The Trouble With Tribbles

DVD, Star Trek S2 (The Trouble With Tribbles)

Pretty much every scene has something to enjoy in it, whether Kirk taunting the Federation official Nilz Barris, Cyrano Jones' antics, or the regulars getting to further their characters. It's clear S2 was the breakout season, and this episode is probably the best of the bunch so far.

It's rare for everything to click, but here the direction is so assured, the actors at the top of their comic game, and there's fuzzy little creatures that purr. What more could you want? The first proper reintroduction of the Klingons for one, and Kirk emerging from a pile of Tribbles, and Scotty starting a bar room brawl with the Klingons... Even the station, usually where the series falls down as it's rare for a model to match the quality of the Enterprise, is impressive: in external shots it almost imperceptibly revolves.

The attention to detail improves the episode beyond standard fare - a brilliant shot of the station slowly growing larger as the ship approaches (and shrinking as it leaves at the end), the Enterprise seen from a window orbiting the station. And this is all before the added enjoyment of spotting things that play a part in a future episode of 'DS9', which gives a new level of appreciation to the viewing experience. Koloth makes his appearance, though reminiscent of his previous portrayal of the Squire of Gothos he still has a different quality. I think the more Klingon of them was his henchman Korax who gets to insult the guts out of the Enterprise and it's crew! Add to this a spy mystery, the crew finding Tribbles all over the ship, and the great brawl - even this simple fight gets an extra something as Cyrano Jones successfully attempts to carry a stolen drink amidst all the action, foiled only when the bartender returns and lifts it from his hands just as he's about to drink!

Every character, with the odd exception of Sulu who doesn't appear at all, get good scenes. Uhura coos over her Tribble, the cause of all the trouble, while Chekov attributes every invention to Mother Russia, and Spock gets to show off his knowledge. Kirk is at a rare loss for most of the episode, which makes a change, as he's falsely summoned, has to put up with Tribbles on his command chair and in his lunch, with the final injustice of being wiped out underneath the creatures.

It's difficult to decide what is the funniest moment. Is it Scotty's joy at being confined to quarters for fighting, as he can now catch up with his technical journals, Spock and McCoy's usual disagreements, or maybe Scotty's solution to the infestation. Whatever it is, you rarely have so much choice!

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