Star Trek Retro Review: "Trials and Tribble-ations" | Trek Legend Guest Stars Episodes

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#startrek #startrekdeepspacenine #startrekds9 #review

[@JasonMaggini]

The officer that O'Brien mistakes for Kirk was actually played by one of Shatner's stunt doubles, which kind of adds to the joke.

[@halbeliebe]

I wanted to say that!

[@jamesmcginnis6710]

In David Gerrold's book about the episode he reveals that he wrote in a role for HIMSELF -- but that ultimately they didn't cast him! That's the origin of this crewman we never saw before having a juicy scene.

[@lindleya]

Came here to mention this, glad someone beat me to it :)

[@TakaComics]

This is one reason why the jokes are so good in the episode. There are layers to it, where any tv viewer could understand, but hardcore fans get an extra joke made just for them. Same goes for the "It is green" bit in Relics.

[@bradcsuka5054]

I didn't know that! Thanks for sharing this awesome tidbit!

[@kathyastrom1315]

My favorite behind-the-scenes story, quoting from Memory Alpha: “In what Ira Steven Behr later described as the most incredible coincidence he has ever experienced, Behr and the other producers were at the Mulberry Street pizza parlor in Beverly Hills, discussing the possibility of bringing original TOS actors back for this episode, Behr mentioned Charlie Brill (Arne Darvin), who he then spotted at the counter alongside his wife. Although Behr was hesitant to discuss the matter directly with Brill (due to the complications that normally entail Hollywood negotiations), Brill was greatly honored to be given a chance to make history twice and felt that Gene Roddenberry would be proud. Behr later joked, in a DVD audio commentary for this episode, that the remarkable turn of events proved God was a DS9 fan, while Brill stated that he was happy he hadn't gone out for Chinese food instead.”

[@spectresound]

Honestly, I think Gene had a hand in that. He had arrived in Sto'vokor by the time the episode was being planned.

[@Aezetyr]

The two Temporal agents that visited Sisko were named Dulmer and Lucsly; the anagrams of Mulder and Scully.

[@krazyglue60]

Brilliant!

[@HaroldElbowmanIV]

And the books with them are great!

[@Netherfly]

@@HaroldElbowmanIV One of those books -- the last one, I think -- has some of the best/most interesting/thoughtful stuff I've *ever* seen done with time travel fiction. Highly recommend 'em.

[@MyMagnificentOctopus]

Love Odo's dismissive "Do they still sing songs about the Great Tribble Hunt?""

[@spectresound]

Maybe StarRekt could find a song to parody into that.

[@BoboftheOldeWays]

The joke about Dax wanting to bone Spock was a reference to the fact Nimoy was apparently a bigger heartthrob than Shatner during the TOS era, and Shatner was reportedly salty about it. Also, it’s plausible that Kirk would be famous to other Starfleet officers. In real militaries, historical figures are often well known within the military while being unheard of outside it (same with many subcultures).

[@JohnDoe-sl6di]

Interesting

[@nathanieldaiken1064]

Bonus fact: The actress, Terry Farrell married Adam Nimoy, son of Leonard Nimoy. So, "Dax" has "married Spock" indeed!

[@stevenemert837]

@@nathanieldaiken1064 Just looked on Wikipedia. Unfortunately it appears they divorced in 2022. 😪

[@pinkygunty9706]

It's also a nod to the fact that she married his son.

[@CaptainAndy]

“I’m a doctor, not an historian.” That line made me laugh out loud.

[@MalzraAirwynn]

I love the subtle nod that starfleet gets up to enough time travel shenanigans that they have an actual department of temporal investigations for situations like this.

[@rmdodsonbills]

Yes, me too. And also since Sisko has already inserted himself into history as Gabriel Bell, it makes plenty of sense that they would come to talk to him personally. Kind of like how the Temporal Space Fleet guy went crazy having to clean up after Janeway all the time.

[@itsOasus]

This is definitely one of my favorite episodes and an example of why Star Trek can do comedy right.

[@Titanreaver616]

I always thought the best way to handle the klingon thing would have been for Worf to just be done up in TOS style and for no one to even acknowledge it except maybe in a "did you get a hair cut" kind of way. Then we could have all just acknowledged the real reason they look different and moved on with our lives, saving us from later explanations.

[@Bedonkabonk]

Long before that episode, we laughed when we saw tribbles not falling but being chucked at Kirk from the storage unit. The scene pays homage to that meta joke as well.

[@TomGallagherSuperboyBeyond]

The reason he thought that was Kirk is because it was Kirk's stuntman. They were making a joke about how they looked nothing alike lol

[@qhu3878]

I mean if you never see the face its good enough

[@lisamarie06]

I love this episode as well. At one time, I had the box set of "Trouble with Tribbles" and "Trials and Tribble-ations" that came with a plushie Tribble. The tribble even squeaked if you shook it.

[@helixspiral]

I still have that set! Tribble and all.

[@MrOfermod]

I still have mine!

[@jrock32379]

Honestly, I think it would have been funnier if the production team just had Michael Dorn use 60s era Klingon makeup and have the crew just play it straight and not notice a thing. Let it be a joke for us and not the cast nodding and winking at the audience.

[@PassportKings]

That would've been hilarious 😅

[@poppyshock]

I came here to say this. They should have played it as was truly the case. Low budget '60s TV meant no heavy prosthetic make-up. Worf as a 60s Klingon would have been perfect. As I recall, DS9 also had major Klingon characters from the original series show up in '90s era make-up with no explanation for the change.

[@aguysomewhere8277]

That would have been absolutely perfect!

[@dennisbergendorfii5440]

I think Worf should have broken the fourth wall and said, "We couldn't afford the prosthetics then."

[@seanmurphy2638]

This exactly. Worf should have been a 60's klingon while in the past, and as soon as they were back, he should have been a TNG klingon, with absolutely no comment on it from anyone in universe.

[@tayzonday]

90s trek gets criticized a lot for “bottle shows” (shows that re-use standing or easily-assembled set pieces to save money). This was the opposite of a bottle show.

[@SteveShives]

For sure. This was a "how much money can you give us to spend on stuff we'll never have a reason to re-use?" episode.

[@itsOasus]

I don't even see anything wrong with stuff like that. If you have a story that reuses what you already have, I don't think there's any harm.

[@tayzonday]

@@SteveShives Yeah we paid for this with a least a half-dozen “O’Brien must suffer wandering around the station for one reason or another” episodes 😆

[@tayzonday]

@@itsOasus Star Trek doesn’t suffer from bottle shows as much as a show like say, The Walking Dead. Season 1 of The Walking Dead was amazing cause they used unlimited set pieces. Then they fired the creator for spending too much money and Season 2 was all on Herschel’s Farm, Season 3 all a prison etc.

[@earlydawes8955]

I love the way that the investigators are played. So resigned to all the clichéd time jokes and their reaction when Kirk is mentioned is a lol moment for me.

[@ChissHansen]

I still believe they should have just put Michael Dorn in the 60's make up and just not say a single word about why the Klingons look different.

[@noelleggett5368]

This is not just a nod to the original series, but to the art of television itself. The technology required to pull this off successfully is masterfully applied. Not only one of the great episodes of this series, but a milestone of 90s television. Congratulations to everyone involved in making this charming little gem.

[@barryellis5687]

3 years after this episode aired, I was lucky enough to be at the Star Trek Experience in Las Vegas when the producers made an appearance (Ronald D Moore, Ira Steven Behr etc.). They had a number of DS9/Voyager scripts with them & attendees had the chance to pick out a script & get it signed for $10 (for charity). I had no hesitation in picking this episode’s script. It remains to this day my most treasured piece of ‘Trek’ memorabilia!😃🖖🏻

[@inyangudo-ema1638]

Steve what did you think of the joke of Captain Sisco hitting his comb badge and have them use a communicator

[@rmeddy]

This episode is nothing short of a masterpiece imo. That bit with Worf about the TOS Klingons is great. iirc the gag was originally suppose have Dorn with the old TOS aesthetic and it's ignored as if nothing is wrong but I thought it was better what they did and I think the extra that O Brien conflated with Kirk was played by Shatner's stunt double. Very technically impressive, but yeah it doesn't hold up in HD and subsequent viewing qualities, but seeing it in SD on my local station back then it was seamless.

[@edwardphilibin3151]

The bonus funny about that gold-shirt lieutenant O'Brien thinks is Kirk is that his actor was normally Shatner's stunt double. So any time Kirk had his back to the camera to throw or take a punch, THAT is the back that faced the camera. And what angle does O'Brien see this nameless lieutenant from? 😂

[@TheUncannyF]

I love this episode, especially all the care and hard work the crew must have put for this to look so seamless. The costumes and make-up were also a blast!

[@TheUncannyF]

...about the explanations re Klingons, I agree - "We do not talk about it" is quite enough. Trek should not dwell on it, nor should it aim to explain every single discontinuity. I'm fine as long as the general "spirit" of Trek is held up.

[@Falconman1121]

I love this episode. The music cues and sound effects of the TOS era with our DS9 heroes made me smile for days afterwards. I also reallly love that the Temroral Investigations guys hear that Sisko had to go talk with Kirk at the end, and despite their annoyance with Kirk expressed earlier agree that they would have done something similar.

[@pearl-may]

You can see the fallout of DS9's tribble infestation in #14 of Marvel's DS9 comic, "Nobody Knows the Tribbles I've Seen" - with various main cast characters taking turns BSing each other with tall tales of the origins of the Klingon-Tribble beef.

[@firehawk128]

Fandora's Box is good.

[@ToledoNative]

Oh, man! You missed my favorite line! When in the bar at K7 after Worf explained what happened to the Tribbles Odo saying 'Tell me, do they still sing songs about the great Tribble hunt?'🤣

[@cainsolo1]

@12:40 - I LOVE THAT SCENE!!! Especially since Enterprise uses it to produce three of the best episodes of the entire series. Season 4 of Enterprise is what we should have gotten outta the first three. Enterprise was the quintessential example of blown opportunity after blown opportunity.

[@X2Magneto]

My favorite part is that Sisko is more impressed by Gorn punching than literally anything else. The best thing ever.

[@bryanburgess3950]

After SNW revamped them, that attitude is very reasonable.

[@thevirtualjim]

I mean he did Punch Q lol

[@thecynicaloptimist1884]

"Don't you wanna meet Kirk?!" "Of course I do! I wanna ask him about that time he beat the shit out of an alien!"

[@zaphoddog3878]

They also retained the TOS aesthetic in the Enterprise episode "in a mirror darkly"

[@travismoore7938]

I remember loving this episode when it first came out. It was and is one of my favorite episodes of Star Trek, helped along by the fact that I loved the original episode The Trouble with Tribbles as well. It was great seeing the DS9 characters with TOS characters.

[@multilicus5773]

Not sure about you remark that this episode presented TOS characters as legends or superstars for later generations - and that it stayed this way since then; I think it happend sooner, in TNG. Sarek and Spock were both very well known 70 years after TOS - but this might be explained by them still being alive and active. There's no reason to believe, however, that people in the late 24th century, or at least Starfleet personel of that time (and that's whom we mostly see in DS9 and Voyager), would have forgotten about Kirk - he was involved in too many important events to be omitted or forgotten. In "Star Trek: Generations" Riker mentions that Kirk was killed during the maiden voyage of Enterprise B (Kirk was already retired at that time) and Picard recognizes Kirk on the spot when they meet in the Nexus - both are clear signs people still remembered Kirk ("Star Trek: Generations" was released on 18.11.1994, "Trials and Tribble-ations" aired 2 years later, on 04.11.1996).

[@Vilamus]

I think command staff and crew of a Starfleet flagship called Enterprise may be a bit more familiar with past command staff and crews of Enterprise's than the majority of Starfleet.

[@Kleion_RFB]

I don't disagree that the Klingon forehead ridges thing never really needed explanation, but one thing I do appreciate is that when they did finally choose to explain it, they just came right back to this episode and made all of the theories part of the answer. Like, if you're gonna do it, you might as well go for it, right?

[@theemeraldboars484]

Really appreciated the Worf bit, my friend has always maintained this episode should've ended with our glorious former security officer singing Klingon opera whilst butchering tribblee with his mek'leth.

[@patrickdodds7162]

"Trials and Tribble-ations" is one of the most genius hours of, not just Star Trek, but of television I've ever seen. Ira Steven Behr and company -pull off the miraculous by making not just a "love letter" to TOS, but a worthy (and very funny) companion piece to the original David Gerrold scripted classic and iconic original (fun fact: David Gerrold appears as an extra in one scene as a way of giving it its blessing). This episode could have been an embarrassing disaster on so many levels, but the DS9 team sidestep it completely with their usual aplomb and their dedication to excellence. Beyond the technical brilliance, it's an elegantly told story that takes a page from the middle part of Back to the Future, part II and does a pretty good job with the Forrest Gump technology (at least as television could do at that point). DS9 is known as mainly a serious and sometimes bleak show, but this episode deserves to stand with that all-time great episodes like "Duet", "Past Tense" "The Visitor", "Far Beyond the Stars" and so many others. This is a work of art.

[@Saiyanprince1114]

It's hilarious to look back at Bashir and O'Brien pondering how the Klingons look different after seeing Enterprise. "Some kind of genetic engineering?" "A viral mutation?" Turns out it's both! 😂

[@liontone]

It’s an amazing Ep. Very creative in how they struck a balance of plot, homage, and comedy. Also, the Bashir/O’Brien and Sisko/Dax parings are always $$. Easily one of the best Trek eps, and near the very top for DS9. Bashir’s hair gets me every time.

[@MrAndyBearJr]

I was positively overjoyed when I saw Charlie Brill in the episode lead in. I knew from that moment what the writers were going to hearken back to. Then seeing the beauty shot of the Enterprise was icing on the cake.😃

[@rayrowley4013]

My favorite part is them throwing the tribbles out the door and it hitting Kirk on the head. I always wondered why dead tribbles would keep falling out for so long. This backfills that perfectly while making it even funnier!

[@renatocorvaro6924]

This episode was a banger. Fun, interesting, and a technical masterpiece for its time.

[@jamarrbrown3608]

This episode is what inspired me to go back and watch tos for the first time I was scared off by the look of it at first but after watching that episode I was on the hook I had to see it all and it's my favorite classic trek now

[@hatefuljohn]

I wish that while he was in the past, Michael Dorn didn't wear any prosthetics at all, just the Fu Manchu mustache. No explanation no nothing

[@woogha]

I still maintain that the remastered episode of Trouble With Tribbles needed to add in the DS9 people into the background of scenes.

[@carolinemcgovern4488]

I mean yes! That would be amazing! And so very funny!

[@NoahSpurrier]

I liked the non explanation Worf gave for the difference in Klingon morphology. I didn’t think it went on too long.

[@hancocki]

It was the perfect balance to allow for future in-universe explanations. And delivered in classic Dorn comedy. A classic line, to be sure.

[@BogeyTheBear]

"I believe there's something wrong with your eyes. They look Klingon to me. Perhaps an effect of the time travel to your vision. After all, everything looks like it's filmed in Technicolor to me..."

[@thecynicaloptimist1884]

Ronald D Moore, who also wrote _Relics_ on TNG, also wrote this. DS9 was often subversive with its fan service, and even this, being a celebration of _Star Trek_ still does it. Dax acts like an excitable fan, pointing everything out and how much she wants to interact with everyone, and Sisko is constantly having to be like "look, that's not why we're here, so concentrate, old man!" It's a subtle way of saying to the audience "look, we know you want Sisko and Kirk to team up together, but that's not gonna happen. We're here to tell a good story".

[@ronstewtsaw]

I'm old enough to have dim memories of a few original run TOS episodes. When the wife and I watched the first airing of Trials and Tribble-ations, we agreed that we had been pandered to, and also agreed that it had been delightful. And that it had been enough, and more would not have been a good thing. p.s. I am waiting for the sun to go down to watch the last episode of ST:Picard. If there is any ambient light in my living room, I can't see a damned thing in that show.

[@jackleg2007]

My favorite is Odo ribbing Worf about the great Tribble hunt. And I believe ST:D should have kept the same look of TOS.

[@mikeklein5184]

Now you need to do a review of, “More tribbles, more trouble”

[@TheYoungDoctor]

This episode is definitely one of my all time favourite episodes of Star Trek.

[@varianschirmer9375]

The best takeaway from the DS9/TOS crossover was the story that came out years later. There was a scene in the Enterprise turbolift where O'Brien & Bashir were burning thru takes trying to successfully flip open a TOS-era communicator... without success [either too far or not far enough]. From the stage shadows came an offer of help. Walter Koenig [The original Chekov], invited to see the reconstructed TOS sets, stepped forward to demonstrate how to do the flip. Accepting the prop, he psyched himself up to do something he hadn't done himself in almost 20 years. He did it on the 1st try. Returning the communicator to the DS9 away team, Koenig said, "It's all in the wrist..." and stepped back into the shadows....

[@Galenus1234]

Considering the technology (and the budget) available at the time that Trials and Tribbleations was produced, the special effects are quite impressive. Of course you see, that the Defiant crew wasn't *really* aboard the space station or the Enterprise, but neither were William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy and co. BECAUSE IT'S JUST A TV SHOW!!!

[@eldergeek6077]

I'm surprised you didn't mention that David Gerrold tried to write himself a cameo in TOS as Crewman Freeman. He got his wish granted in this DS9 episode.

[@williamburns9930]

The "Characters as fans" is definitely a common element in Lower Decks. But both as a comedy, and as lower-ranking officers looking up to heroes, it does work in that instance I think. I think there was a bit of that in the TNG Lower Decks episode as well

[@rmdodsonbills]

One of the things I like about Lower Decks is that it is a whole series that's a love letter to all things Star Trek in very much the same way that Trials and Tribble-ations is. I guess I can understand why people might think that's a little much, but I'm a big fan. I presume this is what Steve means by future Star Trek writers writing as fans.

[@Confessor1917]

Surprised there was no mention of Enterprise and how they spent time actually dealing with the Klingon change - with them actually using both Bashir and O'Briens guesses as the actual answers.

[@JimboB-rh5td]

I was thinking exactly the same when Steve mentioned the Discovery series. Whilst I accept it’s TV show and the producers can do what they want with the show including completely ignoring “Worf” Klingons from TNG, DS9 and Voyager, they also ignored TOS and the Movies. 🤷🏻‍♂️

[@rogerpaparazzo4725]

My guess is, that in real life, this aired before that enterprise episode came out, and they hadn't thought of it yet. And when the enterprise episode came out, they used the Bush here and O'Brien throw away lines.

[@kevinkeeney9418]

I believe that two-parter is mentioned implicitly when Steve says that this episode should have been the only explanation we ever got.

[@wmeisel]

Steve - I stumbled across these retro reviews and I am working through them at break neck speed. I have been a Star Trek fan for most of my life and I am impressed with how you have given me new things to think about when I thought everything had already been said about these episodes. (For example, I was struck by your comment that the pace of the episode is part of what makes Spock’s Brain work. It was obvious once you said it but I’ve never thought about it before.) Anyway - my best wishes to you.

[@1dbanner]

I'll never forget watching this the night it originally aired. It was the same month as First Contact appearing in theatres... It was a great time to be a Trek fan

[@davidcolby167]

Honestly, I think it'd be weirder if Kirk *wasn't* famous considering the amount of absolutely bonkers things he did. And it's not like he's Miles Vorkosigan, most of his adventures are in public records and not top secret!

[@carolinemcgovern4488]

I think it makes perfect sense ST characters would idolize each other- especially those in Starfleet.

[@michaelhall2709]

Rather surprised that you didn’t say more about the framing device of having the two Tome Patrol agents, “Dulmer” and “Luxley,” interrogate Sisko for his actions during the episode, which was not only clever but added to the fun as well. Their deadpan response to Sisko’s assurance that this was not a Predestination Paradox - “Good, we hate those” - was for me one of the episode’s highlights. (And, note to a much more recent Trek production: for the record, *this* is how you do fan service.)

[@bodhimind108]

Those "nope" moments with Sisko and Dax are definitiely some of my favorites of that episode. I wonder if Sisko was having flashbacks of having to deal with Curzon.

[@davidmcmahon4633]

And the scene of Sisco handing the tricorder/datapad of reports to Kirk wasn't from that episode but from the tailend of the Mirror Universe episode where the Captain's Woman shows up as a newly assigned ensign and hands the reports to him. Which I really got a kick out of when I saw it.

[@MisterMoccasin]

What I like in the episode is the subtle tease for the movie First Contact which was being released later the same month of this episode airing. SISKO: The Enterprise. DULMUR: Be specific, Captain. Which Enterprise? There've been five. LUCSLY: Six.

[@domecrack]

Seeing Dax in that uniform was a life moment.

[@venkelos6996]

I liked this episode, and especially because it DOES address the seeming differences between past and present Klingons. It doesn't explain what happened, but it does admit something did. There was a long time when I did wonder if, in-verse, we were just supposed to believe that Kirk's evil Russian Klingons, who seemed to know nothing of honor, were the same as Worf, or if the make up budget for TNG was just greater. TNG Romulans also looked very different to TOS Romulans, but we didn't care. I also love when Odo ribs Worf at the idea of thecKlingons going all jyhad on the Tribbles, and not even "facing them in battle", but likely just scorching their world from space, to prevent stowaways. Epic songs must've been sung of the great Tribble hunt. It's a fun episode, and i personally like the special effects that allowed DS9 crew to stand with TOS crew, in shots from before I was born. Very cool. They also do make some fun nods to little changes; Kirk wears gold, and redshirts wear red, when Sisko would wear red, and expendable O'Briens wouls wear gold...which I guess he still does? And Dax's skirt is...its fun.

[@sergioaccioly5219]

You know, I miss this slapstick comedy in a essentially dramatic series. I like Lower Decks a lot, and the comedic STN moments (most of them thanks to Spock, btw). But those moments when the heroes look at the ridiculous situations they are in, and wonder what they did wrong to deserve that... priceless. Also, I always thought O'Brien confused Chekov with Kirk, not some random crewmember.

[@frederickhogrefe7459]

I could be wrong, but my recollection is that at the time this episode aired, it was the most expensive single television episode ever produced - due to the editing/fx budget.

[@jimmysmith2249]

Kirk being chest-deep in a pile of dead tribbles really is macabre and disturbing if you think about it another way: Would we have the same reaction to the scene if it was a pile of dead cats? Probably not...

[@MrBrandybuck1120]

I really enjoy hearing your thoughts on Star Trek, and am a fan of your channel!! I actually am one of those who like the visual continuity of star trek a lot. Maybe it's cause I grew up thinking a lot about Starfleet ship classes and things like that, but it was a cool idea to me that as the fictional future developed, the tech got more and more advanced. That's why I wish that discovery was set in the 25th century. But anyway -- respect your take! Thanks for the video

[@johnchedsey1306]

This is one of my all time favorite episodes of Star Trek, period. It's just a goddamned delight. But I guess I don't see (or care) if it influenced modern Trek's approach to the TOS era. Probably "don't care" is the correct answer for me.

[@AxlePineapple]

this story was such a fun treat. if they decided to make every other episode have this many direct references to previous shows though it wouldn't have been at all special or fun. budding writers take heed.

[@richardryley3660]

The best thing about this episode is that the comedy aspect helps suspect disbelief when attempting to meld 90s actors with 60's sets and special effects. If the episode was more serious (like when they actually explained the Klingons) it wouldn't have worked. As you said, the joke here was not that the DS9 crew was in the TOS era. It's that they were in a TOS EPISODE. They couldn't just reshoot the episode, they had to put Sisko and Dax and the rest into the old TV show. Because that's where we Trekkies always dreamed we could be. Personally, I've always considered it my headcanon that the 60's show, and even the later shows, were just recreations of the events. The technology was just too limited to show us the fine details of the Enterprise, or the visual Warp effects. But I do appreciate trying to match the style of the original, even if the details are different. I loved Scotty's recreation of the 1701 Bridge on the holodeck.

[@rogerpaparazzo4725]

It would have been interesting if Worf had remembered meeting Scotty on the enterprise D

[@willmfrank]

"Fan tantrums..." "Fantrums" was RIGHT THERE, Steve! Or did "Fandora's Box" render a second one superfluous? 😉🤔

[@rikp]

My two favorite Trek shows, then and now, in a sort of Peanut Butter Cup chocolate/peanut butter combination. Awesome.

[@foujj]

I hear this claim a lot about how some of us fans lost our minds because Disco was not the Trek we were expecting. Maybe that's true of some. But most people I know disliked it because it just wasn't very good. Enterprise very much matched the classic Trek aesthetic and they never seemed to click either. Battlestar Galactica completely rewrote their take and everyone praised them because it was fkn awesome. I love Strange New Worlds because the cast really clicks, and that is the magic of Trek, the chemistry of the cast. That's what was missing from Disco for me.🙂

[@JohnSipe-jt7bm]

One of the things I loved about the episode Charlie Brill reprises his role from TOS. 3:10

[@HippeusOmega]

Yeah, the whole "let's go," Sisko tells Dax, is probably cause he has seen that look in Dax's eyes before as Curzon. 😂

[@stepheng1523]

The most whimsical and simultaneously macabre moment in all of trek lol I love it

[@knitcrochettiger361]

my favorite joke from that episode was "Quark's new hat"

[@Alresu]

I don't think, the mistaken identity undercuts the fame of the Kirk-crew. Eisenhower for example was pretty famous and around just recently. You think, everyone who knows who he is could correctly identify him? I for one highly doubt it.

[@glamourweaver]

Ironically I accept Kirk is super famous for the same reason I’m confused by Dax talking like she’s never Spock in person before - the events of Undiscovered Country (where we are retroactively informed Kurzon was present as one of the key Federation diplomats).

[@Stardust_7273]

Idk why some people hate the Enterprise episodes that finally explain the lack of forehead ridges, I thought it was actually really creative, and makes a lot of sense.

[@DISCOTEKED]

The corridor crew just made a special FX review on this episode, i have never watched it before and OMG, it is remarkable for 1996, the SFX serve the plot brilliantly. It's Such a good watch!

[@jamesholland8057]

I love Tribbles, just don’t feed them.

[@MozLusaka]

I found it disturbing" That the Klingons obliterated the Tribble Home World. Exterminating the tribbles" Out of sheer disgust. Sisko, and the crew. Brought them back, to ds9. Re-introducing the species. To the Alpha Quadrant. May they make, the Klingons lives. A living hell !🤣🤣🤣

[@andrewmurray1550]

It's weird coming from Odo, the no-nonsense security officer that wouldn't let you bring a Mars bar on to the station without quarantining it for four weeks, lets on ONE tribble that becomes becomes a nightmare. Next episode....no tribbles in sight?

[@trekker105]

I've always felt like they really missed a trick by not including these shots in the remaster of Trouble with Tribbles.

[@milkdudder]

I feel like I understand your viewpoint about people complaining about Discovery's aesthetic being different. However, I am one of the fans who thinks almost every problem people had with Discovery would be at the very least reduced if it had been set in a time after Voyager. New space travel method More advanced looking tech New aliens New uniforms It just didnt fit and it felt like the writers were retconning everything we knew about that era to justify the stories it was trying to tell. Having a consistent feel to different eras makes it feel like the lore is being cared for. Yes, its a fictional world. But HUGE and constant anachronistic inconsistencies in a very well-established history in that world that has been built is typically a sign of a reduction in quality.

[@ianlister7333]

dont know if its been said, but there is something on one of Blu Rays / DVDs, which says the "Random guy" mistaken for Kirk, is Shatners body double.

[@KAJ1701A]

I really love Steve’s review of these episodes. This one is awesome! I need to go back and review DS9.

[@ataraxia7439]

Wish there was a word for art that’s able to be very dark as well as very lighthearted /comedic and when to choose between the too. This episode as well as Basheer being a spy in the holodeck or even just Sisko playing baseball with the cast or singing with not Frank Sinatra all added so much humanness and fun to the series in a way that makes all the serious moments feel more genuine instead of undercutting them. It’s a real skill you have to develop to pull that off and we don’t analyze it enough. Also to your point, maybe there’s something about when fanservice takes a lot of artistry and skill to pull off that makes it feel less self indulgent. Even if it’s not perfect there’s something so impressive about the creativity and editing required to make the episode work that makes it easier to forgive then if it seemed like something easy to do.

[@Caroleeena]

My favorite DS9 episode and maybe my favorite Star Trek episode. So clever.

[@Danadu82]

One of my favorite episodes to rewatch for a good old fashioned Star Trek experience.

[@seantlewis376]

This was a fun and well-executed episode, one of my favorites of DS9.

[@TrumbullComic]

I would love it if in 2026 Strange New Worlds does an episode where the crew time travels to participate in "Trials and Tribble-ations" behind the scenes.

[@antonnurwald5700]

My BIG problem with this episode is that there is even an x-files reference in it. But it's almost unnoticable. The two agents from temporal investigations are called Dulmer and Lucsly. But they are both men and there is nothing else to support the reference.

[@newsesofworlds543]

On later writers writing like fans: one of the virtues of TNG/DS9 etc was that it was on TV, meaning it has to appeal to a broad audience. NuTrek is on streaming services, which makes the writers think they should write for the fan base.

[@dw7704]

Trials & Tribblations is my favourite DS9 episode The scenes that interact with TOS are so well done, and not distracting And the humour is great Also they didn’t overwrite the original episode, or change it for no reason than self aggrandizement If only TNG had done the same (well they kind of did with Relics)

[@erf3176]

3:20 Maybe Bashir did sneak back and became his own grandfather without O'Brien finding out. That's why he had the learning disability that his parents ended up engineering out of him. Unbeknownst to all of them, this genetic tampering gave Bashir his Delta brain wave back, leaving the federation completely vulnerable to an invasion by the Brain Spawn.

[@tamakunminnip2117]

It's not the brain spawn it's the flying brains. Doing the nasty in the pasty made him very vulnerable, and now I will leave for no raisin at all.

[@jimseibyl5140]

One of my favorites in the entire franchise!! So well done and it is exactly what it is, a great tribute that has fun.

[@codasylphanthi2187]

This has always been one of my favorite episodes of DS9 and star trek in general. As a kid I loved it because I loved tribbles and basically anything with Dax in it and when I rewatched it as an adult I was pleasantly surprised to see it's also quite witty and serves as a prime example of silly fan service "done right." There is an actual plot beyond "look we're on the enterprise", and although a number of the characters do act like super fans, it's also clear that this is a time in the distant past that not everyone intimately familiar with as exemplified by the gag with Miles mistaking a random crewmember for Kirk and also the earlier gag of Julien and Miles having no idea how the heck to use the turbo lift.