Futurama Got A Confused Call From A Star Trek Writer Over Their Tribbles Homage
In the "Futurama" episode "The Problem with Popplers" (May 7, 2000), the Planet Express crew lands on a distant, uncharted planet hoping to find a fast food joint; the ship had run out of supplies and Bender (John DiMaggio) was only able to make a meal with baking soda and capers. They land on a Class-M planet which, as Leela (Katey Sagal) explains, should at least provide roddenberry bushes. What they find instead are craters stuffed with brown, crunchy, edible meat nuggets ... that are utterly delicious. Snarfing ensues.
No one has set foot on this planet before so the Planet Express crew packs up the morsels and takes them back to Earth to sell on street corners. It's not long before they attract the attention of fast food proprietor Fishy Joe (Maurice LaMarche), and turn the nuggets — nicknamed Popplers — into a global phenomenon.
Naturally, there is something unusual about the Popplers. While Leela eats, one of the Popplers folds open, and a giggling baby face appears. It seems the Popplers are the developing larval young of the Omicronians, a species of vicious conquerors. The Omicronians aren't too pleased that their babies are being eaten like snacks and offer to eat Leela to even the ledger sheet, as it were.
Trekkies will likely have giggled at the Roddenberry joke above — Gene Roddenberry created "Star Trek" — and they perhaps even felt a twitch of recognition when reading the episode's title. It is, of course, a reference to "The Trouble with Tribbles" (December 29, 1967), a comedic episode of the original "Star Trek" series wherein little fuzzy critters infiltrate a grain shipment.
According to the "Problem with Popplers" DVD commentary, the writer of "Tribbles," David Gerrold, called the "Futurama" offices to say he recognized the reference.
The Trouble with Tribbles
"The Problem with Popplers," of course, doesn't share any story similarities to "The Trouble with Tribbles." The Tribbles are not food and Captain Kirk (William Shatner) does not eat one. They are, instead, vermin. A valuable store of synthetic grain is being kept at the space station Deep Space K7 on its way to provide food for a distant colony. Kirk is assured the grain is important, even if he doesn't think guarding food is a very exciting assignment for the U.S.S. Enterprise. Also on board Deep Space K7, however, is a merchant named Cyrano Jones (Stanley Adams) who has a Tribble in his possession. Tribbles are featureless balls of fur that coo and snuggle and lull humans into a weird state of complacency. They also reproduce by eating, meaning a hungry Tribble soon turns into two Tribbles. It's not long before the Enterprise and Deep Space K7 are both overrun with the creatures.
"Popplers" co-writer Patric Verrone recalls that voice actor Billy West got a call from "Tribbles" scribe — and "Futurama" fan — David Gerrold, "The title is an homage to 'The Trouble With Tribbles," Verrone confirmed. "And Billy, you told me you had heard from the writer. Who was it, David Gerrold? [...] And you said he had seen this episode in particular and made a comment."
West said that yes, it was. And that Gerrold "couldn't figure out why we named them Popplers." West didn't have much of an explanation for Gerrold other than the obvious. "Because they're popular," West explained, "and you pop 'em in the mouth." Indeed, the word "Popplers" isn't too far from real-life snack products like Poppables or Snacklins.
Tribbles didn't become food until an episode of "Short Treks" in 2019.