The Trouble With Tribbles (Episode)

The Trouble With Tribbles

"The Trouble With Tribbles" (TOS 42)

Series	Star Trek
Season	2
Episode	15
Production Number	42
Previous	I, Mudd (TOS 41)
Next	Bread and Circuses (TOS 43)
Released	29 Dec 1967
Advertising	Amazon

Prime Timeline
(The root of all realities)

Stardate 4523.3: The Enterprise is overrun by furry creatures while tangling with Klingons and bureaucrats.

The Enterprise is diverted to Deep Space Station K-7 to protect an important shipment of quadrotriticale, a specialized grain; there, Captain Kirk finds his patience severely taxed by Federation Undersecretary of Agricultural Affairs Nilz Barris and his assistant, Arne Darvin. The arrival of a Klingon ship, commanded by Captain Koloth, complicates matters further. Station Commander Lurry must grant the Klingons permission for rest and recreation on K-7 under the terms of the Organian Peace Treaty, while protecting the grain. Kirk's most serious problem turns out to be space trader Cyrano Jones, a dealer in rare commodities including "tribbles." Tribbles, living fluffballs that do nothing but coo, eat, and multiply, soon threaten to overwhelm both the Enterprise and the station. The tribbles find their way into the grain bin and devour the grain, and widespread tribble casualties reveal that the grain was poisoned. The Klingon-hating tribbles expose Darvin as a Klingon spy, and Scotty beams the Enterprise's crop of tribbles to the Klingon ship as a parting gift, "where they'll be no tribble at all."

Image Gallery

Deep Space Station K-7
quadrotriticale
Antarian glow water
Undersecretary Nilz Baris
Bartender
Arne Darvin
Admiral Fitzpatrick
Lt. Freeman
Ens. Galloway
Cyrano Jones
Captain Koloth
Korax
Manager Lurry
Lt. Rand
Spican flame gems
tribbles
technical journal

Related Data

Astrometrics	Britain; Canada; Deep Space Station K-7; Donatu V; Earth; Leningrad; Russia; Sherman's Planet
Chronology	Prime Timeline; 20th Century; c.2060; 2245; 2261; 2268; Stardate 4523.3-4525.6
Culture	cards; checkers; chess; genie; gods; Klingonese; Russian; shore leave; violin
Education	doctor; doctorate; physician; Royal Academy
Food	Antarian glow water; chicken sandwich; coffee; milk; rye; Scotch; soda; vodka; wheat; wine
People	Nilz Baris; Bartender (TOS42); John Burke; Pavel Chekov; Arne Darvin; Fitzpatrick (TOS42); Freeman; Galloway; Hadley; Cyrano Jones; James T. Kirk; Koloth; Korax; Roger Lemli; Leslie; Lurry; Leonard McCoy; Peter the Great; Rand; Montgomery Scott; Security Officer (TOS37C); Spock; Nyota Uhura
Politics	Battle of Donatu V; espionage; Klingon Empire; Klingon High Command; Klingon Ranks (Captain); Organian Peace Treaty; Starfleet; Starfleet Command; Starfleet Ranks (Crewman, Ensign, Lieutenant, Starfleet Lieutenant Commander, Commander, Captain, Admiral); Undersecretary; United Federation of Planets
Science & Technology	agriculture; asteroid; audio receiver; communications; communicator; companel; computer; dissection; distress signal; food synthesizer; impulse drive; kilometer; microtapes; nacelle; orbit; PADD; parsec; phasers (Type 2, shipboard); poison; Priority One distress call; quadrant; rust; sensors; Spican flame gems; subspace; time (hour, month, year); tin; transporter; tricorder; turbolift; vacuum; viewscreen; virus; warp drive
Ships & Vehicles	Constitution class; D-7 class; U.S.S. Enterprise NCC-1701; freighter; Cyrano Jones' ship
Xenology	Denebian slime devils; Humans; hybrids; Klingons; lilies; quadrotriticale; Regulan blood worms; tribbles; triticale; Vulcans
Miscellaneous	bridge; briefing room; credits; logs; money; red alert; rehabilitation colony; sickbay; Starfleet Uniforms (2266); technical journal

Credits

Created by
Gene Roddenberry

Starring
William Shatner

Also Starring
Leonard Nimoy as Mr. Spock
and
DeForest Kelley as Dr. McCoy

Written by
David Gerrold

Directed by
Joseph Pevney

Produced by
Gene L. Coon

Executive Producer
Gene Roddenberry

Associate Producer
Robert H. Justman

Co-Starring
William Schallert as Nilz Barris
William Campbell as Koloth
Stanley Adams as Cyrano Jones
Whit Bissell as Lurry

Featuring
James Doohan … Scott
Nichelle Nichols … Uhura
Michael Pataki … Korax
Ed Reimers … Admiral Fitzpatrick
Walter Koenig … Chekov
Charlie Brill … Arne Darvin
Paul Baxley … Ensign Freeman
David Ross … Guard
and
Guy Raymond … Trader

Script Consultant
D.C. Fontana

Assistant to the Producer
Edward K. Milkis

Theme Music by
Alexander Courage

Music Composed and Conducted by
Jerry Fielding

Director of Photography
Jerry Finnerman

Art Director
Walter M. Jefferies

Film Editor … Bruce Schoengarth
Unit Production Manager … Gregg Peters
Assistant Director … Rusty Meek
Set Decorator … John M. Dwyer
Costumes Created by … William Ware Theiss
Photographic Effects … Howard A. Anderson Co.
Sound Effects Editor … Douglas H. Grindstaff
Music Editor … Jim Henrikson
Re-Recording Mixer … Elden E. Ruberg, C.A.S.
Production Mixer … Carl W. Daniels
Script Supervisor … George A. Rutter
Casting … Joseph D'Agosta
Sound … Glen Glenn Sound Co.
Makeup Artist … Fred B. Phillips, S.M.A.
Hair Styles … Pat Westmore
Gaffer … George H. Merhoff
Head Grip … George Rader
Property Master … Irving A. Feinberg
Special Effects … Jim Rugg

A Desilu Production
In Association With
Norway Corporation

Executive in Charge of Production
Herbert F. Solow