# Was "The Trouble with Tribbles" a bottle episode? (Star Trek: TOS) **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** tv-shows-scripted, star-trek-paramount\ **Created:** [September 26, 2025, 10:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-the-trouble-with-tribbles-a-bottle-episode-star-trek-tos/1023422 "2025-09-26T22:58:24Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2025, 10:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-the-trouble-with-tribbles-a-bottle-episode-star-trek-tos/1023422/1 "2025-09-26T22:58:24Z")
I just saw a short online thing listing famous “bottle episodes”. One of the ones they included on the list was “The Trouble with Tribbles” from the original _Star Trek_ series. And I’m not seeing it. My understanding of a bottle episode is they occur when a series wants to produce a low budget episode. They only feature the regular cast members, they only use the regular sets, they minimize any special effects or physical scenes, and they’re usually heavy on dialogue. I don’t see this being the case with “The Trouble with Tribbles”. The episode had eleven guest stars, several with significant roles. There were several scenes set in a space station, which was not a regular set. And the script included a bar fight along with all of those tribbles. _Star Trek_ wasn’t averse to bottle episodes. In fact, the series seems to have invented the term. Memory Alpha cites “The Naked Time” and “The Doomsday Machine” as examples but it doesn’t include “The Trouble with Tribbles”. But, hey, I’m open to opposing viewpoints. ---
**Author:** ![ekedolphin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ekedolphin/32/10003_2.png) [@ekedolphin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ekedolphin)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2025, 11:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-the-trouble-with-tribbles-a-bottle-episode-star-trek-tos/1023422/2 "2025-09-26T23:03:03Z")
No, it had several guest stars and scenes in both the administrator’s office and K-7’s bar. It doesn’t really fit any definition of a bottle show that I’m familiar with. ---
**Author:** ![solost](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/solost/32/11776_2.png) [@solost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/solost)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2025, 11:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-the-trouble-with-tribbles-a-bottle-episode-star-trek-tos/1023422/3 "2025-09-26T23:08:33Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > I just saw a short online thing listing famous “bottle episodes”. One of the ones they included on the list was “The Trouble with Tribbles” from the original _Star Trek_ series. And I’m not seeing it. TV dramas of the 60s and 70s would occasionally have an episode where the tone was much lighter than usual. Kind of a “comedy relief” episode. My guess is, the writer of that list confused that with the definition of a “bottle episode”. ---
**Author:** ![Two\_Many\_Cats2](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/779978/32.png) [@Two\_Many\_Cats2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Two_Many_Cats2)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2025, 11:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-the-trouble-with-tribbles-a-bottle-episode-star-trek-tos/1023422/4 "2025-09-26T23:14:31Z")
No, definitely not. A bottle episode would be something like “The Edge of Destruction” from Doctor Who which takes place entirely within the Tardis, except for a few seconds at the end where the crew runs outside into the snow to set up the next story, “Marco Polo”. ---
**Author:** ![Cervaise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cervaise/32/16693_2.png) [@Cervaise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cervaise)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2025, 11:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-the-trouble-with-tribbles-a-bottle-episode-star-trek-tos/1023422/5 "2025-09-26T23:18:54Z")
Definitely not a bottle episode. Perhaps somewhat bottle-adjacent, though. The new sets representing locations on the station were limited (three I remember: the office, the bar, and the grain storage area) and not terribly complex, and the visual effects shots were also limited. To the contrary, however, there’s a large guest cast, and an extended fight scene adds expensive time to a TV budget. (The 500 tribbles they made, surprisingly, didn’t cost that much; they’re mostly just balls of stitched-up shag carpet.) So not the most expensive episode they made by any means, but still not a bottle show, at all. ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2025, 11:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-the-trouble-with-tribbles-a-bottle-episode-star-trek-tos/1023422/6 "2025-09-26T23:22:22Z")
> [@solost](#): > > TV dramas of the 60s and 70s would occasionally have an episode where the tone was much lighter than usual. Kind of a “comedy relief” episode. This still happens. _Strange New Worlds_ certainly does this. A lot of drama shows I’ve followed have a “joke” episode now and then. My favorite series, _Supernatural_, had a handful of them (and they for some reason ended up being my favorite ones). Maybe the idea of the “funny” episode was first introduced in that timeframe, but it’s a tradition that has continued since then. (And I am a fan of the concept.) I’ll also chime in that I don’t see _Tribbles_ as a “bottle” episode. Maybe in the sense that there wasn’t much in the way of exploration in it, but not in the sense that term is usually used. ---
**Author:** ![solost](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/solost/32/11776_2.png) [@solost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/solost)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2025, 11:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-the-trouble-with-tribbles-a-bottle-episode-star-trek-tos/1023422/7 "2025-09-26T23:45:47Z")
> [@Atamasama](#): > > This still happens. _Strange New Worlds_ certainly does this. A lot of drama shows I’ve followed have a “joke” episode now and then. My favorite series, _Supernatural_, had a handful of them (and they for some reason ended up being my favorite ones). I agree, though SNW is not the best example, since it’s basically an affectionate homage to TOS. But yeah, it’s still a thing for sure. I probably shouldn’t have specified just 60s and 70s. But that era is when the change in tone was most egregious. I went through a phase watching ‘Bonanza’ reruns during the pandemic. One episode featured a harrowing journey over a mountain with a couple donkeys carrying crates of nitroglycerin in wagons (for plot reasons). Very suspenseful; every bump was nerve-shattering. It was the Cartwrights and another family. One of the sons of the other family got blown to bits, and it was horrible and sad. Then there was an episode where Hoss went into business partnership with an eccentric inventor who created a Rube Goldberg-style device to detect gold in the ground. Hoss tried to operate it, but pulled the purple flange lever too soon or something, and was caught in the middle of a huge explosion. In the aftermath his shirt and hat were torn up and his face was blackened, but other than a hangdog expression he was fine, like Elmer Fudd after tangling with Bugs. Complete with sad circusy wha-wha stinger music. ---
**Author:** ![Cervaise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cervaise/32/16693_2.png) [@Cervaise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cervaise)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2025, 12:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-the-trouble-with-tribbles-a-bottle-episode-star-trek-tos/1023422/8 "2025-09-27T00:04:10Z")
> [@solost](#): > > One episode featured a harrowing journey over a mountain with a couple donkeys carrying crates of nitroglycerin in wagons (for plot reasons). Very suspenseful; every bump was nerve-shattering. They were probably expecting wages, but instead they just suffered fear. ---
**Author:** ![solost](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/solost/32/11776_2.png) [@solost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/solost)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2025, 12:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-the-trouble-with-tribbles-a-bottle-episode-star-trek-tos/1023422/9 "2025-09-27T00:16:47Z")
> [@Cervaise](#): > > They were probably expecting wages, but instead they just suffered fear. Heh. I never suggested that Bonanza episode plotline was original! I think there was also an episode where Little Joe was being tried for murder, and all the witnesses had different recollections of what actually happened. It was like a rush, oh man, to judgement! ---
**Author:** ![Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/earl_snake-hips_tucker/32/3269_2.png) [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_Snake-Hips_Tucker)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2025, 1:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-the-trouble-with-tribbles-a-bottle-episode-star-trek-tos/1023422/10 "2025-09-27T01:12:47Z")
They could have used a sorceror in that ep. ---
**Author:** ![E-DUB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/e-dub/32/403_2.png) [@E-DUB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/E-DUB)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2025, 1:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-the-trouble-with-tribbles-a-bottle-episode-star-trek-tos/1023422/11 "2025-09-27T01:26:41Z")
No. It was not. “Doomsday Machine” was because all the action occurred on the Enterprise (or an identical ship) but “Tribbles” had the space station. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2025, 1:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-the-trouble-with-tribbles-a-bottle-episode-star-trek-tos/1023422/12 "2025-09-27T01:49:38Z")
Listen guys, we’re not going to get a good debate going here unless somebody is willing to take the other side. This is turning into another Bugs Bunny vs Mickey Mouse situation. ---
**Author:** ![Peter\_Morris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peter_morris/32/359_2.png) [@Peter\_Morris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peter_Morris)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2025, 1:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-the-trouble-with-tribbles-a-bottle-episode-star-trek-tos/1023422/13 "2025-09-27T01:56:15Z")
> [@E-DUB](#): > > Doomsday Machine” was because all the action occurred on the Enterprise (or an identical ship) I disagree. Doomsday Machine had a guest cast, and they had to build a new model for the planet killer. ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2025, 2:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-the-trouble-with-tribbles-a-bottle-episode-star-trek-tos/1023422/14 "2025-09-27T02:35:16Z")
> [@E-DUB](#): > > Doomsday Machine” was But “The Tholian Web” ticks ALL the boxes for a bottle show. Existing set, only the regular cast (even the alien commander was an uncredited voiceover) and the web looked like a cat’s cradle. ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2025, 2:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-the-trouble-with-tribbles-a-bottle-episode-star-trek-tos/1023422/15 "2025-09-27T02:40:38Z")
Barney Miller was pretty much a bottle series, almost every episode took place in just the squad room and Barney’s office. Only 13 of 170 episodes did not in fact. Night Court was another one heavy on bottles. ---
**Author:** ![JohnGalt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johngalt/32/184_2.png) [@JohnGalt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnGalt)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2025, 3:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-the-trouble-with-tribbles-a-bottle-episode-star-trek-tos/1023422/16 "2025-09-27T03:21:04Z")
Get a copy of David Gerrold’s 1974 book about the writing of the episode, written back when there was no new Star Trek shows or movies on the horizon, and video tapes weren’t a thing yet. I bought it when I was in high school and desperately needed a hit of Trek. I immediately fell in love with it; I only recently reread my dogearred copy. It tells the story of him trying to get into writing for television, specifically SF. He describes a couple rejected story ideas, and goes into how TTWT was fleshed out, including the AHA! moment that made the story click. For example, they hadn’t used a space station in prior episodes, and bought the idea that they could be used in future episodes. Characters get cut, scenes deleted, sets abandoned; it’s fascinating seeing how a story you know almost wasn’t made at all. > **[The Trouble with Tribbles The Story Behind a Star Trek Show: Gerrold, David:...](https://www.amazon.com/Trouble-Tribbles-Story-Behind-Star/dp/B001P9J4A2)** > > The Trouble with Tribbles The Story Behind a Star Trek Show \[Gerrold, David\] on Amazon.com. \*FREE\* shipping on qualifying offers. The Trouble with Tribbles The Story Behind a Star Trek Show ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2025, 3:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-the-trouble-with-tribbles-a-bottle-episode-star-trek-tos/1023422/17 "2025-09-27T03:29:08Z")
> [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](#): > > They could have used a sorceror in that ep. I see what you did there. ---
**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2025, 5:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-the-trouble-with-tribbles-a-bottle-episode-star-trek-tos/1023422/18 "2025-09-27T05:03:00Z")
I took a screenwriting course in college and our instructor said in the 1960s his go-to for quick cash was to write (on spec) a script for a TV western that only needs one set (usually a saloon) and no horses. He sold three scripts to three different shows (Gunsmoke, Bonaza, and another) where the cast was quarantined in a saloon during a smallpox outbreak. None of them were filmed but he still got a check from each show. ---
**Author:** ![Knowed\_Out](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/knowed_out/32/7380_2.png) [@Knowed\_Out](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Knowed_Out)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2025, 2:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-the-trouble-with-tribbles-a-bottle-episode-star-trek-tos/1023422/19 "2025-09-27T14:14:26Z")
Well, there were bottles in the bar scenes. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2025, 4:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-the-trouble-with-tribbles-a-bottle-episode-star-trek-tos/1023422/20 "2025-09-27T16:18:48Z")
> [@What\_Exit](#): > > Barney Miller was pretty much a bottle series, almost every episode took place in just the squad room and Barney’s office. Only 13 of 170 episodes in fact. I’m struggling to reconcile these two sentences. Not disagreeing, just not understanding. Or are you trying to suggest the _Barney Miller_ is widely, but mistakenly, viewed as a bottle series. I’d propose the original couple seasons of _All in the Family_ as very bottled. Substantially 100% of the action is in the living room involving the 4 main characters, and 80% of that is just Archie vs. Edith. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-the-trouble-with-tribbles-a-bottle-episode-star-trek-tos/1023422.md?page=2)