This year marks not just the 60th anniversary of Star Trek but the 30th anniversary of “Trials and Tribble-ations," considered by many as one of the all-time best episodes of Deep Space Nine. And while appearing on Trek Talks 5, DS9 showrunner Ira Steven Behr discussed the episode and shared how Charlie Brill was cast to reprise his TOS role thanks to a chance encounter at a pizza place. Behr said per TrekMovie.com:
“I said the only person I know who’s definitely alive from the from the guest cast was this guy named Charlie Brill, who was a stand-up comic, who played Arne Darvin, the Klingon, who is undercover as a human being. And I know he’s alive because my wife and a friend of hers had written a pilot in which he was going to appear, and Ron [D. Moore] and Rene and Hans [Beimler] and Robert [Hewitt Wolfe] are looking at me like, ‘Charlie Brill, yeah, vaguely remember him.'"
Behr continued by saying:
"And then I look over and standing at the counter ordering a slice of pizza — we’re in the back at a table — standing there big as life … it’s freaking Charlie Brill ordering. And I said, ‘Oh, there he is.' And Ron looked at me and looked over and said, ‘Oh, come on, BS.' And no one believed. I said, ‘No, it’s like, holy, you know, that’s Charlie Brill standing there.’ And I could see all their faces. They suddenly realized it, and what were the chances that we would be talking about this old TV episode from 30 years ago, and the guy who we were talking about to bring back on the show would be standing there ordering a slice of pizza?”
DS9's "Trials and Tribble-ations" is a beautiful tribute to The Original Series must-see installment “The Trouble with Tribbles.” The comedic romp featured the Enterprise crew dealing with Klingons, an imperious Starfleet official, and, of course, the tribbles: the tiny fuzzy creatures that multiply as they eat provide laughs, along with the famed scene of thousands of them falling on Captain Kirk.
The key twist of "The Trouble with Tribbles" is the discovery that Arne Darvin, a seemingly human aide, is really an undercover Klingon. He was last seen being arrested, only to turn out to be critical for this follow-up DS9 episode.
Darvin returns in “Trials and Tribble-ations," and having Brill reprise his role is so much better than having a different actor in the part. He perfectly sells Darvin’s anger at being defeated in "The Trouble with Tribbles" and spent decades plotting his revenge. It’s clear Brill loved being back in this role and added a new layer to his performance.
It’s amazing to think that had the writers not gone to that pizza place on that day, this turn may not have happened. Now, share your thoughts and comments with us on the serendipitous meeting via the Redshirts Always Die Facebook and X pages.
Star Trek: The Original Series and Deep Space Nine are both streaming on Paramount+.