The Trouble with Tribbles (episode)edit this page

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(written from a Production point of view)
"The Trouble with Tribbles"
TOS, Episode 2x13
Production number: 60342
First aired: 29 December 1967
Remastered version aired: 4 November 2006
← 43rd of 80 produced in TOS →
← 44th of 80 released in TOS →
← 9th of 80 released in TOS Remastered →
← 44th of 727 released in all →
Written By
David Gerrold

Directed By
Joseph Pevney
4523.3 (2268)
  Arc: Cyrano Jones and Tribbles (1 of 2) →
  Arc: Arne Darvin (1 of 2) →
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  Arc: {{{wsArc4Desc}}} ({{{nArc4PartNumber}}} of {{{nArc4PartCount}}})  
For other meanings of "The Trouble with Tribbles", please see The Trouble with Tribbles (disambiguation).

A dispute over control of a planet brings Enterprise to a space station, where they must deal with Klingons, edgy Federation officials, and a previously-unknown race of small, unbearably cute, voraciously hungry and rapidly-multiplying furry creatures.

Contents

[edit] Summary

[edit] Teaser

The Enterprise is en route to Deep Space Station K-7 for assistance with an important assignment regarding a disputed planet. One parsec from the nearest Klingon outpost ("Close enough to smell them" as Chekov puts it), the post is near Sherman's Planet, which is claimed by both sides.

In a briefing with Kirk, Spock and Chekov, it is learned that under the terms of the Organian Peace Treaty, control of the planet will be granted to the party that can demonstrate it can develop the planet's resources most efficiently. In the midst of the briefing, however, a message comes in from the bridge; K-7 has issued a Code One alert, which signals that it is under attack.

[edit] Act One

The Enterprise arrives at maximum warp, armed for a fight, only to find no battle. Beaming over, Kirk demands an explanation from Station Manager Lurry, but is told he was ordered to do so by Nilz Baris, a Federation official in charge of the Sherman's Planet development project.

Baris and his aide, Arne Darvin, explain they used the Priority One out of fear the Klingons might try to sabotage the Federation's best hope to win control of the planet – a high-yield grain known as quadrotriticale, which would be ideal for the planet. Tons of the grain are stored at the station, and Baris demands security and protection from Kirk. Kirk is outraged over what he believes to be a misuse of the Priority One channel. But since they're already at the station, he decides to allow shore leave for the Enterprise crew. On leave, Uhura meets a dealer named Cyrano Jones, who is trying to sell rare galactic items, among them, furry little creatures Jones calls tribbles. While they bicker over the selling price, Chekov notices it had eaten a quadrotriticale sample left on the bar. In hopes of more sales, Jones gives the tribble to Uhura.

Back on the Enterprise, Kirk is addressed by Starfleet Admiral Fitzpatrick. He agrees with Baris that the quadrotriticale is essential for the claiming of Sherman's planet and therefore is a priority to protect. Fitzpatrick orders Kirk to obey Baris and to protect the grain as directed, to Kirk's exasperation. To add to his troubles, a Klingon battle cruiser arrives at K-7. To Kirk's astonishment, he learns that its captain, Koloth, and first officer, Korax, are in Lurry's office.

[edit] Act Two

Upon arriving, Kirk learns that the Klingons are demanding shore leave rights under the peace treaty. Kirk reluctantly agrees to permit Koloth and his crew to take shore leave, but sets limits of twelve at a time, with one guard from the Enterprise for each Klingon soldier.

Back on board, Uhura is surprised that the tribble she received has just given birth to a litter. The sounds the tribbles make seem to have a soothing effect on Humans and Vulcans. Dr. McCoy takes one of the offspring to study it. Meanwhile, Kirk receives an earful from Baris about Klingons being on board the station and has to assure him that the they are under guard. Going into sickbay for headache pills, Kirk notices that McCoy's tribble has also produced a litter. McCoy's initial findings indicate that almost 50% of their metabolism is geared to reproduction. If a tribble eats too much, a number of hungry little tribbles (a mean average of ten per litter) soon follow.

Kirk advises the officers beaming down to the station of the Klingon situation, wanting them to avoid trouble. Scotty is reluctant to go on shore leave himself, but Kirk, concerned for him getting too wrapped up in technical journals, tells him to go and keep an eye on the others.

Aboard K7, Jones tries to sell more tribbles. The Enterprise crew aren't interested, and the tribbles react very loudly when presented to the Klingons, who refuse Jones' offers vehemently. Not even the barkeep is interested in more tribbles—the one he acquired earlier is already multiplying. After having too much to drink, Korax starts insulting the Enterprise crew: first by comparing the humans to tribbles and Regulan bloodworms . He then tries to provoke Chekov with insults directed at Kirk, but Scotty restrains him, offering that they are big enough to take a few insults. But then, Korax begins directing his insults at the Enterprise itself, calling it a garbage scow. Scotty offers Korax a chance to reconsider his words. Korax responds by describing the Enterprise as garbage. Scotty finally gets up and knocks Korax out, provoking a massive brawl between the two groups. Security from the Enterprise manages to regain control of the situation, and shore leave for both ships is canceled.

[edit] Act Three

Kirk interrogates the crew involved in the brawl, but none are forthcoming about who started it. Scotty confesses to Kirk in private, and Kirk reprimands him for leading a poor example to the junior officers, and demands to know what started the fight. Scotty explains that the Klingons were insulting Kirk, recalling some of Korax's more colorful insults until Kirks cut him off. Kirk is perplexed when he finds out that Scotty didn't jump to his defense at all, but only after Korax insulted the Enterprise. Slightly embarrassed but understanding his engineer's defense, Kirk gently orders Scotty restricted to his quarters. Scotty happily complies, relishing to spend his forced time off to catch up on his technical journals.

In Sickbay, Spock notes (in contrast to the more-sentimental McCoy) that the tribbles seem to do nothing productive: merely consuming food and reproducing at ridiculous rates. The problem soon attracts Kirk's attention on the bridge. As he sits down in his captain's chair, he ends up sitting on a tribble. He calls McCoy to the bridge and walks around, noticing the proliferation of the creatures on the bridge. Kirk asks how so many tribbles got on board. McCoy points out that tribbles are "born pregnant" and pretty much reproduce at will. The tribbles need to be controlled soon or they'll be overwhelmed. Kirk decides to confront Cyrano Jones at the station. In the meantime, he leaves a standing order: "Get these tribbles off the bridge."

On K7, Spock asks Jones if the latter realized what would happen once he took tribbles from their home planet and all the predators that controlled their population. Jones points out that he wanted a harmless creature that bred like mad. Since they pose no direct harm to humanoids, he couldn't be held liable for trading dangerous cargo, and at six credits each, they're making him money. Then Nilz Baris confronts Kirk on the insufficient security detail for the quadrotriticale. He claims Jones could well be a Klingon sympathizer, but Kirk dismisses the claim as unfounded, especially after he asks Baris for evidence. But since Jones has done no worse than briefly disrupt the station's activities (which isn't even a criminal offense), Kirk has no reason to hold Jones. He and Spock return to the Enterprise.

Back on board, Kirk finds the tribble problem worsening. He can't even enjoy a chicken sandwich and coffee—the tribbles have gotten into the food synthesizers. Then Scotty walks in, reporting the tribbles have been circulating through the station's ventilation ducts, ending up in all of the sensitive equipment aboard the ship. Spock points out that there are ducts of that type aboard K7 which amongst other things lead to the grain storage areas. Rushing to the station, Kirk manages to gain access to one of the storage compartments, but when he opens the overhead door, an avalanche of tribbles bury him.

[edit] Act Four

Kirk finally manages to climb out from the pile of tribbles, and Spock discovers that they are gorged on the grain. In the face of Baris' threats to convene a board of inquiry against Kirk, Spock and McCoy notice many of the tribbles in the pile are either dead or dying. McCoy begins an analysis of the tribbles and the grain, while Kirk questions Jones.

Baris, Darvin, Koloth and Korax soon join them. Darvin, however, sets off the same negative reaction in the tribbles as the Klingons, bringing McCoy with his tricorder. Darvin is revealed to be a Klingon who poisoned the grain with a virus that prevents anyone eating it from absorbing the nutrients, which is how the tribbles died. "They starved to death. In a storage compartment full of grain, they starved to death!" Kirk summarizes. Darvin is arrested, the Klingons are ordered out of Federation territory and Kirk concludes he may get to like tribbles.

Kirk and Spock then bring Jones to the station's bar, and give him a choice: twenty years in a rehabilitation colony for transporting a species proved harmful to human life, or pick up every tribble on the station (which Spock calculates would take 17.9 years). Jones accepts the latter. Back aboard the Enterprise, Kirk is happy to find the ship swept clean of tribbles, and asks Spock, McCoy and Scotty how they did it. All questions are deflected back and forth, and eventually lands to Scotty, to his great discomfort. Annoyed, Kirk demands to know where the tribbles are, Scotty replies that before the Klingons went into warp, he beamed all of them into their engine room, "where they'll be no tribble at all."

[edit] Log entries

  • "Captain’s log, stardate 4523.3. Deep Space Station K-7 has issued a Priority One call. More than an emergency, it signals near or total disaster. We can only assume the Klingons have attacked the station. We're going in armed for battle."
  • "Captain’s log, stardate 4524.2. A Klingon warship is hovering only 100 kilometers from Deep Space Station K-7 while its captain waits in the station manager's office. Their intentions are unknown."
  • "Captain’s log, stardate 4525.6. A small disturbance between the Klingon crew and members of the Enterprise crew has broken out aboard Space Station K-7. I am forced to cancel shore leave for both ships."

[edit] Memorable Quotes

"I was making a little joke, sir."
"Extremely little, Ensign."

- Chekov and Spock, as the Enterprise heads for Deep Space Station K-7


"Is that an offer or a joke?"
"That's my offer."
"That's a joke."

- Cyrano Jones and the K-7 bartender, as the bartender offers him four credits per tribble


"Its trilling seems to have a tranquilizing effect on the human nervous system. Fortunately, of course ... I am immune ... to its effect."

- Spock, as he strokes a tribble


"Kirk, this station is swarming with Klingons!"
"I was not aware, Mister Baris, that twelve Klingons constitutes a swarm."

- Baris and Kirk, as Baris lodges a complaint


"Do you know what you get if you feed a tribble too much?"
"A fat tribble."
"No. You get a bunch of hungry little tribbles."

- McCoy and Kirk, on a tribble's metabolism


"That saggy old rust bucket is designed like a garbage scow. Half the quadrant knows it. That's why they're learning to speak Klingonese."
"Mr. Scott!"
"Laddie…don't you think you should…rephrase that?"
"You're right. I should. I didn't mean to say that the Enterprise should be hauling garbage. I meant to say that it should be hauled away AS garbage."

- Korax, Chekov, and Scott, just before the fight begins


"When are you going to get off that milk diet, lad?"
"This is vodka."
"Where I come from, that's soda pop. Now this is a drink for a man."
"Scotch?"
"Aye."
"It was invented by a little old lady from Leningrad."

- Scott and Chekov, at the K-7 bar


"They do indeed have one redeeming characteristic."
"What's that?"
"They do not talk too much."

- Spock and McCoy, as Spock compares him to tribbles


"Too much of anything, Lieutenant, even love, isn't necessarily a good thing."

- Kirk to Uhura, on the love of a tribble


"In my opinion, you have taken this important project far too lightly."
"On the contrary, sir. I think of this project as very important. It is you I take lightly."

- Baris and Kirk, on the security measures for the grain


"And as captain, I want two things done. First, find Cyrano Jones. And second ..." (A tribble lands on Kirk's head) "... close that door."

- Kirk, after an avalanche of tribbles falls on him


"They don't like Klingons. But they do like Vulcans. I didn't know you had it in you."
"Obviously tribbles are very perceptive creatures, Captain."
"Obviously." (Carrying tribbles, Kirk walks over to Baris) "Mister Baris, they like you. Well, there's no accounting for taste."

- Kirk and Spock, using tribbles to uncover a Klingon spy

[edit] Background Information

[edit] Story and Script

  • This script, one of Star Trek's most popular, was David Gerrold's first professional sale ever. His working title for the episode was "A Fuzzy Thing Happened to Me..."
  • The line in which Spock says that Kirk heard what Baris said, but could not believe his ears, was lifted directly from a Mad Magazine spoof of Star Trek (titled Star Blecch) that had just been published.
  • Chekov quips that Scotch whisky "was invented by a little old lady from Leningrad." That Russian city, originally St. Petersburg, had its name changed to honor Vladimir Lenin, leader of the Communist revolution in 1917. The name St. Petersburg was restored in 1991, after the breakup of the USSR. Chekov's scripted reference to Leningrad was apt for 1967, when the episode was made. It suggests that in the 23rd century, that the name has come back into use, or that the whiskey was invented during the time it was called Leningrad (in reality, name aside, the first recorded reference to scotch comes from 1495, while St. Petersburg/Leningrad was only created in 1703). The episode "I, Mudd" and movie Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home also refer to Leningrad.

[edit] Cast and Characters

  • George Takei (Hikaru Sulu) does not appear in this episode. For much of the second season, he was filming The Green Berets. Many scenes written for Takei were switched over to Walter Koenig.
  • Guy Raymond (the bartender) also played a bartender in beer commercials during the '60s, in which he commented on the strange occurrences in his bar.
  • Michael Pataki is another actor who guested in two series of Star Trek, appearing as Karnas in TNG: "Too Short a Season".
  • Some of the extras in the bar are wearing turtleneck uniforms from "The Cage" and "Where No Man Has Gone Before". The gentleman who seems to be enjoying watching the fight is wearing Finnegan's uniform from "Shore Leave", another one is wearing a uniform of the Antares worn by Ramart or Tom Nellis in "Charlie X".
  • Ed Reimers, who plays Admiral Fitzpatrick, was the TV spokesman for Allstate Insurance in the 1960s. In a funny sequence from the blooper reel, he catches a tribble thrown at him from offstage and, proffering it to the camera, says, "Oh, and Captain: you're in good hands with tribbles" (a play on the Allstate motto, "You're in good hands with Allstate.")
  • According to David Gerrold's The World of Star Trek, Tribbles would be around the set for some time afterward, allowing for occurrences such as what was mentioned earlier or popping up in various other places as well for some months after the production of the episode.
  • William Schallert later guest starred as Varani in DS9: "Sanctuary".
  • James Doohan insisted on doing his own stunts in the barroom brawl. Jay Jones only doubled for him in a few brief fight sequences.
  • This is one of the few episodes in which Doohan's missing right middle finger (lost due to injuries sustained during the invasion of Normandy in World War Two) is apparent. It can also be noticed as he carries a large bundle of tribbles to Captain Kirk, complaining that they've infested Engineering.
  • This is one of the only times in the series that Scott and Chekov have a conversation with one another. (However, in "Friday's Child", when Scott remarks, "Fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me," Chekov quips that the saying was invented in Russia.) Ironically, along with Kirk, they would be featured together in Star Trek Generations.
  • Paul Baxley is credited as "Ensign Freeman," but is wearing lieutenant's stripes, as pointed out in DS9: "Trials and Tribble-ations" when Miles O'Brien mistakes Freeman for Captain Kirk and Julian Bashir questions his rank insignia.

[edit] Production

  • Spock's estimate of how many tribbles there are in three days, dead or alive, starting with one tribble producing a litter of ten every twelve hours is exactly correct, assuming that every tribble always has a litter of ten. Tribble reproduction is exponential, starting when one tribble makes ten. In 12 hours the total number is 11. 12 hours later, each of the 11 tribbles produce ten, making the count 110 babies. Include the original eleven tribbles, and the total is 121. The formula for tribble reproduction is
math,
where x is the total, and n is the number of hours. Given three days (72 hours), the final result becomes math, which equals exactly 1,771,561.
  • During production of the "buried in tribbles" scene, it took up to eight takes (a considerable number) to get the avalanche of tribbles to fall just right. Gerrold wrote in The Trouble With Tribbles, "If Captain Kirk looks just a little harried in that shot, it's not accidental. Having...tribbles dropped on you, eight times in one day, is NOT a happy experience." DS9: "Trials and Tribble-ations" would later establish that the continuously falling tribbles hitting Kirk were in fact thrown by Benjamin Sisko and Jadzia Dax, frantically searching for the bomb placed by the future Darvin. In reality, the tribbles kept falling out of the hatch because members of the production crew had no direct line of sight with William Shatner during the filming of the scene and could not tell when there were "enough" tribbles; a barrier in the set separated them from the storage compartment, which was filled with prop tribbles. In order to set up the avalanche scene, crew members kept throwing tribbles over the wall to ensure that the bin remained as "full" as possible; when the compartment was empty, these tribbles then fell onto Shatner's head as the crew tossed them one by one. Near the end of the scene, a perplexed Shatner–already chest-deep in tribbles–can clearly be seen turning his head toward the wall behind him, wondering when the prop men will stop.
    (citation needed • edit)
  • Wah Chang designed the original tribbles. Hundreds were sewn together during production, using pieces of extra-long rolls of carpet. Some of them had mechanical toys placed in them so they could walk around. The original tribbles became sought-after collector's items, and quickly disappeared from the prop department. According to Gerrold, 500 tribbles were constructed for the episode and the tribble-maker, Jacqueline Cumere, was paid US$350.

[edit] Effects

  • Sound effects editor Douglas Grindstaff combined altered dove coos, screech owl cries and emptying balloons to create the tribble sounds.
  • The Enterprise miniature seen out of Lurry's window doesn't move, but if it was orbiting at the same speed the station was rotating, this would make sense.
  • The miniature is actually one of the plastic model kits that AMT was selling at the time. In the 1970s, AMT produced a model of the K-7 space station itself, complete with a tiny Enterprise. SCTV blew up a Klingon ship with phaser blasts from some of these K-7 model kits in a low-budget effects spoof of The Empire Strikes Back in 1981.
  • Footage of K-7 was recycled in "The Ultimate Computer".
  • According to Michael and Denise Okuda's text commentary on this episode for the second season DVD set, the last fresh footage of the Enterprise was done for this episode. In every episode to follow, the shots of the ship were all stock footage.
  • When Kirk, Spock and McCoy leave the bridge, after Kirk orders "Get these tribbles off the bridge," the turbolift doors open with the harsh sound the doors really have, rather than the gentle "whoosh" normally heard on the series. This error remains in the "remastered" version as well.

[edit] Sets

  • The entire bar set, including the bartender's costume, is recycled from "Court Martial".

[edit] Reception

  • This episode was nominated for a Hugo Award in 1968 as "Best Dramatic Presentation", but lost to the version of "The City on the Edge of Forever" that was actually shown on-air.
  • Despite the broad popularity of this episode among fans, series Co-Producer Bob Justman wrote in his book Inside Star Trek: The Real Story that he never liked this episode, as he felt the characters parodied themselves, and that the episode's over-the-top humor lacked believability.
  • William Campbell (Koloth) recalled that after this episode was aired, his neighbor's son consequently addressed his wife as "Mrs. Klingon". (The World of Star Trek)
  • This was voted the best episode of Star Trek by viewers of Sci-Fi Channel's Star Trek 40th Anniversary Celebrations.
  • It was also voted the best episode by "Empire" Magazine when they ranked the series #43 on their list of "The 50 Greatest TV Shows of All Time." [1]

[edit] Remastered Information

  • "The Trouble with Tribbles" was the ninth episode of the remastered version of The Original Series to air. It premiered in syndication on the weekend of 4 November 2006 and featured significantly enhanced shots of the K-7 space station, now including the orbiting D7-class, IKS Gr'oth. The Enterprise can now be seen more often from Lurry's office, moving toward the left side of the window as it orbits K-7. The remastered episode is marked by the introduction of a revised digital model of the Enterprise, allowing for more detailed and accurate shots of the ship to be created.
  • None of the special shots from the DS9 tribute episode was included in the remastered version. Furthermore, the Gr'oth's design is different from the Greg Jein model seen in Deep Space Nine episode. That ship is greener, with a avian pattern on it, where this version of the Klingon ship is grey and does not bear that pattern, bringing it more in line with TOS counterparts.
The next remastered episode to air was "Mirror, Mirror".

[edit] Production Timeline

[edit] Video and DVD releases

[edit] Links and References

[edit] Starring

[edit] Also starring

And:

[edit] Co-Starring

[edit] Featuring

And:

[edit] Uncredited co-stars

[edit] Stunt doubles

[edit] References

20th century; 2060s; 2245; agriculture; air vent; Antarean glow water; assistant; asteroid; astronomer; Bible; bisexual; Board of inquiry; Burke, John; Burkoff, Ivan; Canada; chicken sandwich; credit; code 1 emergency; cork; Cossack; Deep Space Station K-7; Denebian slime devil; dictator; dissection; distress call; Donatu V; Earth; Earther; ermine; Federation; Federation-Klingon Cold War; Federation law; freighter; French language; food processor; garbage scow; genie; general quarters; grain; headache; hybrid; Jones' spaceship; Klingons; Klingon battle cruiser; Klingon Empire; Klingon High Command; Klingon agent; Koloth's ship; Leningrad; lily; litter; manager; markup; maternity ward; metabolism; milk; nursery; Old Britain; Organian Peace Treaty; parasite; parsec; Peter the Great; perennial; priority A-1 channel; priority 1 distress call; profit; prospector; rehabilitation colony; reproduction; quadrant; quadrotriticale; radio silence; Regulan blood worm; Royal Academy; Russian; rust; rye; Scotch whisky; Sherman's Planet; shore leave; soda pop; solar year; Spican flame gem; technical journal; tin; ton; tribbles; triticale; Undersecretary for Agriculture; violin; vodka; wheat

[edit] External link


Previous episode produced:
"I, Mudd" 		Star Trek: The Original Series
Season 2 		Next episode produced:
"Bread and Circuses"
Previous episode aired:
"Wolf in the Fold" 		Next episode aired:
"The Gamesters of Triskelion"
Previous remastered episode aired:
"Catspaw" 		TOS Remastered Next remastered episode aired:
"Mirror, Mirror"
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