‘Star Trek’ Retro Recap: ‘The Trouble with Tribbles’

Written by John Edward Betancourt 

It’s funny how iconic episodes from a particular series have a special air about them when you take the time to re-watch them. In fact, it is almost as though you’re expecting it to blow you away if it’s been ages since you’ve seen it, or that you’re going to discover some powerful revelation you missed the first time around. But in reality, unless there was some powerful meaning present within the framework of the story, there’s nothing new to discover here. They’re just a trip down memory lane and this odd duality of expectation versus reality is on my mind today, simply because an iconic episode of Star Trek awaited me in my Netflix queue.
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For the time has come to revisit a true favorite of the series, ‘The Trouble with Tribbles’ and honestly, I expected this episode to just drop my jaw after all these years since I remember it being an incredible delight when I first watched it years ago. But what’s funny, is that this episode really doesn’t offer anything all that different from any other episode in the series. After all, this story features an out of the way place that we’ve never visited before. It brings the Klingons back into the fold and we even get a wonderful mystery involving futuristic wheat and of course, the true highlight of this tale are the ever-cute tribbles, because who doesn’t want a non-pregnant tribble to call their own?

If anything, I was just taken aback by the fact that this episode doesn’t immediately smack you in the face with Trek themed lore like I expected it to. But as the hour rolled along, it became clear exactly why this particular tale is so iconic and why it remains a fan favorite, and that’s related to the fact that this episode simply embodies one of the best parts of Star Trek; the fun. Because let’s be honest, The Original Series cast is known for bringing joy to their tales, and some of our finest memories of them involve smiles and they generate plenty of those, here. Case and point, the barfight scene. Because how that unfolds is just hilarious in its own right and the best part about this episode is the fun doesn’t end with Scotty knocking a Klingon on his butt while Cyrano Jones grabs free drinks.

Because this episode really does a fine job of letting the characters just be themselves. Take for example Scotty once again, since we see his love of engineering on display in this tale, and his fierce loyalty to the Enterprise, which are staples of the man. Plus, we saw Chekov’s undying loyalty to his captain, the joy that McCoy finds in uncovering medical facts and we were also privy to the power and synergy of Kirk and Spock’s biffleship since they work together in seamless fashion in his one. And the comfortable nature of those elements, along with how the episode comes to an end just makes this one a true delight through and through, to the point where you simply get lost in the story and every wonderful moment it has to offer.

In the end however it is inherently clear that this is the moment when the cast truly jelled together on screen since everything here feels seamless and perhaps that’s really the power of this episode. For this could be the exact moment that the series found its chemistry and its direction when it comes to the cast. But what matters more, is that this story is just a blast and everything works in this tale from beginning to end and it also reminded me, that I really need a tribble in my house, which means I need to hop onto Amazon and order one to coo at my desk. But before I do that, I may watch this one again, just to bask in the wonder of a fun and dynamic episode, one that truly latched onto our hearts and set the tone for the franchise for years to come. Until next time. 

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