Jump to content

The Trouble with Tribbles

This is a good article. Click here for more information.
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
(Redirected fromQuadrotriticale)
For the card game set, seeStar Trek Customizable Card Game.

"The Trouble with Tribbles"
Star Trek: The Original Seriesepisode
Captain Kirk, up to his chest intribbles
Episodeno.Season 2
Episode 15
Directed byJoseph Pevney
Written byDavid Gerrold
Featured musicJerry Fielding
Cinematography byJerry Finnerman
Production code042
Original air dateDecember 29, 1967(1967-12-29)
Guest appearances
Episode chronology
←Previous
"Wolf in the Fold" 		Next→
"The Gamesters of Triskelion"
Star Trek: The Original Seriesseason 2
List of episodes

"The Trouble with Tribbles"is the fifteenth episode of thesecond seasonof the Americanscience fictiontelevision seriesStar Trek.Written byDavid Gerroldand directed byJoseph Pevney,it was first broadcast on December 29, 1967. In this comic episode, thestarshipEnterprisevisits a space station that soon becomes overwhelmed by rapidly reproducing small furry creatures called "tribbles."

It is claimed the short story "Pigs Is Pigs"byEllis Parker Butlerinspired the episode,[2]but strong similarities to sections of the novelThe Rolling Stonesled the producers to seek a waiver from authorRobert A. Heinlein.

The original episode has had several produced follow-ups. The first, "More Tribbles, More Troubles",was originally pitched for the show's third season but not accepted;[3][4]it was ultimately produced forStar Trek: The Animated Series.To celebrate the 30th anniversary ofStar Trekin 1996, theStar Trek: Deep Space Nineepisode "Trials and Tribble-ations"used digital techniques to insert theDeep Space Nineactors into the events of "The Trouble with Tribbles".

Plot

[edit]

TheEnterpriseis summoned to Deep Space Station K7 by undersecretary Nilz Baris to guard a shipment of quadrotriticalegrain.CaptainJames Kirkis annoyed at Baris's use of a high-priority distress call for a seemingly trivial matter, and complies minimally. TheEnterprisecrew enjoyshore leaveon the station, as does the crew of aKlingonship under the command ofCaptain Koloth.

Interstellar trader Cyrano Jones arrives with goods for sale, among them purring balls of fluff calledtribbles.He gives one to Lt.Uhura,who takes it aboard theEnterprise.On both theEnterpriseand the station, the tribbles begin reproducing rapidly. They make soothing cooing noises and are loved by theEnterprisecrew, even the stoicSpock.However, tribbles jump and screech in disgust when around Klingons.

On the station, a drunken Klingon insults theEnterprise,her crew, and her captain. The resulting brawl between humans and Klingons forces Kirk to cancel shore leave. Baris is terrified of possible Klingon interference with the grain project, and suspects Jones of being a Klingon agent.

DoctorLeonard McCoyand Spock are concerned that the increasing number of tribbles threatens to consume all the food aboard theEnterprise.Kirk realizes that the tribbles on the station could be a threat to the grain shipment. He is too late, however; when he opens an overhead storage compartment, he is buried chest-deep in grain-gorged tribbles. Spock and McCoy discover that many of the tribbles in the hold are dead or dying, suggesting the grain has been poisoned.

Infuriated, Baris vows to see Kirk punished for the fiasco, while an equally outraged Koloth demands an apology from Kirk for what he considers disrespectful treatment of his crew. Their arguments are cut short, however, when Baris's assistantArne Darvinwalks into the room and the tribbles react as if in the presence of a Klingon. McCoy reveals Darvin to be a Klingon disguised as a human; Darvin confesses to having poisoned the grain.

Jones is ordered to remove the tribbles from the station (a task that Spock estimates will take 17.9 years), or he may face charges for transporting dangerous life-forms. Just before the Klingons depart, all the tribbles aboard theEnterprisearetransportedonto the Klingon vessel by Chief EngineerScott,where, in his words, "they'll be no tribble at all."

Production

[edit]

Writing

[edit]
"The Trouble with Tribbles" was the first sale of writer David Gerrold(photographed in 2010).

The episode was the first professional work of writerDavid Gerrold,and went through a variety of drafts before it reached the screen. Because his typewriter used a less common, smaller size font, an approvedscreenplayversion needed to be reduced by twenty pages before filming.

Gerrold had been a fan of science fiction since he was a child.[5]WhenStar Trekwas first broadcast, he was concerned that it might turn into something similar toLost in Space,which he has described as "one full-color hour of trash reaching into millions of homes".[6]His first story outline was sent in toStar Trekafter his agent suggested that he wait until the shows started to air under the theory that the show might drop an existing episode in favor of a better script.[7]The story was entitled "Tomorrow Was Yesterday" (not to be confused with theStar Trekepisode "Tomorrow Is Yesterday") and concerned theEnterprisecoming across ageneration shipwhich had degenerated into a two-tier class system.[7]His agent received a rejection letter from producerGene L. Coondated October 3, 1966. The letter stated that the "outline was by no means inadequate. It is, as a matter of fact, very adequate."[8]It went on to say that it would require a budget larger than that available to television, but would have made a good film treatment. Coon offered to meet with Gerrold and explain what they were looking for, because they were not purchasing scripts at that time.[8]

Coon suggested that Gerrold should wait until the following February to see if the show was renewed for a second season. They also discussed several story ideas, including some small furry creatures that bred too quickly. Coon thought it was a cute idea but would be too expensive as they'd have to build each creature.[9]In preparation for the second series submission, by January, Gerrold had put together five premises to pitch.[10]He had his best hopes on two treatments called "Bandi" and "The Protracted Man",[11]but decided to submit his fifth story despite Coon's earlier dismissal of the idea.[11]It was called "The Fuzzies".[12]The idea was based on the introduction ofrabbits in Australiain 1859, whose population grew extraordinarily fast owing to a lack of predators.[13]

The initial premise placed the story on a space station to avoid the ecological damage that the creatures would have on a planet. However, Gerrold's agent was concerned that requiring a miniature of the station to be built as well as the additional sets would cause it to be too expensive for a single episode.[14]Because of his agent's comments, Gerrold modified the pitch to place the action on a colony planet instead.[15]This pitch included the plot points such as the creatures getting into a poisoned grain storage, but omitted the Klingons; and Cyrano Jones was called Cyrano Smith.[16][17]The five pitches were submitted by Gerrold's agent in February 1967, and received a response in June. At the time the show had already purchased too many scripts for the second season, but story editorD. C. Fontanasuggested that they should purchase the story and assign it to a staff writer as it was better than some of the other stories they already had.[18]

At the time that Coon got in touch, Gerrold had just been employed atCBSas a typist working on scripts such as the pilot ofHawaii Five-O.As soon as he got the response, he quit the job.[19]Gerrold and Coon met once more,[20]and revealed that the network had recently made a request for more episodes based on other planets. Coon told Gerrold to work up a further pitch.[20]This version of the story added the Klingons,[21]and moved the action from planetside to a space station.[22]During a visit to the set, Gerrold had the opportunity to speak to Leonard Nimoy and ask his advice on how to write for Spock and was allowed to watch thedailiesfrom each day's shoot of the episode "The Doomsday Machine"which was being filmed at the time.[23][24]This version of the story was entitled "A Fuzzy Thing Happened to Me...",[22]which was purchased by Coon as aplot outline.[25]He offered Gerrold a chance to write the script himself, by promising not to hand it to another writer for a month. However, Coon made it clear that he was not offering Gerrold a script assignment, but was giving him the option of submitting a draft.[26]

Gerrold turned around the first draft script in two and a half days.[27]Both Coon and associate producerRobert Justmangave feedback on the script, and pointed out a few gaps such as there needing to be some way in the plot for the crew to discover that Darvin was a Klingon agent.[28]The following draft had Cyrano Jones discover that Darvin was an agent, which Coon thought was not "punchy" enough.[29]It was then re-written so that the fuzzies were allergic to Klingons. Both Gerrold and Coon thought the idea was "trite... shtick... hokey" and "had been done before".[29]but Coon agreed that it was the direction the story should go.[29]The re-write of the script took a further week.[30]

Nichelle Nichols said that she had never seen a script changed so much but stay the same.

On a further visit to the set, Gerrold was called into Coon's office. He was informed that he needed to change the name of the fuzzies, as the legal department was concerned about similarities in the name withH. Beam Piper's 1962 novelLittle Fuzzy.[31]He subsequently came up with a variety of alternative names. Through a process of elimination, he ended up with the name "tribble".[32]Gerrold's submitted script was within the standard page count for an episode, but, when it was retyped for distribution by the production's mimeo department, it ballooned from 60 to 80 pages due to Gerrold's having used a typewriter with 12-pitchrather than the 10 characters per inch Pica standard of the TV and film industry.[33]This meant that some twenty pages needed to be cut from the script.[33]

Scenes which were cut from the script included theEnterprisechasing after Jones in his vessel,[34]and resulted in the scene where Kirk has tribbles tumbling onto him while in the grain locker. Gerrold felt that this enforced editing process "tightened up the story and made for a better series of gags".[34]Nichelle Nicholssaid to Gerrold "I've never seen a script go through so many changes – and stay so much the same".[35]

Coon's participation in terms of suggestions and edits was such that Gerrold thought he should have been given a co-writing credit.[36]

The producers liked the resulting script so much that Gerrold was later tasked with re-writing the script for "I, Mudd".[37]

During script development the Kellam de Forest Research firm[38]cautioned that the tribbles and the events involving them strongly resembled the Martianflat catsinRobert A. Heinlein's 1952 novelThe Rolling Stones,and suggested that the rights to the novel should be purchased. Gerrold became concerned that he had inadvertently plagiarized the novel which he had read fifteen years before.[39]Coon phoned Heinlein, who, according to Gerrold, only asked for a signed copy of the script and later sent a note to Gerrold after the show aired to thank him for the script.[40]

Heinlein’s own recollections were at odds with this account. In his authorized biography Heinlein said he was called by Gene Coon who gave him a "sob story" about the issue and asked him to waive claim to the "similarity" to his flat cats. Heinlein states he agreed because he’d just been through one costly plagiarism lawsuit againstRoger Cormanand did not wish to embroil himself in another "chump's game". He had misgivings upon seeing the actual script but let it go, an action he later regretted: "If that matter had simply been dropped after that one episode was filmed, I would have chalked it up wryly to experience. But the 'nice kid' did not drop it; 'tribbles' (i.e. my 'flat cats') have been exploited endlessly… Well that’s one that did 'larn me.' Today if J. Christ phoned me on some matter of business, I would simply tell him: 'See my agent.'"[41]

The fictional quadrotriticale's real-world antecedent, the graintriticale,was a fairly new invention at the time of the episode.

Filming

[edit]
During the course of filming, William Shatner was covered with five hundred tribbles on eight occasions.

The use of live animals to represent the tribbles was immediately ruled out. According to Gerrold's account, as their similarity to Heinlein's flat cats was not yet discovered, the inspiration for the form of the tribble instead came from a fluffy keyring owned by Holly Sherman.[13]Sherman's Planet in this episode was subsequently named after her.[42]The design came fromWah Chang,[43]but they were individually sewn by Jacqueline Cumeré. She was paid $350 to sew five hundred tribbles from synthetic fur and stuff them with foam rubber.[13][44]Six ambulatory tribbles were made using the mechanisms of walking toy dogs, which were quite noisy and required the dialogue to be looped in during editing.[45]Other tribbles were created by Jim Rugg out ofbeanbagsfor when it was required for one to sit on a person or object, and the breathing tribbles were hollow with surgical balloons inserted.[13][45]Some of these tribbles were later displayed at theSmithsonian National Air and Space Museumin Washington D.C. in 1992.[46]The sale atChristie'sauction housein 2006 included tribbles from this episode as part of a largerStar Treksale.[47]Because of the synthetic fur technology of the 1960s, relatively few original tribbles exist as of 2010 because the fur fell out over time and they went bald.[48]An original tribble was sold at auction in 2003 for $1,000.[49]

Filming began during the second week of August 1967.[50]Three temporary sets and a portion of corridor were constructed for specific use in this episode, which included the large trading post set.[51]The chairs in that set were a problem, as the set designers wanted 24 matching chairs and decided thatfoldingones would not do.John M. Dwyersourced them from a local company, but the numbers required meant that they had to be pulled out of showrooms from all over the county. When it came to the fight scene in the episode, Dwyer warned directorJoseph Pevneynot to damage the chairs.[52]That scene was filmed twice after a cameraman with a handheld camera wandered onto the set.[52]The scene where Kirk is covered with tribbles in the grain container needed to be filmed eight times, using all five hundred sewn tribbles.[53]Gerrold had expected that scene to be cut at some point during production, as he thought that William Shatner would not agree to it. He said that Shatner was the "consummate professional and I believe he was eager to show off his comic abilities".[54]The scene was later described as "solidifying 'The Trouble of Tribbles' in the pop culture lexicon".

Pevney was pleased with the outcome of the shoot, calling the episode "a delightful show from beginning to end".[1]In addition to directing, Pevney also sourced some of the parts to create the tribbles and was directly responsible for the casting of Stanley Adams.[1]He had pushed for the episode to be made as he recalled that there was some resistance at the time against making a comedy-style episode.[1]These types of episodes were unusual for the series, as only "The Trouble with Tribbles" and "A Piece of the Action"were considered to be comedic episodes from season two.[55]Pevney was one of the two most prolificOriginal Seriesdirectors alongsideMarc Daniels,and directed fourteen episodes of the show.[56]The cast responded favorably to the script. Nichelle Nichols was particularly pleased as it allowed Uhura to be a woman and took her off the bridge.[45]It was one of her largest roles in any single episode in the series.[57]

The special effects design for the K-7 Space Station in the episode was based on actual 1959 design byDouglas Aircraft Corporationfor the space station.[58]

Casting

[edit]

William Campbell had previously appeared in the first season episode "The Squire of Gothos"asTrelane.[59]In "The Trouble with Tribbles", he portrayed the Klingon Captain Koloth. At various pointsStar Trekcreator Gene Roddenberry claimed it was his intention to bring back Koloth during the third season ofThe Original Series,as Kirk's recurring Klingon adversary. Some internal production documents contradict this story. Although Koloth returned inStar Trek: The Animated Series,Campbell did not voice the role.[60]He returned to the role in 1994 for an episode ofStar Trek: Deep Space Nine,[59][61]entitled "Blood Oath".[60]

At the time of casting, William Schallert had just finished filming theABCsitcomThe Patty Duke Show.He described himself not as a fan, and had not read any science fiction since 1948. He thought that the role of Nilz Baris was just another guest spot, and considered Baris to be just "a rather stuffy bureaucrat, not the most appealing character".[62]He did not remember the character's name, only learning it when he first attended aStar Trekconvention at a hotel nearLos Angeles Airport,as the fans called it out when he entered the lobby.[62]He was later cast in the role of theBajoranmusician Varani in theDS9episode "Sanctuary".[62]

Whit Bissell,who played the station manager, Lurry,[1]was better known at the time in the main cast role of Lt. Gen. Heywood Kirk in the ABC science fiction television seriesThe Time Tunnel.[63]Michael Pataki, who portrayed the Klingon Korax, went on to play Karnas inStar Trek: The Next Generationfirst seasonepisode "Too Short a Season".[64]Charlie Brill portrayed the Klingon agent Arne Darvin.[1]Brill had previously been a sketch comedy artist with his wifeMitzi McCall,and had appeared onThe Ed Sullivan ShowwhenThe Beatlesmade their first appearance.[65]

Reception

[edit]

While initial fan reaction to the episode was mixed, it was more popular with the general public. Critical response to the episode was positive, and it was nominated for theHugo Award for Best Dramatic Presentationwhich instead went to fellowStar Trekepisode "The City on the Edge of Forever".It has since been included in several" best of "episode lists and features, including as part of the Best ofDVDcollection alongside three other episodes. It has also been released as part of the season two DVD box set.

Broadcast

[edit]

"The Trouble with Tribbles" was first broadcast in the United States on December 29, 1967 onNBC.[66]The initial fan reaction was undecided,[citation needed]but the episode connected better with the mass market.[67]This effect was later explained in 2012 when Jordon Hoffman on StarTrek.com described "The Trouble with Tribbles" as "quite possibly, the first episode ofStar Trekyou ever saw ".[68]It enteredpopular cultureand remained well-known to the public outside of theStar Trekcommunity.[69]

Retrospective critiques

[edit]

The New York Timesdescribed the scene with Kirk and the tribbles in the grain container as one of the "best-remembered moments" of the series.[44]Timemagazine ranked "The Trouble with Tribbles" as the sixth best moment inStar Trek.[67]IGNranked it as the fifth best episode ofThe Original Series,[70]whileTechRepublicranked it as the fourth best.[71]The A.V. Clubincluded "The Trouble with Tribbles" in a list of ten must-see episodes,[72]andUSA Todaylisted as one of the three best.[73]In 1998, "The Trouble with Tribbles" was listed as the eighth best cult moment of all time byThe Timesnewspaper.[74]In a list of the top 100 episodes of theStar Trekfranchise, "The Trouble with Tribbles" was placed sixth byCharlie Jane Andersatio9.[75]

Zack Handlen's July 2009 review forThe A.V. Clubgave the episode a grade of A.[76]Cyrano Jones was Handlen's least favorite part of the episode, and with the exception of that character, it was one of the better scripts seen inThe Original Series.He thought that despite the lack of a sense of real danger, the plot all comes together neatly and praised the story's effects on Kirk, saying "The way the episode unfolds means Kirk's constantly dealing with things he does not really want to deal with, and there's a surprising amount of enjoyment to be had in seeing him complain about it to Spock."[76]

Michele Erica Green, writing forTrekNationin March 2006, said she thought that the episode would have been dated, but found it was "as funny as ever." She thought that Scotty's lines were "unforgettable" and the scenes between McCoy and Spock were "priceless".[77]Eugene Myers and Torie Atkinson reviewed the episode forTor.comin April 2010. They described it as "easily the most celebrated episode of the entireOriginal Series(if not the whole franchise) ".[3]They went on to describe it as a "perfect episode", and both gave it maximum scores of six out of six.

In 2009,Timerated "The Trouble with Tribbles" as one of the top ten moments ofStar Trek,including television series and films up to that time.[78]In 2017,Space.comranked "The Trouble with Tribbles" the second best episode of allStar Trektelevision, including allStar Trektelevision series episodes prior toStar Trek: Discovery.[79]Io9ranked it as the sixth best episode of allStar Trekepisodes, including later series, up to 2011.[80]

In 2012,The A.V. Clubranked this episode as one of the top ten "must see" episodes ofThe Original Series.[81]

In 2013,The Hollywood Reporterranked Kirk being buried in tribbles as one of the top 15 key moments ofThe Original Series.[82]They remark "the image of Kirk mired in a pile of adorable fur balls has solidified" The Trouble of Tribbles "in the pop culture lexicon."[82]

In 2012,The Christian Science Monitorranked this the fourth best episode of the originalStar Trek.[83]

In 2013,Wiredmagazine ranked this episode one of the top ten episodes ofThe Original Series.[84]

In 2015,Wiredrecommended not skipping this episode in their binge-watching guide forThe Original Series.[85]

In 2015, theNew York Public Librarydescribed this episode as having Spock's sixth best scene in the show.[86]

In 2015, this episode was included inGeek.com's 35 greatest moments inStar Trek— they ranked Kirk's getting buried in tribbles the 29th greatest moment of allStar Trek.[87]

2016 was the 50th anniversary of the first broadcast ofStar Trek,which triggered a large amount of press includingTV Guide's review of topOriginal Seriesepisodes.[88]They ranked this episode the 5th best of the series.[88]

In 2016,Business Insiderranked "The Trouble with Tribbles" the third best episode ofThe Original Series.[89]In the same year,Newsweekranked "The Trouble With Tribbles" as one of the best episodes ofThe Original Series.[90]

In 2016,IGNranked this episode the fifth best in a top ten list ofThe Original Seriesepisodes.[91]They ranked it the ninth best out of allStar Trekseries prior toStar Trek: Discovery.[92]

Empireranked "The Trouble With Tribbles" 8th out of the top 50 episodes of allStar Trekin 2016.[93]At that time, there were roughly 726 episodes and a dozen films released.[94]

In 2016,Voxrated this one of the top 25 essential episodes of allStar Trek.[95]

In 2017,Radio Timesranked this episode the fourth best episode ofStar Trek,especially for those unfamiliar with the franchise.[96]In 2016,Radio Timesalso ranked this episode as having the 13th best moment in allStar Trek,pointing out several scenes, but especially the one where Kirk is buried under a mound of tribbles.[97]

In 2017,Space.comranked this episode the second best episode of allStar Trekfranchise television, and praised the hilarity of the scene where Kirk gets a tribble shower.[98]

In 2017,Business Insiderranked "The Trouble with Tribbles" the third best episode ofThe Original Series.[89]

In 2017,Vulturelisted it as one of the best episodes of the original show, noting the episode's comedic elements.[99]

In 2018,Colliderranked this episode the 5th bestOriginal Seriesepisode.[100]

In 2018,PopMattersranked this the 12th best episode ofThe Original Series.[101]

A 2018Star Trekbinge-watchingguide byDen of Geek,recommended this episode as one of the best ofThe Original Series.[102]

In 2019,CBRranked this episode as one of the top eight most memorable episodes of the originalStar Trek.[103]

In 2019,Screen Rantranked this the ninth best episode of allStar Trekseries produced up to that time.[104]

Awards

[edit]

The episode was nominated for Best Dramatic Presentation at the 1968Hugo Awards.[105]All of the nominees that year were episodes ofStar Trek,with the award instead going to "The City on the Edge of Forever".[105]From the number of votes, "The Trouble with Tribbles" was placed second.[106]

Home media release

[edit]

"The Trouble with Tribbles" was one of the first episodes to receive an official release byParamount Home Entertainment.In 1980, it was released onVHSon a two-episode tape alongside "Let That Be Your Last Battlefield".[107]It was re-released in 1991 as part of the first full-season release on VHS.[108]This was re-released in 1993,[109]and was released onLaserDisc.[110]In 1998, a "Talking Tribble Gift Set" was released which contained both "The Trouble with Tribbles" and "Trials and Tribble-ations" on VHS.[111]The firstDVDrelease was in 2000, when all ofThe Original Seriesepisodes were released in individual releases of two episodes per disc.[112]The first season set that the episode was included in was a part of the season two DVD set released in the United States on November 2, 2004.[73]

In 2009, it was included in a best of collection with three other episodes ofThe Original Seriesalongside "Amok Time","The City on the Edge of Forever "and"Balance of Terror".[113][114]The re-mastered DVD sets were also re-launched to coincide with the release of the film,Star Trek.TheBlu-rayrelease included the un-changed scenes as alternative angles. Disc four of each set contained only "The Trouble with Tribbles" fromThe Original Seriesbut otherwise contained tribble related extras. These included both "More Tribbles, More Troubles" and "Trials and Tribble-ations".[115]

Legacy

[edit]

"More Tribbles, More Troubles"

[edit]

"The Trouble with Tribbles" was originally intended to have a follow-up episode during season three, but afterGene Roddenberrystepped back from the production of the show after a time-slot change and further cuts in the budget, the idea was scrapped.[3][116]In 1973, Gerrold had become friends with D. C. Fontana from their time spent on theStar Trekconvention circuit together. He had heard aboutStar Trek: The Animated Series,and offered to do an episode. Fontana responded that she wanted the tribble episode that was cut from season three.[116]This episode was entitled "More Tribbles, More Troubles".[77][3]The episode introduces the natural predator of the tribbles and genetically engineered tribbles which no longer reproduce but instead grow much larger.[117]As with his otherAnimated Seriesepisode "Bem",he later explained that almost nothing was cut from the original pitches for the third season ofThe Original Seriesas animation played out quicker and so everything still fit into the episode despite the reduced running time.[118]Both of Gerrold'sAnimated Seriesepisodes were novelized byAlan Dean Foster,and Gerrold later said that he thought that he did "a fine job".[118]

"Trials and Tribble-ations"

[edit]
Actors such asAvery Brookswere digitally inserted into scenes from "The Trouble with Tribbles" for theDS9episode

To celebrate the 30th anniversary ofStar Trekin 1996, producers ofStar Trek: VoyagerandStar Trek: Deep Space Ninedecided to incorporate elements ofThe Original Seriesinto episodes. TheDeep Space Ninehomage, entitled "Trials and Tribble-ations",sent its characters back in time to the events of" The Trouble with Tribbles ", digitally inserting theDeep Space Nineactors into footage from nineteen scenes in "The Trouble with Tribbles" and other episodes.[3][119]Charlie Brill also returned to the role of Arne Darvin to film new scenes set in theDS9timeframe.[120]The episode was nominated for threeEmmy Awardsand, like the original episode, theHugo AwardforBest Dramatic Presentation.[121][122]

As the 30th anniversary approached, Gerrold had heard rumors of a tribble sequel in the works but had only heard denials from executive producerRick Berman.[123]Following an interview request fromThe New York Times,[123]he telephoned Berman once more to ask what was happening as he did not want to say he did not know about the sequel episode and embarrass anyone if it actually was going to happen.[124]Gerrold suggested that an acknowledgement of the creator of the tribbles might be in order and asked if he could be an extra.[123]He appears in the episode as anEnterpriseofficer.[125]While Gerrold was on set, he also advised director Jonathan West on the integration of new scenes into "The Trouble with Tribbles".[124]Gerrold later said that "Trials and Tribble-ations" "turned out beautiful. I think it was the best episode ofDeep Space Nineever and possibly the best episode ofStar Trekafter the Original Series. "[124]

Further appearances and parodies

[edit]

Tribbles have been further seen in otherStar Trekepisodes and films, includingStar Trek III: The Search for Spockand theJ. J. Abrams-helmed filmsStar Trek(2009) andStar Trek Into Darkness(2013).[3][126]While on a visit to the set ofStar Trek,Gerrold was told by Abrams that the tribble had been deliberately "snuck in" to the scene.[123]It appears in the scene where Kirk (Chris Pine) and Spock Prime (Leonard Nimoy) meet Scott (Simon Pegg) on the Vulcan moon.[127]"The Trouble with Tribbles" was also re-imagined in that timeline'scomic book seriesbyIDW Publishingand entitled "The Truth About Tribbles".[69][128]

In 2003, tribbles appeared in theStar Trek: Enterpriseepisode "The Breach".In that episode, DoctorPhlox(John Billingsley) uses them as food for his medicinal pets in sickbay.[129]

Gerrold has been in discussions with thefan-createdseriesStar Trek: New Voyagesto bring back the tribbles for a furtherOriginal Seriesera episode.[123]Both hisOriginal Seriespitch "The Protracted Man" and hisStar Trek: The Next GenerationscriptBlood and Firehave been turned into episodes ofNew Voyages.[44][123]

Tribbles have been parodied in a variety of other television shows and types of media. An episode ofPartridge Family 2200 A.D.,"The Roobits" features fuzzy alien creatures that multiply quickly. This was also done in The Smurfs Season 1 episode "Fuzzle Trouble."[130]Futuramafeatured a parody in the second season entitled "The Problem with Popplers",which included severalStar Trekjokes. These include a reference to "Roddenberries" and featuresZapp Brannigan,whom theFuturamastaff have said is intended to be a parody of Captain Kirk.[131]In 2000, aDrosophila(fruit fly) gene that blocks cell division was namedtribbles(Q9V3Z1) after the small, woolly, tribble-like cells with mutations in this gene. A review describing the discovery was named after this episode. Humans carry threehomologsoftribbles,TRIB1,TRIB2,andTRIB3.[132]The parasprites in theMy Little Pony: Friendship Is Magicepisode "Swarm of the Century" were also partially inspired by the tribbles.[133]

In the 2003 video gameStar Wars: Knights of the Old Republic,the player's ship becomes infested with a froglike species called Gizka, prompting the player to receive the quest "The Trouble with Gizka" in order to remove the pests.

Circa early 2013, aninternet memeparody started circulating, featuring a still from "The Trouble with Tribbles", with the face ofPaul McCartneysuperimposed onto the body of Captain who is surrounded by tribbles, accompanied by the quip "Yesterday: All my tribbles seemed so far away", parodying the first line of McCartney's signatureBeatles' song "Yesterday".In 2013, singer Bob Robertson expanded the meme into a full parody of the song's lyrics, stating that he first saw the original meme in a posting byGeorge Takei.[134][135]

Merchandising and adaptations

[edit]

Gerrold published a book describing his experiences in the creation of "The Trouble with Tribbles". EntitledThe Trouble with Tribbles: The Birth, Sale and Final Production of One Episode,it was published in 1973. The book was well-received by the former cast and crew ofStar Trekand was used as a textbook for teaching screenwriting.[32]The episode itself was adapted for a children's book,Too Many Tribbles!,in theLittle Golden Booksline with its content somewhat softened for its intended reading demographic.

A variety of tribble replicas have been made over the years,[136][47]with the most recent licensed product coming fromQMx,released in 2013.[137]A plate to commemorate the episode was the first to be launched as part of an eight-plateStar Trek: The Commemorative Collectionin 1986. It featured an image of Kirk with the tribbles in the grain compartment created by artist Susie Morton.[138]The firstOriginal Seriesexpansion for theStar Trek Customizable Card Gamewas launched in 2000. It was entitled "The Trouble with Tribbles" and was based on this episode and the associated episode ofDeep Space Nine.It also introduced theTribblesgame which used only tribble-related cards.[139]

In 2010, two movie posters for "The Trouble with Tribbles" featuring Uhura and Spock being slowly covered in tribbles were created by Justin Ishmael for the art boutique attached to theAlamo Drafthouse CinemainAustin, Texas.It was a follow-up to earlier posters created for the episode "Space Seed".[140]Juan Ortiz later created a 1960s-retro style poster for each of the eighty episodes ofStar Trek.The "Trouble with Tribbles" poster made it appear that the warp nacelles of theEnterprisewere sprouting tribbles which then bred rapidly as the ship flew on, creating a cloud of them behind the ship.[141]

References

[edit]
  1. ^abcdefGross; Altman (1993):p. 59
  2. ^Star Trek: the Original Series,Blu-rayedition, Season 2, Disc 4: "The Trouble with Tribbles", CBS Home Video: Catalog No. 07176
  3. ^abcdefMyers, Eugene; Atkinson, Torie (April 12, 2010)."Tribbles Week: Star Trek Re-Watch: 'The Trouble with Tribbles".Tor.com.RetrievedMarch 30,2013.
  4. ^"David Gerrold Recalls 'More Tribbles' and 'Bem'".Star Trek.com. March 10, 2011.RetrievedMarch 30,2013.
  5. ^Gerrold (1973):p. 28
  6. ^Gerrold (1973):p. 39
  7. ^abGerrold (1973):p. 42
  8. ^abGerrold (1973):p. 45
  9. ^Gerrold (1973):p. 48
  10. ^Gerrold (1973):p. 49
  11. ^abGerrold (1973):p. 72
  12. ^Gerrold (1973):p. 73
  13. ^abcdBlock; Erdmann (2010):p. 208
  14. ^Gerrold (1973):p. 74
  15. ^Gerrold (1973):p. 75
  16. ^Gerrold (1973):p. 85
  17. ^Gerrold (1973):p. 78
  18. ^Gerrold (1973):p. 88
  19. ^Gerrold (1973):p. 89
  20. ^abGerrold (1973):p. 91
  21. ^Gerrold (1973):p. 100
  22. ^abGerrold (1973):p. 96
  23. ^Gerrold (1973):p. 144
  24. ^Gerrold (1973):p. 145
  25. ^Gerrold (1973):p. 150
  26. ^Gerrold (1973):p. 151
  27. ^Gerrold (1973):p. 152
  28. ^Gerrold (1973):p. 153
  29. ^abcGerrold (1973):p. 159
  30. ^Gerrold (1973):p. 166
  31. ^Gerrold (1973):p. 167
  32. ^ab"Trek Writer David Gerrold Looks Back - Part 1".Star Trek.com. January 24, 2011.RetrievedMarch 30,2013.
  33. ^abGerrold (1973):p. 179
  34. ^abGerrold (1973):p. 183
  35. ^Gerrold (1973):p. 184
  36. ^Gerrold (1973):p. 176
  37. ^Gerrold (1973):p. 269
  38. ^"Script Clearance and Research: Unacknowledged Creative Labor in the Film and Television Industry | Mediascape Blog".www.tft.ucla.edu.Archived fromthe originalon January 18, 2017.RetrievedJanuary 17,2017.
  39. ^Gerrold (1973):p. 271
  40. ^Gerrold (1973):p. 274
  41. ^Patterson, William H. (2016).Robert A. Heinlein, Vol 2: In Dialogue with His Century Volume 2: The Man Who Learned Bette.Tor Books. pp. 290, 291.ISBN978-0765319630.If that matter had simply been dropped after that one episode was filmed, I would have chalked it up wryly to experience. But the "nice kid" did not drop it; "tribbles" (i.e. my "flat cats" ) have been exploited endlessly… Well that's one that did "larn me." Today if J. Christ phoned me on some matter of business, I would simply tell him: "See my agent.
  42. ^Gerrold (1973):p. 272
  43. ^Gerrold (1973):p. 264
  44. ^abcVinciguerra, Thomas (December 16, 2007)."Nobody Knows the Tribbles He's Seen".The New York Times.RetrievedMarch 30,2013.
  45. ^abcGerrold (1973):p. 266
  46. ^Farrell, John Aloysius (February 29, 1992)."The Smithsonian goes Trekkie".The Boston Globe.Archived fromthe originalon June 11, 2014.RetrievedMarch 31,2013.
  47. ^ab"On the Trail of Trek Tribbles".BBC News.October 5, 2006.RetrievedMarch 30,2013.
  48. ^Block; Erdmann (2010):p. 210
  49. ^"Original Tribble from the Star Trek Original Series Episode 'The Trouble with Tribbles'".Star Trek Prop Collector.RetrievedMay 15,2013.
  50. ^Gerrold (1973):p. 275
  51. ^Gerrold (1973):p. 276
  52. ^abGerrold (1973):p. 277
  53. ^Gerrold (1973):p. 268
  54. ^"Gerrold on Trouble with Tribbles Origin".TrekNation. September 25, 2009.RetrievedMarch 30,2013.
  55. ^Sutton, David (April 2009)."The Original Series Season Two Remastered".Fortean Times.Archived fromthe originalon June 6, 2013.RetrievedMay 15,2013.
  56. ^"Director brought levity to 'Star Trek' series".Pittsburgh Tribune-Review.May 29, 2008.RetrievedMarch 31,2013.[permanent dead link](subscription required)
  57. ^Palumbo (1986):p. 213
  58. ^"How Star Trek Helped NASA Dream Big".Air & Space Magazine.RetrievedFebruary 13,2021.
  59. ^abBarnes, Mike (April 29, 2011)."'Star Trek' Favorite William Campbell Dies at 84 ".The Hollywood Reporter.RetrievedMarch 30,2013.
  60. ^abPowers, Tom (May 7, 2011)."William Campbell, R.I.P".Cinefantastique.RetrievedMarch 30,2013.
  61. ^Fox, Margaret (May 3, 2011)."William Campbell, Who Played 'Star Trek' Klingon, Dies at 87".The New York Times.RetrievedMarch 30,2013.
  62. ^abc"William Schallert Remembers Nilz Baris and Varani".Star Trek.com. July 12, 2011.RetrievedMarch 30,2013.
  63. ^Schultz, Paul (June 27, 2006)."DVD Review: The Time Tunnel - Season 1, Vol. 2".The Trades. Archived fromthe originalon November 10, 2006.RetrievedMay 15,2013.
  64. ^Nemecek (2003):p. 43
  65. ^Barclay, Delores (February 4, 1984)."1964: The year the Beatles took America".The Evening News.RetrievedMay 16,2013.
  66. ^Gerrold (1973):p. 280
  67. ^abCloud, John (May 8, 2009)."10 Best Star Trek Moments".Time.Archived fromthe originalon May 11, 2009.RetrievedMarch 30,2013.
  68. ^Hoffman, Jordan (December 27, 2012)."One Trek Mind #55: No Trouble With Tribbles".Star Trek.com.RetrievedMay 15,2013.
  69. ^abNemecek, Larry (December 28, 2012)."Trekland, Extra #14: Tribble True-Love Is Tremendous".Star Trek.com.RetrievedMay 15,2013.
  70. ^Collura, Scott; Pirrello, Phil; Vejvoda, Jim (April 16, 2009)."IGN's Top 10 Classic Star Trek Episodes".IGN.RetrievedMarch 30,2013.
  71. ^Garmon, Jay (February 17, 2012)."The five best Star Trek episodes EVER!".TechRepublic.RetrievedMarch 30,2013.
  72. ^Handlen, Zack (August 15, 2012)."10 must-see episodes of Star Trek".The A.V. Club.RetrievedMarch 30,2013.
  73. ^abSnider, Mike (August 30, 2004)."'Trek' on DVD: A logical choice ".USA Today.RetrievedMarch 30,2013.
  74. ^"Top 100 Cult Moments".The Times.No. 66131. February 21, 1998. p. 24.RetrievedApril 1,2013.(subscription required)
  75. ^Anders, Charlie Jane (October 2, 2014)."The Top 100Star TrekEpisodes Of All Time! ".io9. Archived fromthe originalon February 22, 2016.RetrievedFebruary 22,2016.
  76. ^abHandlen, Zack (July 2, 2009)."The Trouble With Tribbles' / 'The Gamesters Of Triskelion".The A.V. Club.RetrievedMarch 30,2013.
  77. ^abGreen, Michelle Erica (March 31, 2006)."The Trouble with Tribbles".TrekNation.RetrievedMarch 30,2013.
  78. ^Cloud, John (May 8, 2009)."10 Best Star Trek Moments".Time.ISSN0040-781X.RetrievedFebruary 27,2019.
  79. ^Howell, Elizabeth (September 20, 2017)."The 10 Best 'Star Trek' Episodes Ever".Space.com.RetrievedMarch 26,2019.
  80. ^Anders, Charlie Jane (May 10, 2011)."The 10 Best Star Trek Episodes".io9.RetrievedJune 4,2019.
  81. ^Handlen, Zack (August 15, 2012)."10 must-see episodes of Star Trek".TV Club.RetrievedJune 29,2019.
  82. ^ab"To Boldly Go: 15 Key 'Star Trek' Moments".The Hollywood Reporter.May 18, 2013.RetrievedJuly 28,2019.
  83. ^"Star Trek: The Original Series: The 10 greatest episodes (+ video)".The Christian Science Monitor.September 8, 2012.ISSN0882-7729.RetrievedJuly 23,2019.
  84. ^"10 of the Most Underrated Episodes of the Original Star Trek Series".Wired.May 15, 2013.ISSN1059-1028.RetrievedJuly 9,2019.
  85. ^McMillan, Graeme (January 28, 2015)."WIRED Binge-Watching Guide: Star Trek".Wired.ISSN1059-1028.RetrievedJuly 24,2019.
  86. ^"10 Best Spock Moments in Star Trek: The Original Series".The New York Public Library.RetrievedJuly 10,2019.
  87. ^"The top 35 moments in Star Trek history".Archived fromthe originalon January 4, 2015.RetrievedJuly 19,2019.
  88. ^ab"The Top 5 Star Trek: The Original Series Episodes | TV Guide".TV Guide.September 8, 2016.RetrievedJuly 4,2019.
  89. ^abHolodny, Elena; Kiersz, Andy (September 21, 2017)."Here are the 13 best original 'Star Trek' episodes, ranked".Business Insider.RetrievedJuly 6,2019.
  90. ^"Newsweek's top 10 episodes from the original Star Trek series".Newsweek.January 2, 2016.RetrievedMarch 27,2019.
  91. ^"The Top 10 Classic Star Trek Episodes".IGN.September 5, 2016.RetrievedJune 29,2019.
  92. ^Star Trek: The Top 25 Episodes - IGN,May 20, 2013,retrievedAugust 5,2019
  93. ^"The 50 best Star Trek episodes ever".Empire.July 27, 2016.RetrievedJuly 2,2019.
  94. ^Honorof, Marshall (May 17, 2016)."How to Binge Watch 726 Star Trek Episodes (and 12 Movies)".Tom's Guide.RetrievedJuly 2,2019.
  95. ^Siede, Caroline (September 6, 2016)."Star Trek, explained for non-Trekkies".Vox.RetrievedAugust 1,2019.
  96. ^"The 10 best Star Trek episodes on Netflix – for someone who's not a Star Trek fan".Radio Times.RetrievedJuly 2,2019.
  97. ^"The 50 Greatest Star Trek moments of all time - 6".Radio Times.RetrievedJuly 6,2019.
  98. ^Howell, Elizabeth (September 20, 2017)."The 10 Best 'Star Trek' Episodes Ever".Space.com.RetrievedJuly 21,2019.
  99. ^"A Beginner's Guide to the Star Trek Universe".vulture.com.September 25, 2017.RetrievedJuly 28,2019.
  100. ^Lesnick, Silas (August 14, 2018)."The 20 Best Episodes of 'Star Trek: The Original Series'".Collider.RetrievedJuly 4,2019.
  101. ^"The 20 Best Episodes of 'Star Trek: The Original Series'".PopMatters.July 16, 2018.RetrievedJuly 8,2019.
  102. ^"Star Trek: An Episode Roadmap for Beginners".Den of Geek.September 8, 2018.RetrievedJuly 3,2020.
  103. ^"Star Trek: The 8 Most Memorable Episodes The Original Series".CBR.December 9, 2019.RetrievedJanuary 16,2020.
  104. ^"The 10 Best Episodes In Star Trek TV History, Ranked".ScreenRant.June 1, 2019.RetrievedJanuary 24,2020.
  105. ^ab"1969 Hugo Awards".World Science Fiction Society. Archived fromthe originalon May 7, 2011.RetrievedMarch 29,2013.
  106. ^Gerrold (1973):p. 284
  107. ^Star Trek: The Trouble with Tribbles; Let That be Your Last Battlefield.WorldCat.OCLC503191993.
  108. ^"Star Trek - The Original Series, Episode 42: The Trouble With Tribbles (VHS)".Tower Video. Archived fromthe originalon April 12, 2013.RetrievedApril 1,2013.
  109. ^Star Trek: Episode 42 The Trouble with Tribbles.WorldCat.OCLC51651562.
  110. ^"More DVD Scans".Miami Herald.September 10, 2004.RetrievedApril 1,2013.
  111. ^Myers, Randy (December 24, 1998)."Pausing on a gift? Videos are easy and cheap".Kansas City Star.RetrievedApril 1,2013.
  112. ^"'70 TV Favorites Find New Life on VHS ".Charlotte Observer.July 12, 2000.RetrievedApril 1,2013.
  113. ^Atkinson, Torrie (April 16, 2010)."Tribbles Week: The Next Tribble-ation Contest".Tor.com.RetrievedMarch 31,2013.
  114. ^"DVD Report".The Boston Globe.May 10, 2009. Archived fromthe originalon April 11, 2013.RetrievedMarch 31,2013.
  115. ^Hunt, James (May 20, 2009)."Star Trek: The Remastered Series Seasons 1, 2 & 3 review".Den of Geek!.RetrievedMarch 31,2013.
  116. ^ab"David Gerrold Recalls 'More Tribbles' and 'Bem'".Star Trek.com. March 10, 2011.RetrievedMarch 30,2013.
  117. ^Myers, Eugene; Atkinson, Torrie (April 13, 2010)."Tribbles Week: Re-watching Star Trek: The Animated Series 'More Tribbles, More Troubles'".Tor.com.RetrievedApril 1,2013.
  118. ^ab"The David Gerrold TAS Interview".StarTrekAnimated.com.RetrievedMarch 30,2013.
  119. ^"Old Joins the New with Re-creation of Tribbles for 'DS9'".Seattle Post-Intelligencer.October 19, 1996. Archived fromthe originalon April 11, 2013.RetrievedMarch 31,2013.
  120. ^Block; Erdmann (2010):p. 209
  121. ^"Primetime Emmy Award Database".Emmys.com.RetrievedMarch 30,2013.
  122. ^"1997 Hugo Awards".The Hugo Awards. September 1, 1997. Archived fromthe originalon May 7, 2011.RetrievedMarch 30,2013.
  123. ^abcdef"Trek Writer David Gerrold Looks Back - Part 2".Star Trek.com. January 25, 2011.RetrievedMarch 30,2013.
  124. ^abc"Interviews: David Gerrold: From K7 to DS9".BBC Cult.RetrievedMarch 30,2013.
  125. ^Moore, Robert D.; Echevarria, René; Behr, Ira Steven; Beimler, Hans; Hewitt Wolfe, Robert (November 4, 1996). "Trials and Tribble-ations".Star Trek: Deep Space Nine.Season 5. Episode 6. Broadcast syndication.
  126. ^Pascale, Anthony (December 25, 2007)."A Tiny Christmas Spoiler For The New Star Trek".TrekMovie.com.RetrievedMarch 30,2013.
  127. ^Caroll, Larry (May 11, 2009)."Five Things You May Have Missed While Watching 'Star Trek'".MTV News. Archived fromthe originalon October 7, 2011.RetrievedMay 15,2013.
  128. ^"TrekInk: March Star Trek IDW Previews + Catching up with Star Trek comics".TrekMovie.com. December 17, 2012.RetrievedMay 15,2013.
  129. ^Black, Chris; Shiban, John (April 23, 2003). "The Breach".Star Trek: Enterprise.Season 2. Episode 21. UPN.
  130. ^ASINB000XXWKFW,The Smurfs: Season 1, Vol. One(February 26, 2008)
  131. ^Atkinson, Torrie; Myers, Eugene (April 15, 2010)."Tribbles Week: Re-watching Futurama's" The Problem With Popplers "".Tor.com.RetrievedMarch 30,2013.
  132. ^Johnston, Laura A (June 2000)."Cell cycle: The trouble with tribbles".Current Biology.10(13): R502–R504.doi:10.1016/S0960-9822(00)00559-5.PMC10176495.PMID10898974.
  133. ^Sherilyn Connelly:Ponyville Confidential: The History and Culture of My Little Pony, 1981-2016,pg. 104. McFarland & Company, Inc., Jefferson, NC, March 2017.ISBN1-476-662096.
  134. ^Robertson, Bob; McCartney, Paul (April 24, 2013)."Yesterday...All my tribbles seemed so far away".Archivedfrom the original on December 12, 2021.RetrievedMay 9,2020– viaYouTube.
  135. ^"Yesterday...All my tribbles seemed so far away".pinterest.RetrievedMay 9,2020.
  136. ^Beckerman, Jim (November 9, 1996)."More Troubles with Tribbles".The Record.Archived fromthe originalon June 11, 2014.RetrievedMarch 31,2013.
  137. ^"FIRST LOOK: The Tribbles Are Coming! The Tribbles Are Coming!".Star Trek.com. March 28, 2013.RetrievedMarch 30,2013.
  138. ^"The Trouble with Tribbles".The Albany Herald.November 23, 1986. p. 43.RetrievedMarch 30,2013.
  139. ^"Official 'The Trouble with Tribbles' CCG Info".TrekNation. May 31, 2000.RetrievedMarch 30,2013.
  140. ^Hart, Hugh (July 20, 2010)."Exclusive: Tribbles Infest Alamo Drafthouse's New Star Trek Posters".Wired.RetrievedMarch 30,2013.
  141. ^Jensen, Jeff (September 30, 2012)."'Star Trek' fans: Want some retro-cool 'Trouble With Tribbles' on your wall? Sure you do! ".Entertainment Weekly.RetrievedMarch 30,2013.

Bibliography

[edit]
  • Abbott, Stacey (2010).The Cult TV Book.London, New York: I.B. Tauris.ISBN9781848850255.
  • Block, Paula M.; Erdmann, Terry J. (2010).Star Trek: The Original Series 365.New York: Abrams.ISBN9780810991729.
  • Gerrold, David (1973).The Trouble with Tribbles: The Birth, Sale and Final Production of One Episode(2004 BenBalla ed.). Dallas, TX: BenBalla Books.
  • Gross, Edward; Altman, Mark A. (1993).Captain's Logs: The Complete Trek Voyages.London: Boxtree.ISBN978-1-85283-899-7.
  • Nemecek, Larry (2003).Star Trek: The Next Generation Companion(3rd ed.). New York: Pocket Books.ISBN0-7434-5798-6.
  • Palumbo, Donald (1986).Eros in the Mind's Eye.New York: Greenwood Press.ISBN9780313241024.
[edit]
Wikiquote has quotations related to"The Trouble with Tribbles".
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=The_Trouble_with_Tribbles&oldid=1231584479"