The Trouble with Tribbles 

To protect a space station with a vital grain shipment, Kirk must deal with Federation bureaucrats, a Klingon battle cruiser and a peddler who sells furry, purring, hungry little creatures as pets.

Director:

Joseph Pevney

Writers:

Gene Roddenberry (created by), David Gerrold

Stars:

William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy, DeForest Kelley

Cast

Episode cast overview, first billed only:
William Shatner	...	Capt. Kirk
Leonard Nimoy	...	Mr. Spock
DeForest Kelley	...	Dr. McCoy
William Schallert	...	Nilz Baris
William Campbell	...	Koloth
Stanley Adams	...	Cyrano Jones
Whit Bissell	...	Lurry
James Doohan	...	Scott
Nichelle Nichols	...	Uhura
Michael Pataki	...	Korax
Edwin Reimers	...	Admiral Fitzpatrick (as Ed Reimers)
Walter Koenig	...	Chekov
Charlie Brill	...	Arne Darvin
Paul Baxley	...	Ensign Freeman
David L. Ross	...	Guard (as David Ross)

Storyline

Having received a Priority One distress call from an outlying space station, the Enterprise arrives to find they have been summoned there by a Federation commissioner merely to protect a shipment of seeds meant to sow wheat on Sherman's planet. The planet is also coveted by the Klingons, who are taking shore leave at the station. The trouble arises with tribbles - small furry creatures that seem to multiply without end. However, their fortuitous presence reveals both a problem with the wheat and a traitor on the space station.

---

Plot Keywords:

furry creature | year 2268 | 2260s | 23rd century | koloth character | 

---

Genres:

Action | Adventure | Sci-Fi

---

Certificate:

TV-PG

Did You Know?

Trivia

When Dr McCoy figures out that the tribbles are in a perpetual state of being pregnant, this marks one of the very first instances on American TV of the use of that word. Ironically, Desliu Productions, the original company behind "Star Trek", was forbidden from using that word during the "I Love Lucy" episode "Lucy Is Enceinte" so the word "expecting" was used instead.

---

Goofs

Bones describes the Tribbles as bisexual when he means parthenogenic. However, he could have meant the Tribbles possess both male and female sex organs, as "bisexual" was once another term for hermaphroditism.

---

Quotes

Dr. McCoy: It is a human characteristic to love little animals, especially if they're attractive in some way.
Spock: Doctor, I am well aware of human characteristics. I am frequently inundated by them, but I've trained myself to put up with practically anything.
Dr. McCoy: Spock, I don't know too much about these little tribbles yet, but there is one thing that I have discovered.
Spock: What is that, Doctor?
Dr. McCoy: I like them... better than I like you.
Spock: Doctor?
Dr. McCoy: Yes?
Spock: They do indeed have one redeeming characteristic.
Dr. McCoy: What's that?
Spock: They do not talk ...

---

Alternate Versions

Special Enhanced version Digitally Remastered with new exterior shots and remade opening theme song

---

Connections

Referenced in After Trek: Into the Forest I Go (2017)

---

Soundtracks

Theme
Music credited to Alexander Courage, although it strongly resembles the main title music for 'Hollow Triumph (1948)' by Sol Kaplan
Sung by Loulie Jean Norman

User Reviews

Consistently enjoyable episode that has a good story, great sense of humour and nobody taking it seriously even once

The Enterprise respond with all speed to a priority 1 distress call on a space station but Kirk is far from impressed when he learns that the call was signalled by Undersecretary for Agriculture Baris to guard some storage compartments of a new wheat hybrid. Reluctantly, Kirk agrees but only assigns two guards, giving his other available staff shore leave on the station. The importance of the grain is brought home to him though when Starfleet command him into action and the Klingons turn up on the station for "shore leave". With all these pressures on him, peddler Cyrano Jones selling a strangely enchanting creature called a Tribble doesn't even show up on his radar.

I rarely review specific episodes of TV series but for Star Trek I thought I would locate this specific episode and watch it with a critical eye because this tends to be the one that most casual Trek viewers quote as their favourite. Watching it again I can understand why because it is a fine example of the gentle humour that makes the majority of casual viewers enjoy the series. So while we may not always like the clunking moral messages and so on, the humour is what makes it an enduring piece of entertainment. With "Tribbles" the whole story has been written with his humour running deep throughout it and everyone has their tongues in their cheeks throughout with a narrative that is wonderfully silly and fun.

The cast mostly react really well to this lack of action and drama. Shatner wears a great air of weary disbelief about everything and he has plenty of great lines – particularly when mocking Schallert's Baris. He is not a great actor but he shows a real comic touch here and I was rolling with laughter as he stands up to his chest in Tribbles being pelted from above by them while delivering his lines. Nimoy enjoys himself too with lots of "raised eyebrow" moments while Kelley, Nichols, Doohan and Koenig all get good material. Adams hams it up but within the context of this episode it works really well.

A fantastic episode then. It does depend on how you view Star Trek as a franchise because I'm sure many will see this silly episode as a low point but for me personally it is tremendous fun, had me regularly laughing out loud and left me feeling like I had been really entertained.

Details

Official Sites:

handitv Official Facebook

Country:

USA

Language:

Greek English

Release Date:

29 December 1967 (USA)

Filming Locations:

Desilu Studios - 9336 W. Washington Blvd., Culver City, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Desilu Productions, Norway Corporation

Technical Specs

Runtime:

50 min

Sound Mix:

Mono Dolby Digital (re-mastered version) DTS (re-mastered version)

Color:

Color Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

4:3