One of the more memorable episodes of classic Star Trek came in the second season-- The Trouble With Tribbles.

The eipsode pitted Captain Kirk and his crew against the Klingons; both aspiring to control nearby Sherman’s Planet.

Control is the name of the game, even hundreds of years in the future. Here in present day Hawaii, control remains the name of the game in politics.

The press-- arguably newspapers, radio, television, and often these days, internet sites that report what happens above and below the surface of Hawaii’s politics-- battles with politicians for information.

Politicians, it seems, battle for control of everything, hence they battle one another, their constituents, and, of course, the press.

Former Governor Ben Cayetano battled his own party, the courts, then Bishop Estate, and reporters. Ben seemed to enjoy controlling everything political at a time when politics as usual meant that control was fleeting, and becoming fragmented.

The Bishop Estate trustees wanted to control money, politicians, public opinion, and the press. Ultimately, the trustees lost and were replaced. Former Honolulu Mayor Jeremy Harris had a reputation for attempting to control what the public saw of his efforts to ruin the city’s finances.

Imagine that.

Former University of Hawaii President Evan Dobelle sought to control a UH Board of Regents which couldn’t even control itself. One lost a job, the other lost all credibility.

Winston Churchill wrote, “A free press is the unsleeping guardian of every other right that free me prize. It is the most dangerous foe of tyranny.”

Tyranny is the exercise of undue control, rule by a cruel and oppressive government or leader. The Klingons represented tyranny, so the cute and ever-populating tribbles of Star Trek screamed whenever a Klingon was near. Tribbles hated Klingons. Klingons hated tribbles.

The trouble we have today is that nobody has any tribbles. All a reporter would need to do is take a few tribbles into an interview with a politician or candidate for office. If the tribble screamed, report that in newspapers, on radio and TV, or online.

If the tribble began to purr and make cuddly sounds, then that candidate would be the one people should choose. No longer would politicians be able to use their power in a tyrannical way.

The tribbles would tell us which candidates and public officials to keep, which to discard.

The trouble with tribbles is that there aren’t any tribbles. We have to figure out which politicians to keep, which to discard.

Apparently, humans are not as smart as tribbles.