“The Trouble With Tribbles” has long been a fan favorite of the original Star Trek series. It’s an episode which blends a more sinister story featuring Klingons with a whimsical, comical, nonsensical plot centered around fuzzy little creatures called … tribbles. It’s a ridiculous premise. It’s the height of campy, self-indulgent humor. And the most preposterous thing about all of it is: it works. The damned fooled episode works. I almost don’t know how to explain it. This really is an episode which should be an abject failure – and if someone watches it and sees it as such it’d be difficult to dispute the matter – but the fact is, “The Trouble With Tribbles” is a hilarious, almost smart episode. In many ways, this is the embodiment of the series as a whole – with the exception that there isn’t a whole lot of commentary going on (which may be the biggest criticism of the episode).

The story is about several things at once. There is the subplot about a disputed planet between the Federation and the Klingons – and the only way to settle the dispute is to see which faction can develop the planet most efficiently. To that end, the Federation has shipped some grain to a nearby space station, which will be used on the planet in question. Of course the dispute and the grain draw the attention of the Klingons who are also on board the station. Also on the station is a merchant, specializing in rare commodities – one of which is a fuzzy, furry creature called a tribble.

And of course, the Enterprise is summoned to the station to protect the Federation’s interests.

Kirk’s dismissive attitude toward the station chief are particularly amusing. And this points to the episode’s greatest strengths: Kirk’s performance and the interactions of all the characters. The banter between the characters, even the minor characters (with the exception of the Klingon leader, played by William Campbell, the overacting nutcase who portrayed the Squire of Gothos), is all very, very good. And Kirk’s comedic timing, particularly his facial expressions, are perfect. The scene in which he is buried, and repeatedly pelted by fuzzy tribbles is exceptionally funny.

The tribbles themselves are wonderfully conceived. Immensely “cute” with their purring and furry bodies, they multiply and take over the Enterprise to the point where Kirk accidentally sits on one which had been in his captain’s chair. That they actually end up being part of the Klingon plot – by dying from eating poisoned grain, to detecting a Klingon spy, only adds to their charm.

The rest of the cast also has a number of memorable scene – from Scotty’s reaction to the Enterprise being called a garbage scow to Spock’s own reactions to the tribbles themselves. Everyone gets a good role here, from Scotty to Uhura to Chekov. Only an inexplicably absent Sulu misses out on the festivities.

“The Trouble With Tribbles” is easily one of the most memorable episodes of the series. It’s drawbacks are a relatively light plot (forgivable in a comic romp) and an overly long and pointless barroom brawl scene. Otherwise, this was a tightly paced, well-constructed, VERY funny episode (in a campy sorta way).

Filed under: Original Series