Tribbles

[Stephen of Borg 2]

What makes the episodes that feature tribbles explode with popularity? Is it just how cute they are? They do nothing more than sit and purr, the space cats a very popular :blink:

[Kor37 9]

McCoy said it best: "It is a human characteristic to love little animals, especially if they're attractive in some way"

[trekz 7]

The tribbles are incredibly cute and appealing. Spock makes a comment on the calming effect on the central nervous system. The dialogue is often hysterically funny or clever. The cast including guests such as Stanley Adams (as Cyrano Jones), William Campbell, William Schallert, Michael Pataki, and Guy Raymond (bartender) all do an excellent job. Scotty does an excellent job in the fight scene and in explaining it afterward to Kirk. The episode had a sequel in TAS and was revisited on DS9.

 

Some quotes and trivia on the Trouble with Tribbles from Memory Alpha (Warning spoilers!):

 

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 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."

Memorable Quotes

"Captain Kirk, I consider your security measures a disgrace! In my opinion, you have taken this entire very important project far too lightly."

"On the contrary, sir, I consider this project to be very important... it is you I take lightly."

 

- Baris and Kirk

 

"When are y'gonna 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

 

"That sagging 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?"

"Yehhhr right, ah shooold. I didn't mean to say the Enterprise should be hauling garbage, I meant to say that it should be hauled away as garbage!"

 

- Korax, Chekov, and Scotty

 

"The nearest thing that I can figure is that they're born pregnant."

 

- Dr. McCoy

 

"Yes, but until that board of inquiry, I'm still captain. And as captain, I want two things done; first – find Cyrano Jones, and second... close that door."

 

- Kirk, as Tribbles continue to descend

 

"Surely you must have realized what would happen if you removed the tribbles from their predator-filled environment, into an environment where their natural multiplicative proclivities would have no restraining factors."

"Well, of cour– what did you say?"

 

- Spock and Cyrano Jones

 

"Captain, one little tribble isn't... harmful? Captain Kirk – friend! Friend Kirk! Surely we can come to some mutual understanding? After all, my tribbles did put you wise to the poisoned grain? And they did reveal the Klingon agent; saved a lot of lives that way... hm?"

"There is one thing you can do... pick up every tribble on this station; if you do that, I'll speak to Commander Lurry about returning your ship."

"Captain... that would take years...

"Seventeen point nine, to be exact."

"Consider it job security."

"Captain, you're a hard man! (begins to be escorted away) All right, all right!"

"You'll do it?"

"He'll do it."

(weakly) "I'll do it."

 

- Cyrano Jones, Kirk and Spock

 

"I gave them a very good home, sir."

"WHERE?!?"

"I gave them to the Klingons, sir."

"You gave them to the Klingons?"

"Aye, sir. Before they went into warp, I beamed the whole kit and kaboodle into their engine room... where they'll be no tribble at all."

 

- Scotty and Kirk, as Scotty explains the cleanup of the tribbles

 

"You're right, they don't like Klingons... but they do like Vulcans. Spock, I didn't know you had it in you."

"Obviously tribbles are very perceptive creatures, Captain."

 

- Kirk and Spock, on the tribbles and Vulcans

[edit]Background Information

Star Trek eventually returned to the events of this episode in the Star Trek: Deep Space Nine episode "Trials and Tribble-ations."

"More Tribbles, More Troubles" is the TAS sequel to this episode.

Bantam Books published a series of novelizations called "foto-novels," in which took photographic stills from actual episodes and arranged word balloons and text over them, to create a comic book formatted story. The third installment was an adaptation of this episode.

James Doohan insisted on doing his own stunts. In the barroom brawl, he throws some very convincing punches. Jay Jones only doubled for him in a few brief fight sequences.

Spock estimates that it will take Cyrano Jones 17.9 years to clean up all the tribbles on K-7.

McCoy refers to the tribbles as "bisexual" which is incorrect. They are in fact reproducing asexually.

Shatner was being purposely hit on the head by the prop man with tribbles during production of the "buried in tribbles" scene. It took an incredible number of takes to get the avalanche of tribbles to fall just right.

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 was paid US$350.

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 that had just been published.

This is the only time 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.)

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.

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

Footage of K-7 was recycled in "The Ultimate Computer".

Easily missed is Korax making fun of Scotty's accent: "Yerrrrright, ah shoooould."

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 in TNG: "Too Short a Season".

George Takei (Hikaru Sulu) does not appear in this episode. For a good chunk of the second season, he was filming The Green Berets. Many scenes written for Takei were switched over to Walter Koenig.

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 USS Antares worn by Captain 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 and says, "Oh, and Captain: you're in good hands with tribbles" (a play on the Allstate motto, "You're in good hands with Allstate.")

William Schallert later guest starred as Varani in DS9: "Sanctuary".

This episode was nominated for a Hugo Award in 1968 as "Best Dramatic Presentation".

This script, one of Star Trek's most popular, was David Gerrold's first sale to a television show. His working title for the episode was "A Fuzzy Thing Happened to Me..."

This was voted the best episode of the Star Trek: The Original Series by viewers of Sci-Fi Channel's Star Trek 40th Anniversary Celebrations.

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. The sound effects man apparently forgot to dub in the correct sound. This error remains in the "remastered" version as well.

Chekov quips that Scotch whiskey "was invented by a little old lady from Leningrad." That Russian city, originally St. Petersburg, had its name changed to honor V.I. Lenin, leader of the Communist revolution in 1917. 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 it was invented during the time it was called Leningrad. The movie Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home also refers to Leningrad.

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.

Edited February 9, 2007 by trekz

[Vulcan_lover 1]

"The nearest thing that I can figure is that they're born pregnant."

I love that line!

 

Tribbles are so cute! I want one! I love this episode, so many great moments in it, which Trekz already mentioned. As I was reading his post, I hadn't realize that they refer to Leningrad in the 23rd century....Maybe there's some hope for the USSR making a comeback after all...

[He Who Shall Not Be Named 2]

Tribbles are great, but only if you prepare them right. They need to be shaved, dipped in batter, and deep fried first.

[Kor37 9]

Tribbles are great, but only if you prepare them right. They need to be shaved, dipped in batter, and deep fried first.

 

 

Tribbles on a stick!!!!............ :blink:

[LoveMalePecs1 0]

Other than the TOS episode and the animated sequel on TAS and the revisiting of the classic episode on

 

DS9 you forgot that very briefly in ST:III TSFS there were also Tribbles in the Bar Area that MCcoy was at

 

while trying to get a Space Charter back to the Genesis Planet before Kirk picked him up and they went

 

there themselves with the stolen out of Space Dock ENTERPRISE.

[Kor37 9]

I guess that between the TOS episode and the movie, it became legal to own a tribble.

[Takara_Soong 4]

I rather enjoyed the Enterprise episode where Phlox fed a tribble to one of his animals. LOL

[He Who Shall Not Be Named 2]

Some time between III and DS9 the Klingons wiped them out.

[Kor37 9]

Some time between III and DS9 the Klingons wiped them out.

 

Yes. As I recall, a great military campaign was launched resulting in the destruction of the tribble homeworld....songs about this great victory are still sung today........ :)