A fairy tale was a type of mythic story often involving magical aspects and an elemental lesson to be learned by children.
In 2267, Mr. Hengist dismissed the mellitus of Alpha Majoris I as a fairy tale. James T. Kirk debunked his assertion, saying he had seen the mellitus himself. (TOS: "Wolf in the Fold")
In 2364, Natasha Yar believed stories of Aldea's planetary cloaking to be a "wonderful fairy tale". (TNG: "When The Bough Breaks")
Chief O'Brien frequently read fairy tale stories to his daughter Molly such as Rumpelstiltskin at bedtime. (DS9: "If Wishes Were Horses")
The Adventures of Flotter, a series of children's holonovels, utilized a fairy tale aesthetic and style. Naomi Wildman enjoyed the holoprograms during her time aboard the USS Voyager. Several adults aboard Voyager had similarly enjoyed these fairy tale-style adventures during their own childhoods. (VOY: "Once Upon a Time")
The title of the episode that introduces The Adventures of Flotter: Once Upon a Time, references a famous, common opening line of Western fairy tales.
The term could also be used in a derogatory manner in reference to something that the speaker might find absurd or ridiculous. Some Cardassians, such as Dukat, thought the Celestial Temple was a Bajoran "fairy tale" before the Bajoran wormhole was discovered in 2369. They also thought the same about ancient contact, at least until 2371. When Dukat told Benjamin Sisko that he was not threatening him, but merely concerned for his safety, Sisko replied sarcastically, "Ah. Then I'm glad I was wrong. For a moment there I thought that you had been put in charge of the Cardassian Ministry for the Refutation of Bajoran Fairy Tales." (DS9: "Explorers")
O'Brien told Nog the Great Material Continuum sounded like a Ferengi fairy tale, but Nog told him it was real. (DS9: "Treachery, Faith and the Great River")
"Smiley" O'Brien thought our universe and its Humans not being slaves to the Alliance sounded like a fairy tale. (DS9: "Crossover")
In 2376, Neelix assured Tom Paris that he hadn't told the children on USS Voyager Mother Goose stories, as they were frightening, giving examples of ogres and child-eating monsters. (VOY: "The Haunting of Deck Twelve")
Fairy tale literature[]
Earth fairy tales include:
- The Boy Who Cried Wolf
- The Kingdom of Elysian
- The Little Mermaid
- Rumpelstiltskin
- Sleeping Beauty
- Snow-White