I want a Targ, one of those a boar-like creatures with other-worldly tusks. Lt. Worf raised one. It would make one terrific watch beast and I could gate him in the backyard and turn him loose on the excess squirrel population although I doubt that would be enough food or exercise. I’m sure I’d have to snag a deer hunting license and pack him up for periodic hunting trips. My one complaint- he wouldn’t be very snuggly.
I love pets, on my couch, in my lap and through my books. Pets inject warmth and empathy into worlds, stories and people. Yet in science fiction and fantasy, our non-biped, non-humanoid friends are always more than cuddly fur balls. They show up as:
- Evil sidekicks—think Salacious B. Crumb, Jabba the Hut’s Kowakian monkey-lizard, nibbling C-3PO’s eye out;
- Sapient buddies, guardians and alter egos—our furred, scaly or feathered partners in crime. Saphira in Eragon comes to mind.
- Pure nuisance—Tribbles anyone? (Actually my cat fits here too, don’t let the picture fool you, my daughter dressed him up to enhance his cuteness.)
- Electronic sidekicks such as K-9 or R2-D2; and
- Superheroes in themselves, remember Krypto, Lockjaw and the pet avengers?
So where are all the loving, hugable pets out there in other worlds? Something that curls up on a bed and demands affection but doesn’t outsmart you at every turn or need a hunting license to feed ? Does science fiction by definition push the question of sapience, consciousness and the ethics of how we treat other life, even when it poops in the basement and rips apart the furniture?
What’s your favorite non-terran pet? Any other role pets play that I left out?
