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Star Trek
S2.E15
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IMDbPro

The Trouble with Tribbles

  • Episode aired Dec 29, 1967
  • TV-PGTV-PG
  • 50m
IMDb RATING
8.8/10
4.4K
YOUR RATING
Star Trek (1966)
ActionAdventureSci-Fi
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 a... Read allTo 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.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.
IMDb RATING
8.8/10
4.4K
YOUR RATING
    • Joseph Pevney
    • Gene Roddenberry
    • David Gerrold
  • Stars
    • William Shatner
    • Leonard Nimoy
    • DeForest Kelley
    • Joseph Pevney
    • Gene Roddenberry
    • David Gerrold
  • Stars
    • William Shatner
    • Leonard Nimoy
    • DeForest Kelley
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 33User reviews
    • 13Critic reviews
  • See production, box office & company info
  • See more at IMDbPro
  • Photos46

    Leonard Nimoy, William Shatner, DeForest Kelley, and Nichelle Nichols in Star Trek (1966)
    Nichelle Nichols in Star Trek (1966)
    William Shatner in Star Trek (1966)
    William Schallert in Star Trek (1966)
    William Shatner in Star Trek (1966)
    Star Trek (1966)
    William Shatner in Star Trek (1966)
    Leonard Nimoy, William Shatner, DeForest Kelley, Paul Baxley, and Nichelle Nichols in Star Trek (1966)
    William Campbell and Michael Pataki in Star Trek (1966)
    Whit Bissell in Star Trek (1966)
    Charlie Brill in Star Trek (1966)
    William Campbell in Star Trek (1966)

    Top cast

    Edit
    William Shatner
    William Shatner
    • Captain James Tiberius 'Jim' Kirk
    Leonard Nimoy
    Leonard Nimoy
    • Mister Spock
    DeForest Kelley
    DeForest Kelley
    • Doctor Leonard 'Bones' McCoy
    William Schallert
    William Schallert
    • Nilz Baris
    William Campbell
    William Campbell
    • Koloth
    Stanley Adams
    Stanley Adams
    • Cyrano Jones
    Whit Bissell
    Whit Bissell
    • Lurry
    James Doohan
    James Doohan
    • Lieutenant Commander Montgomery 'Scotty' Scott
    Nichelle Nichols
    Nichelle Nichols
    • Lieutenant Nyota Uhura
    Michael Pataki
    Michael Pataki
    • Korax
    Edwin Reimers
    • Admiral Fitzpatrick
    • (as Ed Reimers)
    Walter Koenig
    Walter Koenig
    • Ensign Pavel Chekov
    Charlie Brill
    Charlie Brill
    • Arne Darvin
    Paul Baxley
    • Ensign Freeman
    David L. Ross
    David L. Ross
    • Guard
    • (as David Ross)
    Guy Raymond
    Guy Raymond
    • Trader
    Richard Antoni
    • Klingon Brawler
    • (uncredited)
    Bobby Bass
    Bobby Bass
    • Guard
    • (uncredited)
      • Joseph Pevney
      • Gene Roddenberry
      • David Gerrold
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    Storyline

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    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      The scene in which Kirk is buried in an avalanche of tribbles took eight takes to get right. The tribbles were thrown into the hatch by members of the production crew. The crew members were not sure when to stop because they were unable to see the scene. This is why additional tribbles keep falling on Kirk one by one. William Shatner can be seen looking perplexed as to why more tribbles keep falling on him.
    • 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

      Spock: [while holding a tribble] Most curious creature, Captain. Its trilling seems to have a tranquilizing effect on the human nervous system.

      Spock: [beginning to pet it gently] Fortunately, of course, I am... immune to it's effect...

      [realizing what he is doing, he quickly puts the tribble down and excuses himself]

    • Alternate versions
      Special Enhanced version Digitally Remastered with new exterior shots and remade opening theme song
    • Connections
      Edited from TrekCulture: 10 Greatest Final Lines In Star Trek Episodes (2022)
    • Soundtracks
      Theme
      Music credited to Alexander Courage

      Sung by Loulie Jean Norman

    User reviews33

    Review
    Review
    Featured review
    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.
    helpful•22
    5
    • bob the moo
    • May 6, 2007

    Details

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    • Release date
      • December 29, 1967 (United States)
      • United States
    • Official sites
      • handitv
      • Official Facebook
      • English
      • Desilu Studios - 9336 W. Washington Blvd., Culver City, California, USA
    • Production companies
      • Desilu Productions
      • Norway Corporation
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Technical specs

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    • 50 minutes
      • Color
      • Mono

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