Tribbles made their television debut in the classic 1967 Star Trek: TOS episode, The Trouble with Tribbles. The furry aliens that live to eat and reproduce have since become iconic creatures in the Star Trek universe.
Thanks to Science Division LLC, fans of the show will soon be able to bring an officially licensed, app-controllable toy Tribble into their homes. Designed by the company’s co-founders (and huge Star Trek fans) Kayleigha and Jay Zawacki, the toys come equipped with three different operating modes: At Ease, On Duty, and Watchdog.
In At Ease mode, Tribbles trill and vibrate when picked up. When On Duty, each Tribble alternates between trilling and screaming, allowing you to quickly ferret out any of your friends who may secretly be covert, anti-Federation Klingon double-agents.
To ensure no one breaks into the batch of fresh brownies you made for your office holiday party, enable Watchdog mode, wherein Tribbles serve as sentries. Place a Tribble on top of an object you need guarded and it will scream to alert you if it’s moved.
Science Division will also offer customers access to a free Section K-7 app. While not required to interact with a Tribble, the app enables human-to-Tribble communication so you can name it, assign it a mode, and adjust its volume. You can also prank your friends by programming it to scream at them.
Science Division’s Tribbles made their debut in July at the Star Trek Las Vegas 2019 convention. The toys are currently available for pre-sale at the cost of $69.99 USD and are scheduled to make their way into homes in the Spring of 2020.
