When Star Trek: The Original Series first premiered in 1966 on NBC, the sci-fi series had plenty to offer: futuristic starships, amazing costumes and makeup (that salt-sucking creature still creeps me out), and enough action to satisfy a whole troop of space cowboys. While the series proved it could make space travel believable, season 2 brought fans "The Trouble with Tribbles" and used these adorable yet voracious creatures to highlight the importance of humor in the franchise.
1. Importance of 'The Trouble with Tribbles' to the Enterprise crew
When you consider the timeline of TOS, there wasn't much to laugh about before the crew reached Deep Space Station K-7. In previous missions, Captain Kirk, Mr. Spock, Scotty, Dr. McCoy, and the unfortunate late Lieutenant Galway all aged rapidly due to radiation poisoning. Scotty was accused of murdering women on Argelius (only it was really the spirit of Jack the Ripper), and a blood-sucking entity followed the Enterprise around like some futuristic Nosferatu, turning Kirk into a paranoid Van Helsing. Is it any wonder that so many of them need shore leave after all that, not to mention some levity?