The Trouble with Tribbles

"The Trouble with Tribbles"
Star Trek: The Original Series episode
Captain Kirk, up to his chest in tribbles
Episode no.	Season 2 Episode 15
Directed by	Joseph Pevney
Written by	David Gerrold
Featured music	Jerry Fielding
Cinematography by	Jerry Finnerman
Production code	042
Original air date	December 29, 1967 (1967-12-29)
Guest appearances
William Schallert – Under-Secretary Nilz Baris William Campbell – Captain Koloth Stanley Adams – Cyrano Jones Whit Bissell – Station Manager Lurry Michael Pataki – Korax Ed Reimers – Admiral Fitzpatrick Charlie Brill – Arne Darvin Paul Baxley – Ensign Freeman Eddie Paskey - Guard David L. Ross – Guard Guy Raymond – Trader[1]
Episode chronology
← Previous "Wolf in the Fold" Next → "The Gamesters of Triskelion"
Star Trek: The Original Series season 2
List of episodes

"The Trouble with Tribbles" is the fifteenth episode of the second season of the American science fiction television series Star Trek. Written by David Gerrold and directed by Joseph Pevney, it was first broadcast on December 29, 1967. In this comic episode, the starship Enterprise visits a space station that soon becomes overwhelmed by rapidly reproducing small furry creatures called "tribbles."

It is claimed the short story "Pigs Is Pigs" by Ellis Parker Butler inspired the episode,^[2] but strong similarities to sections of the novel The Rolling Stones led the producers to seek a waiver from author Robert A. Heinlein.

The original episode has had several produced follow-ups. The first, "More Tribbles, More Troubles", was originally pitched for the show's third season but not accepted;^[3][4] it was ultimately produced for Star Trek: The Animated Series. To celebrate the 30th anniversary of Star Trek in 1996, the Star Trek: Deep Space Nine episode "Trials and Tribble-ations" used digital techniques to insert the Deep Space Nine actors into the events of "The Trouble with Tribbles".