Happy 50th anniversary to the Tribbles!
Fifty years ago, Star Trek aired one of its most famous episodes: "The Trouble with Tribbles!"
On Dec. 29, 1967, the world was introduced to this tiny, fuzzy alien species that have since become some of the most iconic creatures from the Star Trek universe.
All week, we're celebrating the Tribbles' anniversary here at Liberty Science Center. Our team even traveled all the way to their home planet, Iota Geminorum IV, and invited a bunch of them to live here with us. You can see them in-person on your next visit!
Except here's the problem: Some of them have escaped.
This is very bad. Even though Tribbles are harmless to humans – they are small and have no teeth – they have crazy reproductive rates (an individual Tribble can produce 20 more in a day). If we don't catch them soon, the entire Science Center will be flooded with Tribbles!
The LSC team has built a 400 sq ft Tribble Ball Pit. Within this pit are 40,000 balls and 150 Tribbles. We need your help finding and collecting the Tribbles inside! If you find one, you'll win a prize.
One more thing we should mention: There's also a Mirror Universe Tribble hidden in the ball pit. This particular Tribble is cranky and ravenous (though not dangerous) and needs to be caught ASAP. If you find it, you'll win a three-month LSC membership.
After you're done rescuing Tribbles, head to the fourth floor and experience our premium exhibition, Star Trek: The Starfleet Academy Experience, where you'll immerse yourself in technology and adventures from the Star Trek universe.
The Tribbles are part of our 12 Days of Science winter activities. Click here to see our full list of activities.