"The Trouble With Tribbles" is the most overrated episode of TOS...

Discussion in 'Star Trek - The Original & Animated Series' started by CrazyMatt, Jul 2, 2013.

  1. CrazyMatt

    CrazyMatt Fleet Captain Fleet Captain

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    ... and maybe the most overrated of any Trek episode. I know many of you will disagree, maybe you can help me see the error of my way.
     
  2. The Mirrorball Man

    The Mirrorball Man Vice Admiral Admiral

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    Re: "The Trouble With Tribbles" is the most overrated episode of TOS..

    Perhaps you could try and elaborate a little on your opinion. "Overrated" is an almost completely meaningless term.
     
  3. scotpens

    scotpens Professional Geek Premium Member

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    Re: "The Trouble With Tribbles" is the most overrated episode of TOS..

    Why do you think it's overrated? "The Trouble With Tribbles" is the best of Trek TOS's few overtly comic episodes, IMHO. Do you think it isn't funny?
     
  4. Grant

    Grant Commodore Commodore

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    Re: "The Trouble With Tribbles" is the most overrated episode of TOS..

    That's the point.

    If you like the TOS comedy episodes (I don't)---it is the best of them. So in that sense it is NOT over-rated.

    But I guess if you enjoy the comedy episodes and don't like TTWT--then it IS over-rated.

    I enjoy it more than 'I, Mudd' or 'Piece of the Action'
     
  5. Hambone

    Hambone Fleet Captain Fleet Captain

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    Re: "The Trouble With Tribbles" is the most overrated episode of TOS..

    I know David Gerrold and Harlan Ellison have an agreement: Ellison wrote the "best" episode while Gerrold wrote the "most popular" episode.

    "The Trouble with Tribbles" is probably the most popular episode with people who don't identify themselves as Star Trek fans. Since there are more of "them" than there are of "us", then by those standards it's the most popular TOS episode.

    It's very accessible by the casual viewer, you don't need to know much about "Star Trek" to enjoy it. It's not my favorite by any means, but it's still enjoyable to me.
     
  6. Harvey

    Harvey Admiral Admiral

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    Re: "The Trouble With Tribbles" is the most overrated episode of TOS..

    I'd say "The Menagerie" is probably the most overrated episode. Seeing the first pilot adds a nice bit of back story, and Spock's decision to violate regulations in Part I is a strong, dramatic hook, but Part II is a dud where the characters spend most of the episode watching TV punctuated by contrived cliffhangers at the act breaks which are all too easily resolved.

    And yet, it's a Hugo winner. Season one had a number of episodes which were much, much stronger.
     
  7. feek61

    feek61 Fleet Captain Fleet Captain

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    Re: "The Trouble With Tribbles" is the most overrated episode of TOS..

    I never really cared for "The Trouble with Tribbles." The "slapstick" type humor was not something I really cared to see from our crew. I don't care for "I Mudd" either but strangely enough "A Piece of the Action" doesn't seem to bother me as much. I know there is no logic in that but it's the way I feel, lol.
     
  8. Kolinahr

    Kolinahr Lieutenant Red Shirt

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    Re: "The Trouble With Tribbles" is the most overrated episode of TOS..

    'The Trouble with Tribbles' isn't my favorite episode, but it is quite fun and enjoyable for me. All in moderation, I suppose. Besides, at least not every TOS episode is slapstick and overtly comic. If you don't like it that's entirely your own thing. I don't mind.
     
  9. bbailey861

    bbailey861 Admiral Admiral

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    Re: "The Trouble With Tribbles" is the most overrated episode of TOS..

    How can it be overrated if it's (one of / or) the most popular? If that's the case then the majority of fans are dupes.
     
    Last edited: Jul 3, 2013
  10. CaptainDave1701

    CaptainDave1701 Lieutenant Commander Red Shirt

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    Re: "The Trouble With Tribbles" is the most overrated episode of TOS..

    Well...no matter the opinion they have sold quite a few of the beasties over the years and they are still around today.
     
  11. TOSalltheway

    TOSalltheway Lieutenant Commander Red Shirt

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    Re: "The Trouble With Tribbles" is the most overrated episode of TOS..

    Finally, thank you !!! I feel like the only one who not only dislikes this episode but is embarassed by it. It is written at the level of a bad pre-teen sitcom. The jokes are not even funny. There is no reason for the characters to act as they do and tell dumb jokes.

    A better comedy is a piece of the action. At least there we see a reason for their actions. The crew is forced to play the role of cliche gangsters. While they find it ackward you can see how they both see and enjoy the humour of their situation ( Scott''s "concrete galoshes", Kirks overacting....Not Shatner's over acting but Captain Kirk's overacting).

    Tribbles was just plain bad....yes they were cute, if a ball of fake fur can be called cute, but the episode is bad.

    William Campbell was born to play Trelane, he gave him life and charm. Does anyone for a second consider him to be a threatening Klingon ?
     
  12. mb22

    mb22 Fleet Captain Fleet Captain

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    Re: "The Trouble With Tribbles" is the most overrated episode of TOS..

    I think it was primarily the pilot component that earned the award, along with the 'layered' effect of seeing two stories at one time. And considering that the whole purpose of the episode was to frame the pilot, it's not surprising that a good part of the episode consisted in showing it.
     
  13. Charles Phipps

    Charles Phipps Rear Admiral Rear Admiral

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    Re: "The Trouble With Tribbles" is the most overrated episode of TOS..

    I think the "Trouble with Tribbles" benefits from the fact it's a story about downtime in the Star Trek universe and we get a nice glimpse of the Federation's politics, how space stations run in the Trek universe, continuity (with EoM), and also a valuable bit of morality (spay your pets, don't move an animal into a new environment!).

    I also liked the Klingons bit of skullduggery, there, with the grain.
     
  14. Praetor Baldric

    Praetor Baldric Lieutenant Commander

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    Re: "The Trouble With Tribbles" is the most overrated episode of TOS..

    The way I see it, TTWT is friggin Shakespeare compared to episodes like Catspaw or Plato's Stepchildren!
     
  15. Myko

    Myko Fleet Captain Fleet Captain

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    Re: "The Trouble With Tribbles" is the most overrated episode of TOS..

    The jokes are so-so, but it's delightful watching the acting in TTWT. Especially Shatner is great in it.
     
  16. maneth

    maneth Fleet Captain Fleet Captain

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    Re: "The Trouble With Tribbles" is the most overrated episode of TOS..

    I like this episode just fine, but I must admit I prefer "Trials and Tribble-ations". I think the most overrated episode is Space Seed, but then I'm biased because I detest Khan.
     
  17. Doomsday

    Doomsday Lieutenant Commander Red Shirt

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    Re: "The Trouble With Tribbles" is the most overrated episode of TOS..

    Comedy is such a subjective thing. What one finds hilarious, others think is dumb. I've read some of the comments here, stating that the humor/jokes in this ep are not very good. But I find the humor in this ep to be very witty and enjoyable.

    But I've seen this before. Many times I've sat in a room with a group, watching a "comedy" movie, and everyone is rolling on the floor laughing, and I'm just sitting there wondering what they think is so funny. And go through the whole film and not even grin once.

    It's all subjective.

    For me, what I love about TTWT is it shows how our heroes do not take themselves to seriously, and are able to laugh at themselves and their situation. As someone else said, it shows that not every day in Starfleet is "save the universe", some days are just arguing with beaurocrats.

    Some of this ep is "slapstick", (the bar fight). But some of the jokes are truly witty and not dumb (and some of this is in the delivery--I think this ep shows how the actors are good at comedy too, as we would see later in TVH. They have a good chemistry and comic timing).

    I always loved Kirk's line to Barris, "People have disrupted stations before without being Klingon agents. Sometimes all they need is a title...Mr. Barris." And this joke does mean you have to have been paying attention and remember his introduction as "The Federation Under-Secretary in charge of Argricutural affairs in this quadrant". But mostly, it's Shatner's delivery and the twinkle in his eye as he says it. And that's just one example, there are many others.

    It's certainly not the weightiest or most important episodes, but it's certainly one of the most fun to watch.
     
  18. AtoZ

    AtoZ Commander Red Shirt

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    Re: "The Trouble With Tribbles" is the most overrated episode of TOS..


    :techman::techman::techman:
     
  19. Metryq

    Metryq Fleet Captain Fleet Captain

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    Re: "The Trouble With Tribbles" is the most overrated episode of TOS..

    Funny how they could have a bar fight in the Organian neutral zone.
     
  20. CaptPapa

    CaptPapa Commander Red Shirt

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    Re: "The Trouble With Tribbles" is the most overrated episode of TOS..

    I think this covers it pretty well. An additional comment; I find William Campbell woefully inadequate as a Klingon. I like William Campbell a lot, and he was perfect as Trelane, (as another poster has already pointed out above), but his performance detracted from this story.