The Trouble With Tribbles

Production # 42

Original Air Date 12-29-67

Stardate 4523.3

Related Images:
Kirk finds a tribble
Kirk immersed in tribbles
Kirk and friends
Kirk and Spock
Kirk questions the participants in the brawl with the Klingons

Synopsis:

When the U.S.S. Enterprise receives a top priority order to protect a shipment of quadrotriticale grain on Deep Space Station K-7, Kirk is irritated to be guarding a shipment of "wheat." But the shipment is meant for famine-struck Sherman's Planet, and Klingon's are taking shore leave on the space station. Adding to Kirk's irritation is Federation Undersecretary for Agriculture, Nilz Baris and his pesty assistant, Arne Darvin who inform Kirk that Starfleet Command is afraid the Klingon's may try to steal the grain.

Another problem arises when a space trader, Cyrano Jones, gives Uhura a purring ball of fluff known as a tribble. Charmed by the creature, Uhura takes it back to the U.S.S. Enterprise. However, as McCoy soon learns, tribbles are born pregnant and the more they eat ... and they eat constantly ... the more they multiply. Soon the starship is overrun by the furry creatures.

Kirk soon finds that the bins that were once full of the precious quadrotriticale are now full of dead tribbles. The grain has been poisoned by a Klingon agent disguised as the Undersecretary's assistant. He's exposed when Kirk discovers that tribbles don't like Klingon's (and vice versa) and squeak whenever they're in near proximity. The Klingons leave the space station and Scotty rids the U.S.S. Enterprise of the tribbles by beaming them aboard the departing Klingon ship where, as he tells Kirk, " ... they'll be no tribble at all."

Cast:
William Shatner as James T. Kirk
Leonard Nimoy as Spock
DeForest Kelley as Leonard H. McCoy
James Doohan as Montgomery Scott
Nichelle Nichols as Uhura
George Takei as Hikaru Sulu
Walter Koenig as Pavel Andreievich Chekov

Guest Cast:
Stanley Adams as Cyrano Jones
William Schallert as Nilz Baris
William Campbell as Capt. Koloth
Charlie Brill as Arne Darvin

Creative staff:
Director: Joseph Pevney
Written By: David Gerrold
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Episode information from startrek.com.