While Paramount+’s Star Trek: Discovery season 4 may inspire many questions in its avid viewers, one remains starkly at the forefront: is there a tribble on the Discovery? While the small, furry creatures may seem innocuous, tribbles have the potential to cause immense trouble. Whether this particular creature is supposed to be on the Discovery or not, it is best to know if tribbles are indeed on board, and, if so, in what quantity.
Star Trek: Discovery season 4 finds Commander Michael Burnham promoted to captain of the Discovery, surpassing the role she’d vied for since she was demoted at the beginning of the series. Star Trek: Discovery primarily follows Burnham’s redemption arc; her actions caused a war between the United Federation of Planets and the Klingon Empire and she's been trying to restore her reputation since. Burnham is therefore viewed with scrutiny and forced to earn back her position as well as the Federation’s trust. Over the course of the series, Burnham leads the Discovery’s crew to end the war, as well as solve other intergalactic threats.
In the Star Trek: Discovery season 4 premiere, a subtle mystery was caught by attentive audiences. During an early scene, Burnham passes a small mass of fur, scurrying its way through the halls of the Discovery. Not many furry creatures are notable in the Star Trek universe, which leads one to believe the specimen spotted in this episode must be one of the iconic tribbles. Tribbles, a species of Star Trek aliens that are essentially squeaking hairballs, only do two things: eat and reproduce, both of which they excel at. Tribbles are notoriously fast at reproduction, being born pregnant, and were an ecological threat to the Klingon world, sparking a contentious relationship between the two alien species. As Discovery’s creature physiologically resembles a tribble’s description as well as emitting the characteristic noises, it is likely that the spotted creature is a tribble.
However, if tribbles are hard to control and potentially dangerous, why would no one, especially Burnham, have any reaction to its presence? The answer may be found in an earlier episode of Star Trek: Discovery. In season 1, a tribble was spotted on Captain Gabriel Lorca’s desk; Lorca, the previous captain of the Discovery, was fond of collecting animal specimens. Lorca was clearly able to control his tribble, and, again, no mention of the sentient furball was given by either Lorca or Burnham. As this season took place about a decade or so before the real danger of tribbles would be discovered, this lack of reaction is understandable.
Star Trek: Discovery season 4, however, takes place 900 years beyond the events of even the original Star Trek series. By now, the full potential of tribbles should be accessible and understood by Burnham and crew; it almost appears that the tribble was supposed to be on the Discovery. Tribbles may provide a number of uses to the crew; their calls are therapeutically calming for humans, and the tribbles’ aggressive reaction to Star Trek's Klingons might be advantageous given the unsteady relationship Burnham and others have with the race. Some viewers have postulated that the tribble might actually be a new crew member, but this is fairly doubtful as the creature clearly isn’t wearing a uniform.
Star Trek: Discovery releases new episodes Thursdays on Paramount+.