Scotty and.....Tribblecide!!!

[MarsWeeps]

Ok, the other tribble post got me to thinking about what Scotty did with all the tribbles that were on board the Enterprise. Kirk had asked him if he beamed them out into space, Scotty replied that "it would be inhuman."

Well, what exactly did he think would happen to them when he beamed them aboard the Klingon ship? Did he think the Klingons would lovingly collect them all & provide proper care for them until they found them new homes? I'm sure beaming them out into space would have been a more "humane" solution compared to what the Klingons did to them. Shame on you Scotty!!

Here is the transcript:

KIRK: Mister Scott. Where are the tribbles?
SCOTT: I used the transporter, Captain.
KIRK: You used the transporter?
SCOTT: Aye.
KIRK: Where did you transport them? Scott, you didn't transport them into space, did you?
SCOTT: Captain Kirk, that'd be inhuman.
KIRK: Where are they?
SCOTT: I gave them a good home, sir.
KIRK: (shouting) Where?
SCOTT: I gave them to the Klingons, sir.
KIRK: (a whisper) You gave them to the Klingons?
SCOTT: Aye, sir. Before they went into warp, I transported the whole kit and caboodle into their engine room, where they'll be no tribble at all.

 

[CorporalCaptain]

That's the joke.

 

[MarsWeeps]

That's the joke.

I think "the joke" was that most people would know that the tribbles annoyed the hell out of the Klingons but didn't really think of what the final outcome would be.

We see Kirk laughing at the end, knowing the fate of the Tribbles would be an ugly one and not caring much about it.

I find it puzzling to think that this is the same Kirk who protected the mother Horta and even threatened to kill in order to save her - (The first man that fires is dead!)

My "happy ending" to the story is the Klingons beamed the tribbles out into space and (being the resilient little creatures that they are,) they went into hibernation mode that allowed them to survive in space long enough for Kirk (who had a change of heart and was tracking the Klingon ship) to save the tribbles and transported them to a safe haven.

Yep, that allows me to sleep at night!

 

[Gov Kodos]

Tribbles breed faster than an Internet meme and are just as annoying if not more than the latest ingenious Grumpy Cat offering.

 

[Tarek71]

Exactly. There is no doubt that the Klingons killed every one of them. Whether they stomped them to death, beamed them into space or exterminated them with disruptors hardly matters. Scotty acted like he was being a clever boy doing that, but it was obviously a death sentence for them.

 

[CorporalCaptain]

The joke is that the crew was happy to get rid of them. In other words, they hated the tribbles by then.

 

[Gov Kodos]

By Kirk's chicken sandwich and coffee, these things must die!

 

[LMFAOschwarz]

I know it's just a light-hearted ending to the episode, but what I can't see is how Scotty would have had time to do this without Kirk knowing about it. The job of beaming out all those tribbles would have been along the lines of the whole crew beaming down in This Side of Paradise! Yes, sir, it would!

 

[CorporalCaptain]

Scotty's rapidity in solving the problem is one of the so-called comedic beats in the episode, such as they were.

 

[Dale Sams]

It's worse. Much worse, of course.

Some of the tribbles survived, cause ecological disasters and were driven into extinction.

Way to go Scotty!

The real question is...how the **** do they get into ventilation systems and food replicators?

 

[Timo]

Well, there must have been a massive tribble-control operation ongoing anyway - the heroes wouldn't have let the problem stand. Supposedly, with the entire crew available, the heroes could simply pick up all the tribbles, much faster than poor Cyrano Jones, and lock them up somewhere. The only thing Scotty would do without informing Kirk would be the Final Solution of making them the Klingons' problem.

Timo Saloniemi

 

[Dale Sams]

Well, there must have been a massive tribble-control operation ongoing anyway - the heroes wouldn't have let the problem stand. Supposedly, with the entire crew available, the heroes could simply pick up all the tribbles, much faster than poor Cyrano Jones, and lock them up somewhere. The only thing Scotty would do without informing Kirk would be the Final Solution of making them the Klingons' problem.

Timo Saloniemi

The flip side of my blaming Scotty for dooming millions of Klingons to starvation and getting all tribbles wiped out...maybe the Klingons were on the verge of massive invasion when the Tribble Disaster struck. Or maybe they had to start up a risky energy system on Praxis because of resource problems.

Scotty is single-handedly responsible for the Klingons and Feds being fast allies!

 

[scotpens]

We see Kirk laughing at the end, knowing the fate of the Tribbles would be an ugly one and not caring much about it.

I find it puzzling to think that this is the same Kirk who protected the mother Horta and even threatened to kill in order to save her - (The first man that fires is dead!)

The Horta was an intelligent, sensitive creature. As far as Kirk was concerned, tribbles were vermin.

The real question is...how the **** do they get into ventilation systems and food replicators?

Have you seen some of the places rats, mice and raccoons can get into?

 

[MarsWeeps]

The Horta was an intelligent, sensitive creature. As far as Kirk was concerned, tribbles were vermin.

Why should that matter? To paraphrase Gillian in ST:III - "My compassion for a creature is not limited to its intelligence."

 

[urbandefault]

The Klingons were already guilty of Tribble murder, via poisoning of the super space wheat. Scotty simply gave them a few (thousand) more so they would have a reason to find a Glommer and return for another episode a few years later.

 

[T'Girl]

The tribbles are animals, it's hardly murder.

 

[Push The Button]

Even David Gerrold wrote in his book that once the Tribble population had exploded the way that it had, they stopped being pets and became vermin that had to be eliminated.

Gerrold also denied any responsibility for the "no Tribble at all" line.

 

[LMFAOschwarz]

I hate to be too hard on a "comedy" episode, but aren't there rules in comedy, as with drama or anything else?

I mentioned above my thoughts about how Scotty could possibly have had time to get rid of the tribbles. But in addition to that, once tribbles started to be beamed en masse to the Klingon ship, you'd think they would have responded somehow, instead of just going on their way.

 

[Melakon]

We don't know for certain how many tribbles were on the Enterprise,but presumably it's less than the million and a half on the space station. Scott could set the transporters to lock onto any life form aboard ship that matched a tribble signature, and beam them en masse that way.

The Klingons might have been hip deep in them, since their ship looks like it has a smaller habitable space.

The Horta was an intelligent, sensitive creature. As far as Kirk was concerned, tribbles were vermin.

Why should that matter? To paraphrase Gillian in ST:III - "My compassion for a creature is not limited to its intelligence."

That's Taylor's perspective, and they won't meet her for at least another 15 years. Her viewpoint isn't necessarily the viewpoint of 23rd century Starfleet officers.

 

[LMFAOschwarz]

We don't know for certain how many tribbles were on the Enterprise,but presumably it's less than the million and a half on the space station. Scott could set the transporters to lock onto any life form aboard ship that matched a tribble signature, and beam them en masse that way.

The Klingons might have been hip deep in them, since their ship looks like it has a smaller habitable space.

I've always wondered about how much space on one of those ships is habitable. Based on Kang's reference to 400 crewmen, I've always assumed that they must be pretty much packed like sardines.

And that long, skinny neck of the Klingon ship...seems like it could just contain a single corridor. Walking to the ship's bridge must feel an awful lot like going to see the Wizard of Oz!

That's Taylor's perspective, and they won't meet her for at least another 15 years. Her viewpoint isn't necessarily the viewpoint of 23rd century Starfleet officers.

It's entirely possible that Gillian is of the "tree hugger" variety, to whom all "deaths" are a tragedy to scar the name of all humankind.