Star Trek: The Animated Series: More Tribbles, More Troubles Rewatch
May 12, 2020 9:49 PM - Season 1, Episode 5 - Subscribe
While escorting a shipment of grain to Sherman's Planet, the Enterprise encounters three "old friends": Koloth, Cyrano Jones – and tribbles!
Memory Alpha has your RDA ofquatroquintotriticale.
Background information
Story and script
Even though I did not have the word for it at the time, 7 year old hanov3r recognized this episode for the fanwank that it is. Gerrold says that, because tribbles has already become such a beloved part of Trek lore, they "owed it to the audience" to revisit them and, while I agree with the general sentiment, a story that moved to its own beat rather than replay the beats of the original episode might have better served the audience. Gerrold's intended commentary on "quick fixes" is lost in rehashing quotes and jokes best left unrepeated.
This episode marks the first appearance of Klingons in TAS, through the familiar personages of Koloth and Korax. The Klingon D7 warship also appears for the first time in the series, as detailed and lovingly drawn as the Enterprise.
The battle between the Enterprise (aided by grain carriers) and the Klingon ship is the first example of ship-to-ship combat in TAS, and the first time we've seen enemy ships fire at each other since TOS's "Elaan of Troyius".
Memory Alpha has your RDA of
Background information
Story and script
- This episode was a sequel to David Gerrold's own TOS: "The Trouble with Tribbles".
- The story for this installment started as a proposed episode for the original series of Star Trek, but was ultimately never produced for that series, mainly because third season producer Fred Freiberger hated the first tribbles episode and its comedic tone. (Captains' Logs: The Unauthorized Complete Trek Voyages, p. 97; TAS DVD audio commentary)
- David Gerrold's original concept for this episode was that it would introduce extremely vicious tribble predators that bred as fast as tribbles, and crew members would then begin to go missing. The production staff realized, however, that they would not be permitted to show such vicious critters to an audience of children watching on a Saturday morning. The joke of the tribble predators being implied as man-eaters was consequently not included in the story. (TAS DVD audio commentary)
- The plot point regarding the supposedly "safe" tribbles becoming fat and problematic allowed David Gerrold to purposefully include an indirect reference to science's inability to create quick "fix-it"s for problems. He remarked, "I am a strong believer in the law of unintended consequences. Every 'fix' creates its own problem."
- Along with Mark Lenard (Sarek) and Roger C. Carmel (Harry Mudd), Stanley Adams (Cyrano Jones) is one of only three actors, besides the regulars, to play the same character on both this series and the original Star Trek series, having appeared as Jones in "The Trouble with Tribbles". David Gerrold once related that Adams was specifically sought after – even though the animated series used the vocals of regular cast members wherever possible, in an effort to keep costs down – because it was believed that his voice was absolutely needed for the role of Cyrano Jones. ("Bem" audio commentary)
- Klingon Captain Koloth, who also first appeared in "The Trouble with Tribbles", was voiced by James Doohan here, despite having been portrayed by William Campbell in the original Star Trek series.
- D.C. Fontana has repeatedly cited this as one of her favorite installments of the animated Star Trek (along with "Beyond the Farthest Star", "Yesteryear", "Bem" and "The Magicks of Megas-Tu"). (Star Trek Magazine issue 128, p. 46) In a 2003 video interview for StarTrek.com, Fontana also remarked that she believed this outing, in common with "Bem", "very much got across the Star Trek feeling and mode."
- Likewise, when Hal Sutherland was asked (in 2011) about which of the episodes from the animated Star Trek he liked the best, he named this installment, saying that it "stands out" for him.
- The unofficial reference book The Trek 25th Anniversary Celebration (p. 47), by James Van Hise, cites this episode – due to Stanley Adams reprising the character of Cyrano Jones herein – as one of three installments that, collectively, the book regards as "the plus side" of the animated Star Trek series (the other such outings being "Yesteryear" and "Mudd's Passion").
Even though I did not have the word for it at the time, 7 year old hanov3r recognized this episode for the fanwank that it is. Gerrold says that, because tribbles has already become such a beloved part of Trek lore, they "owed it to the audience" to revisit them and, while I agree with the general sentiment, a story that moved to its own beat rather than replay the beats of the original episode might have better served the audience. Gerrold's intended commentary on "quick fixes" is lost in rehashing quotes and jokes best left unrepeated.
This episode marks the first appearance of Klingons in TAS, through the familiar personages of Koloth and Korax. The Klingon D7 warship also appears for the first time in the series, as detailed and lovingly drawn as the Enterprise.
The battle between the Enterprise (aided by grain carriers) and the Klingon ship is the first example of ship-to-ship combat in TAS, and the first time we've seen enemy ships fire at each other since TOS's "Elaan of Troyius".
I'm not sure that I'd call this fanwank, exactly. There may be some repeated jokes, but I liked the gag about Kirk having to shove successively larger tribbles off his chair, and young me thought that the glommer scampering away at the sight of one of these monster tribbles was hysterical. Also, the decision to make both the tribbles and the Klingon tunics pink (because I guess one of the staffers was color-blind) adds a bit of dream-like surreality to this episode. Also, I'd point out that the "projected stasis field" weapon reminds me a bit of the Breen energy dampening weapon that was introduced late in DS9--if they'd managed to pull it off, that would have given the Klingons a huge advantage.
posted by Halloween Jack at 8:26 AM on May 13, 2020 [1 favorite]
posted by Halloween Jack at 8:26 AM on May 13, 2020 [1 favorite]
...although returning Cyrano Jones actor Stanley Adams seemed somehow less vivacious, and not I think just because of the "animation."
Yeah, I picked up on that, too. My memories of Adams as an actor are boisterous and jovial, and this version of Jones is not that. I read that he committed suicide in 1977, just a few years after recording this, and I wonder if the flat affect is the result of untreated depression. MA points out, oddly, that the "official" reference book _Star Trek Vault: 40 Years From the Archives_ considered Adams performance to be very good, and suggested that he was "more at ease with voice acting than some of the regulars."
Also, I'd point out that the "projected stasis field" weapon reminds me a bit of the Breen energy dampening weapon that was introduced late in DS9--if they'd managed to pull it off, that would have given the Klingons a huge advantage.
Trek's experimented with idea of a weapon powerful enough to turn the tide of battle while leaving yourself completely vulnerable several times, going back to the Romulan's plasma weapon from "Balance of Terror".
There may be some repeated jokes, but I liked the gag about Kirk having to shove successively larger tribbles off his chair, and young me thought that the glommer scampering away at the sight of one of these monster tribbles was hysterical.
Memory Alpha says that Gerrold thought that running-away animation was a little too reminiscent of then-current children's cartoons, and I can't say I disagree with that - it felt very Scooby-Doo / Groovy Ghoulies-ish. OTOH, the ever-growing-larger tribble in Kirk's chair is a joke that passed me at 7 and I laughed at at 53, so...
There does seem to be a bit more "filling time" animation in this episode than the previous ones, too.
posted by hanov3r at 9:56 AM on May 13, 2020
Yeah, I picked up on that, too. My memories of Adams as an actor are boisterous and jovial, and this version of Jones is not that. I read that he committed suicide in 1977, just a few years after recording this, and I wonder if the flat affect is the result of untreated depression. MA points out, oddly, that the "official" reference book _Star Trek Vault: 40 Years From the Archives_ considered Adams performance to be very good, and suggested that he was "more at ease with voice acting than some of the regulars."
Also, I'd point out that the "projected stasis field" weapon reminds me a bit of the Breen energy dampening weapon that was introduced late in DS9--if they'd managed to pull it off, that would have given the Klingons a huge advantage.
Trek's experimented with idea of a weapon powerful enough to turn the tide of battle while leaving yourself completely vulnerable several times, going back to the Romulan's plasma weapon from "Balance of Terror".
There may be some repeated jokes, but I liked the gag about Kirk having to shove successively larger tribbles off his chair, and young me thought that the glommer scampering away at the sight of one of these monster tribbles was hysterical.
Memory Alpha says that Gerrold thought that running-away animation was a little too reminiscent of then-current children's cartoons, and I can't say I disagree with that - it felt very Scooby-Doo / Groovy Ghoulies-ish. OTOH, the ever-growing-larger tribble in Kirk's chair is a joke that passed me at 7 and I laughed at at 53, so...
There does seem to be a bit more "filling time" animation in this episode than the previous ones, too.
posted by hanov3r at 9:56 AM on May 13, 2020
This one leaves me cold, despite my fondness for the original. The tribbles and the glommer are both too cartoonish; part of the appeal of the original episode for me is the adorable, fluffy tribbles that move around the bridge and in the hands of the crew. Plus, the DS9 episode is a much better "tribute" to it.
posted by briank at 7:49 AM on May 14, 2020 [1 favorite]
posted by briank at 7:49 AM on May 14, 2020 [1 favorite]
I enjoyed this, as I expected to. It was not as amusing this time around as it was the first time I saw it.
I was very interested in the ship design for the grain carriers. It looked to me like Filmation saved a penny by giving them the same designation numbers - NCC-G1645, if I recall correctly.
posted by mwhybark at 11:16 AM on May 16, 2020
I was very interested in the ship design for the grain carriers. It looked to me like Filmation saved a penny by giving them the same designation numbers - NCC-G1645, if I recall correctly.
posted by mwhybark at 11:16 AM on May 16, 2020
NCC-G1465, rather. Antares-type, retconned into TOS by Mike Okuda in the HD remaster in “Charlie X” and elsewhere.
posted by mwhybark at 11:19 AM on May 16, 2020
posted by mwhybark at 11:19 AM on May 16, 2020
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Gerrold's intended commentary on "quick fixes" is lost in rehashing quotes and jokes best left unrepeated.
I mainly agree, although if that was a message one wished to convey, tribbles seem to be an ideal medium. The other thing that muddies it, though, is the apparently-menacing new Klingon weapon.
I did also have a real hard time getting over Doohan's version of Koloth's voice here. I mean, yeah, William Campbell does give him a high voice for a Klingon, but yikes.
posted by CheesesOfBrazil at 6:51 AM on May 13, 2020