Television Review: The Trouble with Tribbles (Star Trek, S2X13, 1967)

Trouble with Tribbles (S02E13)

Airdate: December 29th 1967

Written by: David Gerrold
Directed by: Joseph Pevney

Running Time: 50 minutes

The enduring debate among Star Treks enthusiasts over which episode of The Original Series (TOS) stands as the definitive pinnacle of the franchise often devolves into impassioned, almost tribal, arguments. Yet when it comes to identifying the most universally beloved instalment, consensus is remarkably swift: Season 2 episode The Trouble with Tribbles occupies that throne with an almost gravitational pull. While its reputation as a lighthearted, family-friendly romp might superficially position it as an outlier in a series that frequently grapples with existential and ethical dilemmas, the episode’s enduring popularity reveals something deeper about the show’s foundational ethos. It demonstrates Gene Roddenberry’s universe’s capacity to accommodate whimsy without sacrificing its core principles of exploration, logic, and humanism. Here, comedy becomes not a dilution of the series’ ambition but a testament to its versatility—a reminder that even in the vastness of space, absurdity can coexist with profundity.

The narrative opens with a deceptive sense of urgency. The USS Enterprise is abruptly diverted to Deep Space Station K-7 under orders from Nilz Baris, the Federation Undersecretary for Agriculture, portrayed by William Schallert. Captain Kirk’s assumption of an imminent Klingon attack—a recurring trope in TOS—quickly unravels, exposing the mundane reality of a bureaucratic squabble over grain shipments destined for the strategically vital Sherman’s Planet. This subversion of expectations sets the tone for an episode that thrives on flipping tropes. The grain, a genetically engineered wheat derivative called quadrotriticale, becomes the MacGuffin around which the plot orbits. When the Klingons, led by the imperious Captain Koloth (William Campbell), arrive, tensions escalate not through phaser fire but through a barroom brawl—a sequence that remains one of the series’ most iconic moments. Yet the true catalyst for chaos is Cyrano Jones (Stanley Adams), a roguish interstellar trader whose introduction of the titular tribbles—a species of purring, hyper-fertile creatures—spirals into an ecological nightmare. The tribbles’ rapid reproduction, consuming the station’s grain reserves, inadvertently exposes a Klingon sabotage plot, revealing an unexpected synergy between cuteness and catastrophe.

For David Gerrold, The Trouble with Tribbles marked both a breakthrough and a blueprint. At just 24, Gerrold submitted a story idea to TOS, one of countless pitches vying for Gene L. Coon’s attention. Unlike most, however, Gerrold’s concept—a comedy of errors driven by an innocuous alien species—resonated. The episode’s success launched his career, later earning him accolades for contributions to Star Trek: The Animated Series and Star Trek: The Next Generation. Yet Gerrold’s relationship with the franchise was complicated. His 1973 book The World of Star Trek offered a searing critique of TOS and Roddenberry, a critique that paradoxically influenced the tonal shifts of The Next Generation. Gerrold’s script for Tribbles is a masterclass in misdirection. The opening scenes promise a gritty spy thriller, only to pivot to bureaucratic farce. The tribbles, initially framed as harmless novelties, morph into a logistical disaster through their sheer reproductive zeal. Even character dynamics are inverted: the usually reserved Montgomery Scott (James Doohan) ignites a brawl with Koloth’s crew, while the ever-skeptical Spock (Leonard Nimoy) delivers the episode’s most quotable line—“They do have one redeeming characteristic: they do not talk too much”—a dry punchline that underscores the episode’s meta-humour.

Yet the script’s Cold War-era satire occasionally creaks under the weight of its time. Pavel Chekov’s (Walter Koenig) insistence that various inventions originated in Russia reads today as a heavy-handed jab at Soviet propaganda, a relic of 1960s geopolitics that feels anachronistic in a series so often celebrated for its progressive ideals. Similarly, the tribbles’ relentless reproduction rate, while a clever plot device, leans into a biological absurdity that strains credulity even within Star Trek’s permissive logic. These elements, however, are part of the episode’s charm—a reminder that its humour is as much a product of its era as the modulated synth scores and clunky phaser effects.

Joseph Pevney’s direction elevates the material with a blend of technical ingenuity and narrative economy. Tasked with realising Gerrold’s script on a shoestring budget, Pevney maximizes limited resources: the tribbles, crafted from ping-pong balls, felt, and motorized spines, become a visual motif that transcends their simplicity. The bar fight sequence, choreographed with balletic precision, remains a high watermark for action in 1960s television, balancing slapstick with the visceral thrill of seeing Scott tackle a Klingon. Jerry Fielding’s score mirrors the episode’s tonal duality, ensuring that even the most absurd moments retain emotional weight.

The supporting cast delivers performances that elevate their one-dimensional roles into memorably vivid sketches. William Campbell’s Koloth, a stand-in for the unavailable Kor (from Errand of Mercy), exudes aristocratic disdain, his interactions with Shatner’s Kirk crackling with adversarial wit. Michael Pataki’s Corax, Koloth’s bellicose subordinate, embodies Klingon aggression with a glowering physicality, while Stanley Adams injects Cyrano Jones with a disarming roguishness that prevents the character from devolving into mere comic relief. Even minor roles—such as Baris’s exasperated aides or the beleaguered station staff—benefit from the actors’ commitment, creating a microcosm of bureaucratic inefficiency and interspecies tension.

Upon its 1967 airing, The Trouble with Tribbles polarized audiences. Hardcore sci-fi fans dismissed it as frivolous, a departure from the series’ cerebral aspirations. Nichelle Nichols (Uhura) championed the episode, citing its accessibility to broader demographics, while Leonard Nimoy privately derided its lack of “serious” themes. Gene Roddenberry’s initial disapproval—rooted in his belief that the episode trivialized the show’s mission—marked the beginning of his rift with Coon, a fissure that would widen as TOS struggled to maintain its creative identity amid network pressures. Yet time has vindicated Tribbles. Its legacy is etched into Star Trek lore: a 1973 animated sequel (More Tribbles, More Troubles), a live-action callback in Deep Space Nine’s Blood Oath (1994), and the groundbreaking Trials and Tribble-ations (1996), where the DS9 cast interacted with digitally inserted footage from the original episode. The latter, a technical marvel, cemented Tribbles as a touchstone for Star Trek’s self-aware mythos, blending nostalgia with innovation.

Critically, the episode’s longevity lies in its paradoxes. It is both a satire of bureaucratic inertia and a celebration of interspecies cooperation (however accidental). The tribbles, though pests, symbolize innocence in a universe often dominated by conflict. Their ability to expose sabotage—a literal “canary in a coal mine”—transforms them from nuisances into unsung heroes, a metaphor for the unexpected value of the marginalised. Gerrold’s script, for all its comedic flourishes, adheres to Star Trek’s core tenet: that solutions to complex problems often emerge from the unlikeliest sources.

The Trouble with Tribbles is not merely as a comedic outlier but as a distillation of Star Trek’s adaptability. It proves that a show capable of exploring war, diplomacy, and existential dread can also find room for a ball of fur that reproduces like a biological time bomb. Its flaws are outweighed by its triumphs: a tightly wound script, direction that turns limitations into virtues, and a cast that imbues every line with conviction. As Star Trek continues to evolve, Tribbles remains a lodestar, reminding audiences that sometimes the most profound truths emerge not from grand speeches or phaser battles, but from a station overrun by purring, multiplying chaos.

RATING: 8/10 (+++)

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