Theory: Kirk is so resentful that Starfleet so deliberately orders protection of the Shermanโs Planet grain in The Trouble With Tribbles because Starfleet didnโt send protection to Tarsus IV in time to prevent its own starvationย
100%! Iโve thought about this as well. Like he shows up ready for a battle and then gets told thereโs no battle, but a huge amount of grain that needs to be protected. And keep in mind that no one is starving or even hungry on Shermanโs planet. The Federarion wants to devop it into an agrarian colony. And then the admiral and everyone else is ordering Kirk to be a good foot soldier and (imo) kind of talking down to him about the whole thing? It must have brought up so much old rage ar how the Federation failed Tarsus IV, I think him trying to keep those feelings from showing made him just come off as petty and sarcastic.
Yeah, exactly.
It would be different if he were saving Shermanโs Planet from starvation. Instead, my impression of the situation is that the planet is merely in development, and the Federation desperately wants control of it. So, basically, this is an economic motivation, not an humanitarian one. That, to me, is why Kirk is mad: because it seems the Federation cares more about future commerce than it did about saving lives in the past. Thatโs why heโs so enraged by the bureaucracy.
Kirk getting covered in a piled of dead Tribbles, played for laughs, is actually horrifying, and also symbolic. Heโs literally covered by the weight of memories of starvation, and the potential consequences for Starfleetโs actions - and also his own actions, if he does something wrong, or if heโs distracted by petty bureaucracy and isnโt available to help a more pressing matter. In fact, that happened - in all the jockeying for power and position, nobody noticed that the grain had been poisoned, or that the tribbles had gotten in there.
Think about the metaphor in this, too - the tribbles starved to death with full bellies. What has a fuller belly than the Federation? And yet pockets of it were neglected and left to die. Thereโs a reminder about the potential moral rot and starvation in complacency here, and in prioritizing money over beings.
I bought some amazing Trekkie art today from Heather Castles (of @upcycled_vintage_art on Instagram, if you wish to acquire them)!
For my dear friend, this Spot and Data coupleโs portrait:
And for my desk:
I love my Unicorn Dog dearly.
you've been put in A Situation. you have to deal with it and get out to the other side alive. luckily a portal opens and a Star Trek character emerges to help!
Stealing the Declaration of Independence with Beverly Crusher...
That's an episode that practically writes itself!
Planning a wedding with Lwaxana Troiโฆguess my outfitโs already taken care ofโฆ
kids these days and their star treks. or something
Every once in a while, I think to myself, "Wouldn't it be fun to have a Star Trek show that followed one of the science and research ships?" before I remember that the diplomacy and action are Pretty Big Draws to the show, and most people wouldn't actually be as thrilled as I would be to have what would essentially amount to "Nat Geo In Space With Aliens".
Can you imagine it, though? Nat Geo in space? With aliens??? Speculative biology, and anthropology xenopology (xenology? idk), astrophysics, et cetera -
Well. I can dream.
Unser Traumschiff ๐ณ๏ธโ๐๐ฌโจ
crumby b-b-bareil (They Call Me!)
