More Tribbles, More Troubles

Plot

The USS Enterprise escorts two robot cargo ships carrying quintotriticale to famine-stricken Sherman's Planet when a Klingon battlecruiser, commanded by Captain Koloth, fires on a Federation scout ship. The Enterprise beams the pilot aboard. The Klingons use a new energy weapon that incapacitates the starship and demand the pilot be handed over. Spock hypothesizes the weapon requires all the Klingon ship's energy, and Uhura notes the cargo ships remain operational.

Kirk orders the cargo ships to ram the Klingon ship, forcing it to flee, but one cargo ship is damaged. The crew must load the grain onto the Enterprise's decks due to insufficient cargo space. The pilot is Cyrano Jones, who escaped cleaning tribbles from Space Station K-7 using a glommer, a genetically engineered creature that preys on tribbles. Jones now sells sterile pink tribbles, some massive.

The Klingons attack again, disabling the remaining cargo ship and bathing the Enterprise in radiation that accelerates tribble growth. Kirk refuses to hand over Jones, suspecting the Klingons value him. When the Klingons use their weapon again, Kirk beams the tribbles to their ship.

Koloth admits Klingon planets are overrun with tribbles sold by Jones, and the glommer is their only hope. Kirk returns it, but the huge tribbles scare it away. Koloth orders a large tribble shot, freeing smaller ones inside. McCoy, having discovered the large tribbles are colonies, injects the remaining Enterprise tribbles with a serum to slow their metabolism.

Production

David Gerrold originally pitched this as a third-season follow-up to "The Trouble with Tribbles" for Star Trek: The Original Series, but producer Fred Freiberger, who disliked the original episode, scrapped the idea. In 1973, Gerrold and writer D. C. Fontana appeared on the Star Trek convention circuit; Fontana, executive producer of the new Animated Series, expressed interest in a tribble sequel. Gerrold later claimed that, as with his other Animated Series episode "Bem", almost nothing was cut from the original pitches because animation played out quicker, allowing everything to fit despite the reduced running time. Both of Gerrold's Animated Series episodes were later novelized by Alan Dean Foster, whom Gerrold felt did a fine job.

Did You Know?

• A Star Trek binge-watching guide by Den of Geek recommended this episode as part of the "foundations of Star Trek" group.
• The Star Trek: The Original Series season 2 remastered DVD set included this episode along with "The Trouble with Tribbles" and "Trials and Tribblations" from Deep Space Nine.