104. Trials and Tribble-ations

Summary

While transporting an Orb (the Orb of Time, as it turns out) from Cardassia as well as a passenger, a human named Barry Waddle, the Defiant is transported 200 light years away and 105 years into the past and find themselves at Deep Space Station K7 along with the USS Enterprise. They learn that Waddle is, in fact, a surgically altered Klingon named Arne Darvin whose younger self is aboard the space station about to be exposed as a spy by Captain Kirk and his crew. The crew splits up to search, adopting 23rd century uniforms and equipment...Sisko, Dax, Bashir and O'Brien search the Enterprise while Odo and Worf search the station. While the Enterprise teams scan for Darvin and try to blend in with the Enterprise crew, Odo learns (thanks to his beverage selection, natch) that Darvin was expected back on the station. When Worf joins him he reacts badly when he learns that Odo has acquired a tribble, which of course reacts just as badly to him. Bashir and O'Brien join them on the station and when a fight breaks out between the Enterprise crew and the Klingons, the two humans join the fight and are arrested by Enterprise security while Odo and Worf spot Darvin and drag him back to the cloaked Defiant. Darvin tells them that he's planted a bomb in a tribble...he plans this ironic revenge on Kirk for ruining his life. Sisko and Dax determine that the bomb isn't on the Enterprise, so while Odo, O'Brien and Bashir search the station...scanning one tribble at a time...they decide to follow Kirk around hoping he'll lead them to the bomb. They find it in the quadrotriticaeli and beam it into space, then return to the Defiant where Kira has figured out how to get them back to their own time. Despite an inquiry by Temporal Investigations, they come away from the experience none the worse...but with a space station overrun by tribbles.

Analysis

This episode is more fun than decent people need, it really is. I know some decried it as a bastardization of either DS9, TOS or perhaps both but I don't care, it's still a terrifically enjoyable episode even if you're not a TOS fan, which I'm not. Anyone who's even remotely a Trek fan has to at least be aware of "The Trouble with Tribbles" and just the sight of our DS9 pals roaming about the perfect replicas of the Enterprise set and the K7 set is enough to keep us engaged. Not to mention the flawless execution of the visual effects. The DS9 crew is so perfectly blended into the existing footage from the TOS episode that it almost starts to seem as the producers had their own Orb of Time and went backwards to film this episode with the original TOS crew and sets. The director, Jonathan West, even set up the lighting and makeup so that everyone had that 60's-style inhuman, flat Play-doh-colored skin. The anticipated reaction of the DS9 crew when they got a load of TOS Klingons was handled well...all Worf would say was "we do not discuss it with outsiders"...and the entire thing went off without a hitch. The plot is incidental, who cares about the plot? This episode isn't about plot, for heaven's sake...it's about seeing Dax's fetish for classic 23rd century design, it's about seeing Sisko give Kirk a duty roster, it's about Odo taunting Worf about the Klingons' tribble phobia and it's about Julian contemplating pre-destination paradoxes and becoming his own grandfather. It succeeds brilliantly and I could watch it a hundred times. That final scene is just the icing on the cake...I want a screen capture of Quark with a tribble on his head. One thing...what the heck is up with Odo's Chad Everett hair in this episode? It freaks me out.

Rating: 10.0

Memorable Quote:

"I think I'm going to like history." --Bashir...we're right there with you, Julian.

"Another glorious chapter in Klingon history. Tell me, do they still sing songs of the Great Tribble Hunt?" --Odo

Classic Scene:

This entire episode is a classic scene, I can't possible pick just one.

Sexually Slanted Line 'O the Episode:

"We better find a turbolift." --O'Brien to Bashir...gives "get a room" a whole new meaning.

The O/K Status Report

No time for hanky-panky, too much else to do.

Special Alerts

1