"Star Trek" The Trouble with Tribbles (1967)

User Rating:

8.9/10   

Director:

Joseph Pevney

Writers:

David Gerrold (written by)
Gene Roddenberry (creator)

TV Series:

"Star Trek" (1966)

Original Air Date:

29 December 1967 (Season 2, Episode 15)

Genre:

Adventure | Sci-Fi

Plot:

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.

Plot Keywords:

Grain | Comedy Episode | Reference To Peter The Great | Vodka | Alien Creature As Pet

Cast

William Shatner	...	Captain James T. 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)

Runtime:

60 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Argentina:Atp

Filming Locations:

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

Company:

Desilu Productions

Trivia:

During the famous "bar fight", careful observers will note that while tables are broken, all the chairs remain intact. The tables were studio property: the chairs were rented, and if damaged would have to be paid for.

Goofs:

Continuity: Chekov's drink repeatedly changes hands between shots.

Quotes:

Chekov: Scotch was invented by a little old lady from Leningrad.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Crystal Caves (1991) (VG)

Sure it's a bit overrated, but it's still very good

While I certainly can't agree with "gary olszewski" who insists that this is the "worst episode", I do agree that it is a tad overrated. Yes, I do like it a lot, but I have talked to quite a few people who think it's the best episode. However, I might rank it in the top five--so I still liked it quite a bit because it was a good chance to do some self-parody. I really enjoy the few episodes where the show took a break from being deadly serious and just had fun--such as this one and I, MUDD and A PIECE OF THE ACTION. So, when I'm in a non-sophisticated mood, this episode is a good choice.

Kirk rushes to a star-base because the Enterprise received a message that it was a dire emergency. However, when they arrived, the base looked just fine--no evidence of an attack or an emergency. Incensed, Kirk beams down to find out what's happening. To his consternation, he finds that the "emergency" concerns a grain shipment that is intended for "Sherman's Planet" (who Sherman is, we don't know--maybe he's the one from the Mr. Peabody Show). Despite the abuse of the emergency call, Kirk is reluctantly forced to post guards and be responsible for the grain.

Since this is a star-base, the crew is given shore leave. However, Klingons are there as well for shore leave as a result of a recent treaty (the Organian one from a previous episode). And, naturally, due to the animosity between them, fights break out and the Klingons work on sabotaging the grain. At the same time, although it seems perfectly harmless, Uhura brings a cute pet back to the ship (a "tribble"). There, it multiplies like crazy and soon the ship is overwhelmed with a plague of tribbles--and so is the space station. But, this turns out to be a mixed blessing and leads to a creative solution to the plague--thanks to Scotty.

The episode is pure "tongue-in-cheek" and never takes itself seriously. The jokes and silliness come in rapid fire and you can't help but laugh at all the hooey. A must for fans of the series.