@georgetakei as any bad science fiction series (like the new battelstar galactica) production costs are an issue.
So the new star trek has a plot with tribbles taking over the world. At some point the teibbles mutated to be more human like. This avoided all the cost of making the puppets and wiggle them around.
One of those tribbles is US president.
Many thought this was so unrealistic that the popularity of the series tanked.

@georgetakei not to forget diapers on ears.

@georgetakei I think Heinlein would have called it a 'puppet master'.
(John Christopher would have blamed those caps. #HailTheTrumpod)

@georgetakei
That tribble is likely from the mirror universe

@georgetakei It was surely as absurd. The last emperor was called “Romulus Augustulus” which could be translated to “Titsucker the pocket emperor”:

The element “Titsucker” plays on one old folk etymology of the name Romulus, which some ancient writers linked to the word ruma – “teat” or “udder.” The idea refers to the famous myth of Romulus and Remus being suckled by the she-wolf.

The phrase “the Pocket Emperor” renders Augustulus, which is already a diminutive in Latin. It means “little Augustus,” often with the implication of “insignificant” or “not a real emperor.” “Pocket emperor” keeps both the smallness and the irony.

@georgetakei To be fair, the fall of Rome was pretty stupid. Nero, Caligula and this guy:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elagabalus

@georgetakei
Hello? 911? I'd like to report a murder.

@georgetakei is Republic , Klingon?

@georgetakei
I have to geek out here.
I've seen references in the comments to Mudd.

Tribbles bad guy was Cyrano Jones - No Harry Mudd in The Trouble with Tribbles.

Sorry that always gets my goat!!!!!

@georgetakei Probably as bowing and truckling becomes more important than principles and democracy.

@georgetakei um... what Republic? We lost any semblance of representative government with #CitizensUnited

@georgetakei 👍💯👍

@georgetakei Tribbles have done nothing to deserve being associated with Donald Mudd!

@georgetakei Rome fell, and nobody acknowledged it for nearly 1000 years. The empire split in half. The western half got divvied up by lead poisoned inbred feudal warlords who called themselves "nobility". The eastern half lingered as an oppressive theocracy and slowly declined until it was finally wiped out by Mongols and Turks, alhamdulilah. So yeah, pretty stupid... but after the fall came a renaissance of art and science.

@georgetakei

It might have been. The Romans were drinking water delivered by lead pipes.

What's our excuse?

@georgetakei

And worse manners than Henry Mudd certainly

@georgetakei A tribble would be an improvement.

@georgetakei
The downfall of a nation is invalid if no one was wearing a toga.

@georgetakei
a tribble, exactly that, though fortunately not able to reproduce anymore. I have been thinking I'd seen that thing again. Leave it to Starfleet's best Helmsman ever to identify this alien life-form.
#invasivepest

@georgetakei With respect Mr. Takei...I think that insults tribbles...

@georgetakei And now we know why Klingons hate Tribbles

@georgetakei dead tribble*, come on George. Not even a living tribble could survive on that agent orange covered head.

@georgetakei Rome didn't fall in a day.

@georgetakei The trouble with tribbles!

@georgetakei

"a guy with swollen ankles and a tribble on his head."

Takei for the win, again. For, like, the thirteen thousandth time.