The Trouble with Tribbles is a popular Star Trek episode
If you’re like most fans of Star Trek: The Original Series, you’ve seen “The Trouble with Tribbles” more times than you can count. The comedic episode quickly became a favorite after it aired on December 29, 1967 in the series’ second season. In fact, it was so popular that Star Trek: Deep Space Nine aired a sequel when the crew traveled back in time to interact with the crew of the Enterprise and the tribbles in “Trials and Tribble-ations.”
“The Trouble with Tribbles” has some interesting behind-the-scenes facts that you might not know. These facts might not change how you view the episode, but it’s always fascinating to learn something new about one of our favorites.
- Originally, the tribbles were going to be called “fuzzies,” but H. Beam Piper had written the book “Little Fuzzy” which was published in 1962. So, the name had to be changed. Some of the names considered before tribbles was chosen were shaggies, goonies, and puffies.
- In spite of Mr. Spock’s calculations, only 500 tribbles were created for the episode. They were designed by Wah Chang and sewn by Jaccqueline Cumere, who was paid $350 for all of her work.
- Four different kinds of tribbles were created, one of which was from the body of a motorized toy dog covered in fur. The tribbles that breathed were filled with balloons that could be inflated and deflated. Others were filled with beans so they would stay put, and the rest of them were filled with cotton.
- Though not all of the 500 tribbles have been accounted for, William Campbell, who played Koloth, took at least forty of the tribbles home and passed them out to children in a nearby neighborhood.
- As for the sound the tribbles made, that was created by Emmy Award-winning sound editor Douglas Grindstaff who combined the sounds of a screech owl, a squeaking balloon, and murmuring doves.
The Trouble with Tribbles will always be a beloved episode
Though, according to Star Trek A Celebration, Gene Roddenberry wasn’t certain about the comedic tone of the episode, fans have loved this episode, written by David Gerrold, for over 54 years. It was nice to have a break from the serious tone of the show, and it gave the actors a chance to change things up, especially James Doohan who probably had the funniest line in the entire episode, which wasn’t in the original script according to Startrek.com.
"Capt. Kirk: [whispering] You gave them to the Klingons?Scott: Aye, sir. Before they went into warp, I transported the whole kit ‘n’ caboodle into their engine room, where they’ll be no tribble at all."