# 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:** 2
**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, 4:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-the-trouble-with-tribbles-a-bottle-episode-star-trek-tos/1023422/21 "2025-09-27T16:30:06Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#): > > I’m struggling to reconcile these two sentences. Not disagreeing, just not understanding. I’m think What Exit accidentally dropped a word and meant to write that only 13 out of 170 episodes used other sets. It’s true that _Barney Miller_ was almost entirely filmed in just two sets. The issue I have with calling it a bottle series is the guest stars. That show had extensive guest stars. In fact, I’m not sure there ever was an episode which featured only the main cast. ---
**Author:** ![Toxgoddess](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f08c70/32.png) [@Toxgoddess](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Toxgoddess)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2025, 4:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-the-trouble-with-tribbles-a-bottle-episode-star-trek-tos/1023422/22 "2025-09-27T16:37:48Z")
Cheers is another. We rewatched the first season recently and it struck me that it was like watching a play. Almost every scene took place in the bar (a few were in the back room), characters making well-timed entrances and exits, very dialog-heavy, not a lot of “action” per se. It felt very different from today’s sitcoms. Still funny but..different. I’ve not heard the terms “bottle episode” or “bottle series” before but it fits Cheers. ---
**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, 4:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-the-trouble-with-tribbles-a-bottle-episode-star-trek-tos/1023422/23 "2025-09-27T16:39:29Z")
Sorry, only 13 episodes of Barney miller went outside the Squad Room & Capt Miller’s office. I fixed my post. ---
**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, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-the-trouble-with-tribbles-a-bottle-episode-star-trek-tos/1023422/24 "2025-09-27T16:54:05Z")
> [@Toxgoddess](#): > > I’ve not heard the terms “bottle episode” or “bottle series” before but it fits Cheers. I agree. Good example. In addition to having minimal set use, _Cheers_ didn’t rely on the regular use of guest stars or effects scenes. ---
**Author:** ![Lumpy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lumpy/32/446_2.png) [@Lumpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lumpy)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2025, 5:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-the-trouble-with-tribbles-a-bottle-episode-star-trek-tos/1023422/25 "2025-09-27T17:38:26Z")
> [@Peter\_Morris](#): > > they had to build a new model for the planet killer. Model? As far as I can tell it was a painted graphic. ---
**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, 6:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-the-trouble-with-tribbles-a-bottle-episode-star-trek-tos/1023422/26 "2025-09-27T18:01:30Z")
It was definitely a physical thing. The writer hated it and challenged Roddenberry, whence emerged the possibly apocryphal explanation that the thing was “a wind sock dipped in cement.” > **["Doomsday" & More With Norman Spinrad, Part 1](https://www.startrek.com/en-un/news/doomsday-more-with-norman-spinrad-part-1)** > > "Doomsday" & More With Norman Spinrad, Part 1 ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2025, 8:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-the-trouble-with-tribbles-a-bottle-episode-star-trek-tos/1023422/27 "2025-09-27T20:10:01Z")
> [@Cervaise](#): > > 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.) Bottle adjacent is a good way to put it. I don’t think guest stars rule out being a bottle show, since they are not all that expensive. As for humor, in the old Mission Log podcast series (I haven’t watched them in ages) produced by Roddenberry’s son, it was mentioned that Gene did not like TTWT or humor episodes in general, since they took away from the seriousness of the concept. The fan base obviously disagreed. ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2025, 9:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-the-trouble-with-tribbles-a-bottle-episode-star-trek-tos/1023422/28 "2025-09-27T21:02:55Z")
Don’t forget the disguised recap episodes. TNG did one at the end of season 2. Riker’s memories were clips from the first two seasons. I recall an Trek old article that said they had used up the 2nd seasons budget and still owed Paramount an episode. Shades of Gray is also a Bottle episode. > [@](#): > > When Commander Riker comes down with a dangerous alien infection after an away mission, the only way to treat it may be through reliving his memories. ---
**Author:** ![Andy\_L](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c67d28/32.png) [@Andy\_L](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Andy_L)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2025, 9:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-the-trouble-with-tribbles-a-bottle-episode-star-trek-tos/1023422/29 "2025-09-27T21:14:03Z")
Yeah, “Tholian Web” fits. ---
**Author:** ![Andy\_L](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c67d28/32.png) [@Andy\_L](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Andy_L)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2025, 9:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-the-trouble-with-tribbles-a-bottle-episode-star-trek-tos/1023422/30 "2025-09-27T21:22:00Z")
Other classic Trek bottle episodes: “The Naked Time” and “The Changeling” ---
**Author:** ![zimaane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/a3d4f5/32.png) [@zimaane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zimaane)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2025, 10:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-the-trouble-with-tribbles-a-bottle-episode-star-trek-tos/1023422/31 "2025-09-27T22:20:40Z")
The Empath was shot on a bare, minimal set, although it did have several guest stars. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2025, 10:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-the-trouble-with-tribbles-a-bottle-episode-star-trek-tos/1023422/32 "2025-09-27T22:31:21Z")
> [@aceplace57](#): > > Don’t forget the disguised recap episodes. “[Clip shows](https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/ClipShow)” – which is the name for those – are what they do when they can’t even afford a bottle show. ---
**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 28, 2025, 12:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-the-trouble-with-tribbles-a-bottle-episode-star-trek-tos/1023422/33 "2025-09-28T00:24:03Z")
> [@aceplace57](#): > > I recall an Trek old article that said they had used up the 2nd seasons budget and still owed Paramount an episode. A couple of sources say the 1988 strike by the Writer’s Guild limited the amount of time scripts could be assigned, written, and produced. As a result, Season 2 only had 22 episodes - several were leftover scripts that were polished up, but by the end of the shooting schedule, all they could do was throw together a clip show. > **[How The 1988 Writers Strike Led To The Worst Episode Of Star Trek: The Next...](https://www.slashfilm.com/1279975/1988-writers-strike-led-to-worst-episode-star-trek-next-generation/)** > > What happens when writers aren't paid fairly? You get clip shows. ---
**Author:** ![Son\_of\_a\_Rich](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/son_of_a_rich/32/5439_2.png) [@Son\_of\_a\_Rich](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Son_of_a_Rich)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2025, 1:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-the-trouble-with-tribbles-a-bottle-episode-star-trek-tos/1023422/34 "2025-09-28T01:15:16Z")
In the episode with the spores that made Spock happy; I wouldn’t be surprised if they all just had a cast picnic at Rodenberry’s farm. Cheap set. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2025, 1:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-the-trouble-with-tribbles-a-bottle-episode-star-trek-tos/1023422/35 "2025-09-28T01:23:57Z")
> [@Son\_of\_a\_Rich](#): > > I wouldn’t be surprised if they all just had a cast picnic at Rodenberry’s farm. Cheap set. According to IMDB, it was filmed at “[Walt Disney’s Golden Oak Ranch](https://www.imdb.com/search/title/?locations=walt%20disney's%20golden%20oak%20ranch%20-%2019802%20placerita%20canyon%20road@@@%20newhall@@@%20california@@@%20usa),” in Newhall CA, about an hour north of Los Angeles. It’s apparently a well-known and frequently-used outdoor filming location (originally used for a lot of Westerns), and still owned and used by Disney today. > **[Golden Oak Ranch](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Golden_Oak_Ranch)** > > Golden Oak Ranch is an 890-acre (360-hectare) movie ranch owned by the Walt Disney Studios subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company that serves as a filming location and backlot. The ranch is off of Placerita Canyon Road outside of Newhall, Santa Clarita, California, less than an hour north of Los Angeles; its entrance is not far from Placerita Canyon Road's intersection with California State Route 14.\[citation needed\] > The ranch is on land that was part of the Rancho San Francisco land grant. Its n... ---
**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 28, 2025, 3:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-the-trouble-with-tribbles-a-bottle-episode-star-trek-tos/1023422/36 "2025-09-28T03:04:30Z")
> [@kenobi\_65](#): > > “[Clip shows](https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/ClipShow)” – which is the name for those – are what they do when they can’t even afford a bottle show. When Kevin Smith did an animated _Clerks_ television series, he made the second episode a clip show. ---
**Author:** ![SunUp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ea5d25/32.png) [@SunUp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SunUp)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2025, 11:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-the-trouble-with-tribbles-a-bottle-episode-star-trek-tos/1023422/37 "2025-09-28T23:07:19Z")
> [@Cervaise](#): > > 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… I seem to recall that the office was a redress of the standard _Enterprise_ conference room, and the grain storage area was awfully close to the corridor to the Jeffries tube. But you’re always going to get the production team trying to reuse as much as possible to cut costs. I think the ultimate bottle series was “I Dream of Jeannie.” ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2025, 11:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-the-trouble-with-tribbles-a-bottle-episode-star-trek-tos/1023422/38 "2025-09-28T23:16:27Z")
> [@Voyager](#): > > Bottle adjacent is a good way to put it. I don’t think guest stars rule out being a bottle show, since they are not all that expensive. If anything, I’d expect guest stars to be considerably cheaper than the main cast, since they’re likely to be no-name actors just taking whatever gig they could. > [@SunUp](#): > > I seem to recall that the office was a redress of the standard _Enterprise_ conference room, and the grain storage area was awfully close to the corridor to the Jeffries tube. One thing I noticed when re-watching Babylon 5 was just how many set pieces got re-used. Like, a hydroponic garden on the station later got turned into a Mimbari temple. ---
**Author:** ![Andy\_L](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c67d28/32.png) [@Andy\_L](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Andy_L)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2025, 11:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-the-trouble-with-tribbles-a-bottle-episode-star-trek-tos/1023422/39 "2025-09-28T23:47:12Z")
> [@Voyager](#): > > Bottle adjacent is a good way to put it. I don’t think guest stars rule out being a bottle show, since they are not all that expensive. I think a key feature of bottle episodes is that they focus on the existing characters interacting with each other (or for a solo character to emote to himself! (as when Hawkeye monologues in front of a Korean family who exist only to listen to him)); guest stars should exist only to facilitate that feature. By that standard, “The Empath” and “Naked Time” work well as bottle episodes. “Doomsday Machine” is too focused on Decker to meet that standard. ---
**Author:** ![alfonzos](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/4bbf92/32.png) [@alfonzos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alfonzos)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2025, 12:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-the-trouble-with-tribbles-a-bottle-episode-star-trek-tos/1023422/40 "2025-09-29T00:04:19Z")
[“Community” Bottle Episode.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hzk-LkKlC5U&t=190s) Self-awareness Level One. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-the-trouble-with-tribbles-a-bottle-episode-star-trek-tos/1023422.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-the-trouble-with-tribbles-a-bottle-episode-star-trek-tos/1023422.md?page=3)