes Open"), Paris ("We'll Always Have Tom Paris"), Badgey ("A Few Badgeys More") and Ascensia ("Ascension" (not quite, but I'm counting it)).

Species

Here, I counted not just the proper names of alien species, but the proper names of their homeworlds/dimensions as well. And here, again, "minor" species who appear in only one episode dominated the category, with 11 out of 44 episode titles: "The Gamesters of Triskelion," "Elaan of Troyius," "The Mark of Gideon," and "The Lights of Zetar" (from TOS); "The Magicks of Megas-tu" and "The Slaver Weapon" (from TAS); “Angel One” and “Galaxy’s Child” (from TNG); “Meridian” (from DS9); “The Swarm” (from VOY); and "An Embarrassment of Dooplers" (from LWD)

Q, which is, after all, the name of a species as well as a character, again leads the "major" entries, with 8 episodes: "Hide and Q," "Q Who,” “Deja Q,” “Qpid,” and “True Q” (from TNG); “Q-Less” (from DS9); and “The Q and the Grey” and “Q2” (from VOY)

Tribbles came next with four episodes to their name: "The Trouble with Tribbles" (TOS), "More Tribbles, More Troubles" (TAS), "Trials and Tribble-ations" (DS9), and “A Tribble Called Quest” (PRO)

The Ferengi (“Ferengi Love Songs” and “The Magnificent Ferengi” from DS9; “Parth Ferengi’s Heart Place” from LWD) and the Prophets ("In the Hands of the Prophets", "Prophet Motive", and "Tears of the Prophets", all from DS9) tie for fourth, with three episode apiece

There's a three-way tie for fifth place between the Vulcans ("The Infinite Vulcan" from TAS and "The Vulcan Hello" from DIS), the Borg ("I, Borg" from TNG and "Let Sleeping Borg Lie" from PRO), and the Andorians/Aenar, whom I am treating as one species ("The Andorian Incident" and "The Aenar", both from ENT), each with two apiece.

The Tholians ("The Tholian Web"), Orions ("The Pirates of Orion"), Cardassians ("Cardassians"), Jem'Hadar ("The Jem'Hadar"), Caretakers ("Caretaker"), Xindi ("The Xindi"), Species 10-C ("Species 10-C"), Mugatos ("Mugato Gumato") and Illyrians ("Ghosts of Illyria") get one episode each, mostly just boring noun titles

A few interesting things are of note here. First of all, outside of the one-off appearances and simple one- or two-word noun titles, the episodes of Star Trek that are named after specific characters or species are overwhelmingly done for comedic purposes (which probably explains why Q, Mudd, the Tribbles, and the Ferengi all tend to put in relatively strong showings). When things are serious, Star Trek across all series overwhelmingly tends to prefer more oblique or poetic titles. Notably, even the more "serious" episodes with Q ("Q Who" being the major exception) tend to forego the standard punny names.

Secondly, with the exceptions of Data and Spock (and to a lesser extent Bashir, Dax, Quark, the Doctor, and Boimler), Star Trek really doesn't like to name episodes after its opening credits regulars. None of the captains, for example, appear on this list: apparently you can name a series after Picard, but if you want to do an episode about him going on vacation, you call it "Captain's Holiday" rather than "Picard's Holiday."

Finally, it's remarkable what species aren't name-dropped in titles. The Vulcans, the Borg, the Ferengi, the Q, and the Cardassians (namesake of only one rather unimaginatively named episode) are all certainly among the major parts of the setting, but the Federation's oldest enemies--the Romulans and the Klingons--are nowhere to be seen; nor are the Changelings, the Bajorans, the Trill, the Betazoids, or any of however many other species to be featured prominently on their respective series. Star Trek typically seems to favour more oblique or thematic references when it comes to its antagonists (the aforementioned "Drone," "Collective" or "Assimilation" for the Borg; titles like "Heart of Glory," "A Matter of Honour," or "The Way of the Warrior" for the Klingons; titles like "The Neutral Zone," "The Enemy," and various allusions to political tension or spycraft for the Romulans; two separate episodes referencing the colour green for the Orions, and so on); titles that tell you what you can expect from these guys, rather than that they themselves are in it.

[briarberrythornedhart]

Savior

You were happy to hear Eddie’s familiar heavy footfalls and his good mood hum. You heard him hum a lot now that you lived together.

“Eddie?? Honey?” You called him. “Save me??”

Eddie jogged to the living room and then slowed, chuckling, as he saw you in your current predicament-- that wasn’t all that serious.

You had laid down on the floor and your cat had laid down on your stomach with one front paw resting on your chin. Tribble weighed at least 10 pounds, was part Manx (‘longy’), had been in a fight that lost him half his right ear, and was a rescue.

Rescued by Eddie just like you.

Tribble was purring loudly and was so happy to have a warm place to sleep that you hadn’t had the heart to move. And you needed a nap anyway. But now Eddie was home and you wanted to be free.

“Oh no, ‘Tribulations’ whaddaru doin? As if I didn’t know.” Eddie laid down on his stomach beside you and tapped his fingers on the floor. “C’mon big guy, you have to let her up - I know she’s so warm but I need her too.” Tribble shifted his considerable cat-bulk off your chest - more than happy to get Eddie to pet him. Bunting up against Eddie’s hands and face.

“You need me?” You asked wistfully - rolling over on your side and propping your head on one arm. You smiled at him and the Metalhead kicked his eyebrows up.

“That's right.” His voice was low, a purr, sometimes you thought Eddie was also part Manx. or Puma. “I. Need. You.” He punctuated each word with a pat on your hip. “Get your fine ass up.”

Did he know that you’d do anything for him if he talked that way? He had not used his power for evil yet, mostly. He took your hand and helped you to stand. You leaned in, tried to go for a hug, but he held you out to look you over. He looked pleased with what he saw.

“What’s my quest, Dungeon Master?”

“Well... I want to go to the animal shelter... they got a bunch of kittens dumped on them from after the storms.”

“Eddie - the landlord said one cat only!”

“Well that’s why we need to move... Tribble is lonely!”

“Is he? Or do you need more hairy hot water bottles on you at night?”

“Baby.... please?” Eddie batted his lush upper lashes at you. A finishing move.

“We’ll just go to look.”

“And play with the kittens?”

“And play with the kittens.”

-----

You came back with two orange tabbies named Tang and Fanta.

-----

[t0ast-ghost]

I’m having a bit of trouble with this episode, I mean it’s S2 episode 15 (Trouble With Tribbles). I promise I can come up with a better opening (edit: I didn’t)

It’s the episode in ds9! But without Jadzia Dax :(

- How can Chekov just sit like that

- Spock is not impressed with Chekov’s joke :((

- HEHEHE

- Kirk is not amused with the space station

- “And that gives him the authority.” Spock leans over and whispers in Kirk’s ear

- “What, what what.” Kirk is what-ing all over the place

- CANADA MENTION LOL (finding out William Shatner is Canadian was a fucking jump scare)

- Kirk is like “if you say Quadrotriticale one more time-”

- the audacity of this bitch <3

- “Does everybody know about this wheat but me?” Kirk is so damn lost

- “Is it alive? Can I hold it?” Uhura that looks like one of those keychain Pom poms. I wanna hold one too.

- “Is that an offer or a joke.” “It’s my offer.” “It’s a joke.” I kinda like whatever these two got going on

- Kirk’s greatest enemy… quadrotriticale

- “Ah, My dear Captain Kirk.” “My dear captain Koloth.” What is Kirk on today?

- Why do they pronounce Klingons like that cling- gones

- Is Koloth played by the same guy as Trelane

- Kirk and Koloth wanna hate fuck so bad

- I love engineering just being crazy into their field, they’re all huge nerds about it and I love them

- Spock petting the tribble in the background

- Spock take a tribble, you need to relax

- “Captain, may I ask where you’ll be?” “Sickbay, with a headache.” Get this man a drink or smt

- I love McCoy getting his own little side quest of figuring out how tf tribbles work

- Don’t you fucking date insult Scotty’s ship! THATS TOO FAR

- I love this conversation between Kirk and Scotty. Kirk just baffled that Scotty threw the first punch. “Is this off the record?” “No, this is not off the record.” I’m giggling throughout this conversation

- Scotty’s so happy about catching up on his technical journals

- McCoy and Spock’s fight in the science room. They only call each other sir when they’re fighting

- Kirk got whoopee cushioned by a tribble

- Imagine your chief medical officer is that pretty and you’re normal about it (he’s not normal about it but just imagine)

- MCCOY SAYS “BISEXUAL”

- Kirk, Spock, and Uhura are so miserable while McCoy has just a single tribble as a fidget toy

- “In my opinion you have taken this entire very important project far too lightly.” “On the contrary, sir— I think this project is very important. It is you I take lightly.” KIRK ON THAT BITCH SHIT

- Kirk: Cyrano Jones— a Klingon agent? *laughs*

Baris: You heard me.

Kirk: I heard you.

Spock: He simply could not believe his ears.

- “You can’t deny he’s distrusted this station!” You cannot deny these nuts!

- Kirk says “Au Revoir”

- Kirk has accepted his tribble fate. Him rising out of the pile. Someone got to just throw tribbles at Kirk

- McCoy comes in with a miraculous solution and then leaves to find another.

- “Mr.Baris, they like you. Well there’s no accounting for taste.”

- McCoy’s explaining the grain was poisoned. McCoy sounds more southern when happy.

- It’s not a passing around of admiration, they’re passing around blame lol. They did something bad

- whispering “you gave them to the klingons?” Oh my goddd

- I love everyone laughing and Spock just making this face

Genuinely loved this episode and was laughing throughout it. I am susceptible to tribbles.

Masterpost

Episode written by David Gerrold

[defconprime]

Star Trek: Prodigy - "A Tribble Called Quest"

Chakotay and the gang find a Klingon scientist who accidentally on purpose made giant carnivorous tribbles, and they live right on top of a gem they need to power the Protostar!

RATING: 70%

[joju-but-trek]

Star Trek: Prodigy Season 2, Episode 13: A Tribble Called Quest

That tribble is going to give me nightmares.

Finally, we get a Prodigy episode with the Klingons! I love Klingons overall, and Prodigy did the thing that I always wish they did with the species. I'll get into it more in the spoiler section, but this episode did so much more for the Klingon lore than it had to, and I respect that. On top of that, it kept up the streak of still being a Prodigy episode first, and I respect how good this season has been about doing both. 9/10

My big issue with the Klingons is the old fan question. If everyone in the species is so predatory and warlike, how did they ever invent space travel? This episode didn't answer that, but it did have a Klingon scientist, which I think we need more of generally. And K'ruvang bridged the gap in the way that I thought it should be bridged - he treats science as a noble pursuit, and his scientific success is his source of honor just as much as a warrior's physical success is.

This episode also did some fun things with tribbles. The return of Rok's presentation from the start of the season was genius - that was such a good foreshadow now that I know where it was going. I also appreciate that Rok was able to work with someone else who valued scientific success above their own life, and that she was able to bounce off that with her own struggles and need for success. It's not fully in line with the conformism arc that she started this season with, but it's also part of it in an interesting way.

That being said, the Rok-tribble was slightly scary, at least when I first saw it. I didn't have a problem with it in the Netflix menu for some reason, but when it turned around and stared I was a little freaked out. I got used to it, and I like how Rok grew to accept it, but I'm not sure why they took it with them. It's still a tribble, and we know what happens with tribbles on a spaceship.

Rok sneezing on the tribble DNA reminded me of the Rick and Morty episode where they destroyed an entire dimension with a mutated cold virus, and I kept thinking about it now. If I were to compare them and their takes on scientific responsibility, I'd give Prodigy credit for having Rok successfully clean up the mess, but each show was going for a different theme with how they did that particular storyline, and comparing them doesn't seem fair.

I liked Dal thinking on his feet in this episode and Chakotay propping him up. The two of them have great chemistry in this dynamic, and I'm excited to see where it develops.

We're also getting an escalation of the Zero body plot. It makes sense given where we are in the season, something about it just feels like it needed more time. Maybe if it was going on in a different season where the A-plot wasn't a desperate mission to save the multiverse it could have gotten the time it deserved. What they did with it was still good, I just wouldn't have done it here and now.

One other thing about this season that I'm noticing is that it feels like a summation of this era of Trek. It ties in a lot of loose threads from the other Paramount+ shows and links them back to the older shows, on top of involving and expanding those characters' plotlines into a single cohesive story. It's like this show was trying to be the finale of the era, and I'm not sure where that element of it is leading to. I've been pretty cynical about any Trek getting renewed since Paramount tried to kill this season, and it's interesting that the show itself feels like it's trying to go down swinging.

[spockvarietyhour]

Star Trek Prodigy "A Tribble Called Quest" & Star Trek Voyager "Caretaker"

[spectraspecs-writes]

There’s more words to the song than that, Buddy. I just heard the song like two weeks ago

[kiranerys42]

I haven't watched it yet but oh my god Prodigy has an episode this season with the title "A Tribble Called Quest" and I think that might be the best Star Trek episode title of all time

[dragonflight203]

Mass Effect 2 replay, Zaeed’s loyalty mission:

-Now’s a good time to contrast Kasumi and Zaeed.

They’re both DLC companions. Kasumi is paragon aligned, Zaeed is renegade aligned.

This is reflected in their loyalty missions – Kasumi’s is to infiltrate the scum of humanity to retrieve the memento of her murdered lover.

Zaeed sets fire to a refinery full of innocent people he was hired to save so he can pursue revenge.

-What’s most notable here is Bioware breaking from the dichotomy of male paragon/female renegade that they’ve had with prior pairs of human companions.*

As others may have raised, it’s possible that with the prior human companions the assumption was women were more likely play paragon, so their love interest (Kaidan, Jacob) should be paragon as well.

Men were assumed more likely to play renegade, so they’re love interests should correspondingly be renegade (Ashley, Miranda). Jack can also be thrown in here, although she’s not paired with another male human.

Since neither Kasumi nor Zaeed are love interests, they’re not obligated to follow the established pattern.

*I’m not including Liara, Garrus, or Thane in this discussion as they’re non-human. However, it would be interesting to dive into more detail about how mshep in ME1 has a paragon and renegade love interest, but femshep only has paragon love interests.

-Ah, the joys of planet scanning in ME2. It makes me wish I played on PC so I could install the mode that retrieves all minerals with one probe.

-Blue Suns are essentially the de facto government of Zorya as well.

Between this and Omega, I take it they’re a mercenary group aspiring to go into politics.

-Zorya looks like your average forest.

While I love that the quests in ME2 have unique environments, I mourn how all the worlds are very Earth like.

ME1 had many unique, alien settings. ME2 settings typically look like they could take place somewhere on Earth.

-Aaand it has pyjacks. I think by the end of ME2 they can be considered as invasive a species as tribbles.

Also, pyjacks are definitely what the food stall on Omega was selling. But how did it find pyjacks so big? Many were human sized; the in game model is a small monkey.

-It’s obvious the loyalty missions were not designed with a second companion in mind. In some the second companion has only one or two lines, in others none.

I took Garrus with me the first time I did Zaeed’s loyalty mission. Do you really think Garrus would remain silent as Zaeed talks about being betrayed by his men? Or that Mordin would be chill with leaving the refinery works to burn to death?

I wonder if at one point the assumption was the loyalty missions would only be you and the squad member, but later in development they let you take another companion to keep the fights more manageable.

-As numerous others have said, Zaeed and another human starting a galactic wide mercenary group twenty years ago, less than a decade after first contact, is ridiculous.

For the sake of my sanity, I will treat this like humans creating medi-gel. Zaeed and Vido started a chapter of the Blue Suns together. Maybe the first human chapter, and that’s why it’s so notable.

(I also have issues with the fact that all three notable mercenary groups in ME2 and ME3 were started quite recently in the Mass Effect timeline, but we’ll come back to that when we get all the codex entries for them.)

-Once again batarians are all villainized as evil. Vido hired them because they were cheaper; Zaeed called them terrorists.

I wouldn’t mind this treatment of batarians so much if the game ever played with it. Yes, treat a group as one dimensional at first, then later on show how they’re three dimensional. Make the protagonist face their own prejudices and move past them.

Or in a game like Mass Effect, fail to do so – and make that have consequences.

Neither happens, other than a possible minor loss of war assets in ME3.

As others have said, given the huge roster in ME2 the lack of a batarian party member is a missed opportunity.

-When confronting Vido, the framing of how Zaeed looks at the gas valve is similar to how the game frames an object just before giving you a paragon/renegade interrupt for it.

And just like you can when given the option, Zaeed takes a strong renegade interrupt.

-There’s another line of auto dialogue from Shepard when Zaeed blows open the gate.

-As others have noted, this mission is similar to the mission Anderson and Saren went on when Anderson was considered as a spectre.

Do you blow up a refinery and let innocent people die for your own gain or not?

You have the option to tellAnderson that you would in Mass Effect 1. He says that you would have a good reason to do so. If he learned that you let these refinery workers die to gain Zaeed’s loyalty, would he consider that a good reason?

-Since I’m not interested in listening people burn to death – done that once before to see the alternative mission path, not interested in repeating it – save the workers it is.

Honestly, the most baffling part if Shepard chooses this route is that they let Zaeed come with them. Considering how driven by revenge and ruthless he is, why is Shepard willing to trust him? How do they know Zaeed won’t put a bullet in their back so he can chase after Vido?

You should have an option to send him away like you do Liara on Noveria. Could be an autofail – if a paragon/renegade check fails, Zaeed tries to kill you and you’re forced to kill him.

-There’s no combat as you move through the burning refinery. No surprise; the mercenaries don’t want to burn either.

-That battle at the end is always difficult. Almost made it through with a few charges on my first try, then died to the mech.

Finally made it through, surprise surprise, by playing as a cover shooter.

-Neither of the paragon options with Zaeed at the end are compelling in my opinion. Obviously I went upper left to gain his loyalty, but the game doesn’t sell me on it.

Go upper right, you tell him you’re too much of a badass for him to kill in your sleep. You don’t gain his loyalty, but you do get grudging respect.

Go upper left, you threaten with a gun and tell him he’s part of a team.

The best is neutral, where you tell him he’s crazy but you need crazy for your current mission. I still don’t like it, but it feels more genuine than the others.

Normandy – Shepard’s Inbox

-Email from Talitha, the formerly enslaved colonist you talk down if you have the Midnoir background – One of her doctors works with Ceberus (because of course Cerberus has people everywhere) and that’s how she gets you the message.

The end is such emotional blackmail I question if TIM faked it:

The doctors say that other people are getting taken like I was. I hope you can help them like you helped me.

If it’s genuine it’s very sweet. If it’s not, I want to shoot TIM again.

-There’s also an email from Sha’ira the Consort which feels a little too on point:

When you fought Saren, only your resolve was tested, but now I fear you cannot rely only on your own strength. Take whatever steps you must to ensure that those battling at your side fight with clear minds and glad hearts.

Points to the game for encouraging you to complete the loyalty missions for the good ending. Points to Sha’ira for being more helpful than she was in ME1.

I’m docking points from the writers for not working that in more naturally.

-Dr. Michel wrote the winning email today, where she very blatantly is writing you because she’s hoping you can get her in touch with Garrus.

Girl has a massive crush on him for saving her, and he’s completely oblivious even after she gives him turian chocolates in M3.

[aurlworthfightingfor]

The next episode is called “A Tribble called Quest” hahahaha someone’s a fan of hip hop. Love that lmao

[quarkmonger]

Tonight's hyper-fixation is stuck on how I am continuesly watching All of Star Trek All the Time. (I watch it every day lol) I watch each series chronologically, but I jump around from show to show based on my mood. Currently this is where I am with each one.

Tos: S 1 - Ep 4 - the Naked Time

Tng: S 1 - Ep15 - 11001001

Ds9:S 6-Ep 26 - Tears of the Prophets

Voy: S 1 - Ep 1 - Caretaker

Ent: S 4 - Ep 4 - Boarderland

Disco: S 4 - Ep 13 - Coming Home

Picard: S 3 - Ep 9 - Vox

LwD: S 4 - Ep 10 - Old Friends New Planets

Snw: S 2 - Ep 10 - Hegemony

Prodigy: S 2 - Ep 13 - A Tribble Called Quest