History Recap / StarTrekDiscoveryShortTreksE06TheTroubleWithEdward

* EatTheDog: This is Larkin's idea-- turning tribbles into a food source because, under the fur, they're "all meat".

* SeriesContinuityError: The short outright suggests that Larkin's genetic manipulation is responsible for giving tribbles their infamously expedient breeding capabilities, in spite of tribbles having a cameo in [[Recap/StarTrekEnterpriseS02E021TheBreach an episode]] of the chronologically-preceding series ''Series/StarTrekEnterprise''. There, Dr. Phlox was already familiar with them as "prodigious breeders" and used them as a food source specifically because of this ability (albeit only for his own pets), the exact purpose Larkin intended by enacting his genetic manipulations to begin with.

* {{Prequel}}: To "[[Recap/StarTrekS2E15TheTroubleWithTribbles The Trouble With Tribbles]]", and by extension "[[Recap/StarTrekDeepSpaceNineS05E06TrialsAndTribbleations Trials and Tribble-ations]]", explaining just how Tribbles became the famed {{Explosive Breeder}}s of Trek lore. If it wasn't for that SLIGHT ContinuitySnarl from one of Phlox's comments.

* SeriesContinuityError: The short suggests that Larkin's genetic manipulation is responsible for turning tribbles into the infamous rabbit-like breeders known to viewers. However, tribbles had a cameo in ''Enterpise'', where Dr. Phlox was already familiar with them as "prodigious breeders".

* AmbiguousDisorder: Like Barclay before him, Edward's total lack of social I.Q. is so extreme that it comes across as almost pathological rather than just being a jerk.

** Lucero also leads in similar non-militaristic ways to other Starfleet Captains. In a real life military Larkin's initial insubordination would have lead to a Captain's Mast, while his subsequent disobeying of orders would have seen him thrown into the brig and put on trial at a court martial. Lucero instead arranges a transfer and orders him to stop his tribble work, but does nothing to actually prevent him from ignoring her and doing it anyway, after which she only sticks note in his permanent record.

** Lucero also leads in similar non-militaristic ways to other Starfleet Captains. In a real life military Larkin's initial insubordination would have lead to a Captain's Mast, while his subsequent disobeying of orders would have seen him thrown into the brig and put on trial at a court martial. Lucero instead arranges a transfer and orders him to stop his tribble work, but does nothing to actually prevent him from ignoring her and doing it anyway, after which she only sticks note in his permanent record, then dies before more serious charges can be levelled against him.

** Assuming that the tribbles really could multiply to the extent that they could collectively exert enough pressure on the hull to compromise it, they would crush each other with that same pressure long before they posed any threat to the ship.

* MildlyMilitary: Even by Starfleet standards, Larkin is lazy, rude, inconsiderate, insubordinate, and incapable of following even the most basic orders. Lucero is amazed that his career has gone as far as it has with his obvious attitude problems.

** Assuming the tribbles really could multiply to the extent that they could collectively exert enough pressure on the hull to compromise it, they would crush each other with that same pressure long before they posed any threat to the ship.

* BeyondTheImpossible: Tribbles, which are nothing but flesh and fur, apparently breed explosively enough that they are able to compromise the structural integrity of an entire starship -- which, in-universe, consist of {{unobtainium}}-grade metal alloys ''reinforced with forcefields''.
* BrilliantButLazy: Larkin is said to be a brilliant biologist, and genetically modifying a tribble would require some expertise. The first time we see him, however, he looks like he dozed off during the meeting, and he does absolutely nothing to clean up the mess he makes.

* ContinuityNod: A lot of the tribble-related shenanigans are similar to "[[Recap/StarTrekS2E15TheTroubleWithTribbles The Trouble with Tribbles]]", such as TheCaptain sitting on a tribble and someone opening a compartment and releasing a barrage of tribbles.
* CutenessProximity: When Larkin shows everyone at the briefing a picture of a tribble, they start cooing at how cute the little hairballs are. Larkin then explaining that he wants people to eat them sours the mood.
* EatTheDog: This is Larkin's idea -- turning tribbles into a food source because under the fur they're "all meat".
* ExplosiveBreeder: Not at first. But when Larkin mixes his DNA with them, they turn into the fast-breeding creatures we know. This at first contradicts Phlox's observation of them as explosive breeders if not for the natural predators on their world, till you remember Larkin is not exactly sane...
* FacePalm: Several members of the crew have this reaction when Edward reveals he spliced his own DNA into the tribbles.

* ForScience: Larkin clearly is more interested in proving his theory right than taking any sort of safety precautions or thinking through that creating an ExplosiveBreeder species in a confined space like a starship is a very bad idea.
* TheFriendNobodyLikes: It's pretty clear no one on the ''Cabot'' likes Larkin all that much. His previous assignments were evidently not much better, as Lucero is informed that such behavior from him is entirely expected after his anonymous complaints.

* MildlyMilitary: Even by Starfleet standards, Larkin is lazy, rude, inconsiderate, insubordinate and incapable of following even the most basic orders. Lucero is amazed his career has gone as far as it has with his obvious attitude problems.

* OpinionMyopia: InUniverse -- Larkin says that the crew doesn't like Lucero as a captain. The truth is that everyone except Larkin likes her.

* ThePeterPrinciple: Lucero is by all accounts an excellent science officer and, thanks to being a former science officer, as a commander she gets along swimmingly with her scientist crew. However, her lack of management and conflict resolution experience shows when she's faced with her ship's one problem crew member, starting with transferring a protein scientist to ''climatology'' for being kind of creepy and basically telling him to wing it even though those two fields are about as far apart as possible. Things only escalate from there. A more experienced manager would have had a better shot at either finding a diplomatic means of turning Larkin into a more productive crew member, or failing that, eliminating him immediately (i.e. confined to quarters until escorted off the ship) when it becomes clear he's insubordinate and a potential threat to the mission, instead of half-assing it and still letting him have the run of the ship even after terminating him in a manner that clearly leaves him humiliated and severely agitated.
* {{Prequel}}: To "[[Recap/StarTrekS2E15TheTroubleWithTribbles The Trouble With Tribbles]]", and by extension "[[Recap/StarTrekDeepSpaceNineS05E06TrialsAndTribbleations Trials and Tribble-ations]]", explaining just how Tribbles became the famed {{Explosive Breeder}}s of Trek lore. If it wasn't for that SLIGHT ContinuitySnarl from one of Phlox comment.

** Lucero tells Larkin he's not cut out for the work they're doing, and his attitude towards her doesn't help, so she's ordered him transferred off as soon as possible. Larkin ends up getting himself killed before that happens.

* SenselessPhagia: Larkin admits he gave a shipmate tribble meat to eat. Said shipmate [[IAteWhat looks horrified at the revelation]].

* VillainHasAPoint: Tribbles have never been shown as being any more intelligent than a small house pet and TOS-era humans apparently still eat real meat (replicators won't be invented for another several decades); in fact, Dr. Phlox was apparently using them as snake food way back in ''Enterprise'''s time, so if tribbles are indeed edible to humans and can be produced at a reasonable rate, then looking into them as a potential emergency solution for a famine hardly seems as beyond the pale as most of the crew treat the suggestion. However, Edward did make his argument extremely poorly due to his lack of social and political savvy and also crossed the line when he started disregarding all procedure and safety protocols.

* WhileRomeBurns: As the tribbles overwhelm the crew and ship systems start to fail, Larkin remains extremely calm, does nothing to help and spends his time petting a tribble. Even when he is buried under a mountain of tribbles, he seems completely unconcerned by it.

Captain Lynne Lucero takes command of the ''U.S.S. Cabot'', and deals with an eccentric scientist named Edward Larkin who thinks he's found a revolutionary use for tribbles.

* AbandonShip: What the crew of the ''Cabot'' has to do in the end, as the tribbles are breeding so fast the ship is filling up with them to the point of structural collapse.

* AlmostOutOfOxygen: The explosive reproduction of the tribbles threatens to overwhelm life support. Fortunately, from a certain standpoint, their sheer mass causes the ship's hull to buckle before that becomes a serious issue.
* AmbiguousDisorder: Like Barclay before him, Edward's total lack of social I.Q. is so extreme it comes across as almost pathological rather than just being a jerk.

** Notable for specifically contradicting prior continuity: in previous appearances, the tribbles have always been impossibly fast breeders, but it was portrayed as at least semi-plausible, being that they had an uncanny knack for tracking down food sources. Dr. [=McCoy=] even outright says that they require food to reproduce, and if you stop feeding them, they stop breeding. This episode throws that rule right out the window, having the creatures breed spontaneously, no food needed. Which is ostensibly fine from a biological standpoint, because BizarreAlienBiology. [[NoConservationOfEnergy The laws of thermodynamics, however...]]

** Notable for specifically contradicting prior continuity: in previous appearances, the tribbles have always been impossibly fast breeders, but it was portrayed as at least semi-plausible, being that they had an uncanny knack for tracking down food sources. Dr. [=McCoy=] even outright says that they require food to reproduce, and if you stop feeding them, they stop breeding. This episode throws that rule right out the window, having the creatures breed spontaneously, no food needed. Which is ostensibly fine from a biological standpoint, because BizarreAlienBiology. [[NoConservationOfEnergy The laws of thermodynamics, however...]] This could be handwaved as one of Edward's modifications to them.

** Notable for specifically contradicting prior continuity: in previous appearances, the tribbles have always been impossibly fast breeders, but it was portrayed as at least semi-plausible, being that they had an uncanny knack for tracking down food sources. Dr. [=McCoy=] even outright says that they require food to reproduce, and if you stop feeding them, they stop breeding. This episode throws that rule right out the window, having the creatures breed spontaneously, no food needed. Which is ostensibly fine from a biological standpoint, because BizarreAlienBiology. [[NoConservationOfEnergy The laws of thermodynamics, however...]]. This could be handwave as one of edward modification to them.

* ExplosiveBreeder: Not at first. But when Larkin mixes his DNA with them, they turn into the fast-breeding creatures we know. This at first contradict Phlox observe them as explosive breeders if not for the natural predators on their world, till you remember Larkin is not exactly sane...

* {{Prequel}}: To "[[Recap/StarTrekS2E15TheTroubleWithTribbles The Trouble With Tribbles]]", and by extension "[[Recap/StarTrekDeepSpaceNineS05E06TrialsAndTribbleations Trials and Tribble-ations]]", explaining just how Tribbles became the famed {{Explosive Breeder}}s of Trek lore.

* ExplosiveBreeder: Not at first. But when Larkin mixes his DNA with them, they turn into the fast-breeding creatures we know.

** Notable for specifically contradicting prior continuity: in previous appearances, the tribbles have always been impossibly fast breeders, but it was portrayed as at least semi-plausible, being that they had an uncanny knack for tracking down food sources. Dr. [=McCoy=] even outright says that they require food to reproduce, and if you stop feeding them, they stop breeding. This episode throws that rule right out the window, having the creatures breed spontaneously, no food needed. Which is ostensibly fine from a biological standpoint, because BizarreAlienBiology. [[NoConservationOfEnergy The laws of thermodynamics, however...]]

* ContinuitySnarl: The short suggests that Larkin's genetic manipulation is responsible for turning tribbles into the infamous rabbit-like breeders known to viewers. However, tribbles had a cameo in ''Enterpise'', where Dr. Phlox was already familiar with them as "prodigious breeders".

* ContinuitySnarl: The short suggests that Larkin's genetic manipulation is responsible for turning tribbles into the infamous rabbit-like breeders known to viewers. However, tribbles had a cameo in ''Enterpise'', where Dr. Phlox was already familiar with them as "prodigious breeders". This can be explained as Larkin lists the Tribble breed with a different scientific name than the tribbles usually have, thus this breed could have a different pregnancy drive.

* ContinuitySnarl: The short suggests that Larkin's genetic manipulation is responsible for turning tribbles into the infamous rabbit-like breeders known to viewers. However, tribbles had a cameo in ''Enterpise'', where Dr. Phlox was already familiar with them as "prodigious breeders".

* ThePeterPrinciple: Lucero is by all accounts an excellent science officer and, thanks to being a former science officer, as a commander she gets along swimmingly with her scientist crew. However, her lack of management and conflict resolution experience shows when she's faced with her ship's one problem crew member, starting with transferring a food scientist to ''climatology'' for being kind of creepy and escalating from there. A more experienced manager would have had a better shot at either finding a diplomatic means of turning Larkin into a more productive crew member, or failing that, eliminating him immediately (i.e. confined to quarters until escorted off the ship) when it becomes clear he's insubordinate and a potential threat to the mission, instead of half-assing it and still letting him have the run of the ship even after terminating him in a manner that clearly leaves him humiliated and severely agitated.

* VillainHasAPoint: Tribbles have never been shown as being any more intelligent than a small house pet and TOS-era humans apparently still eat real meat (replicators won't be invented for another several decades), in fact Dr. Phlox was apparently using them as snake food way back in ''Enterprise'''s time, so if tribbles are indeed edible to humans and can be produced at a reasonable rate, then looking into them as a potential emergency solution for a famine hardly seems as beyond the pale as most of the crew treat the suggestion. However, Edward did make his argument extremely poorly due to his lack of social and political savvy and also crossed the line when he started disregarding all procedure and safety protocols.

* KilledMidSentence: Larkin is buried by tribbles mid-range.

* ThePeterPrinciple: Lucero is by all accounts an excellent science officer and, thanks to being a former science officer, as a commander she gets along swimmingly with her scientist crew. However, he lack of management and conflict resolution experience shows when she's faced with her ship's one problem crew member, starting with transferring a food scientist to ''climatology'' for being kind of creepy and escalating from there. A more experienced manager would have had a better shot at either finding a diplomatic means of turning Larkin into a more productive crew member, or failing that, eliminating him immediately (i.e. confined to quarters until escorted off the ship) when it becomes clear he's insubordinate and a potential threat to the mission, instead of half-assing it and still letting him have the run of the ship even after terminating him in a manner that clearly leaves him humiliated and severely agitated.

* VillainHasAPoint: Tribbles have never been shown as being any more intelligent than a small house pet and TOS-era humans apparently still eat real meat (replicators won't be invented for another several decades), so if tribbles are indeed edible to humans and can be produced at a reasonable rate, then looking into them as a potential emergency solution for a famine hardly seems as beyond the pale as most of the crew treat the suggestion. However, Edward did make his argument extremely poorly due to his lack of social and political savvy and also crossed the line when he started disregarding all procedure and safety protocols.

* ReassignedToAntarctica: Lucero tells Larkin he's not cut out for the work they're doing, and his attitude towards her doesn't help, so she's ordered him transferred off as soon as possible. Larkin ends up getting himself killed before that happens.