<Li> List of Star Trek: The Original Series episodes </Li> <P> "The Trouble with Tribbles" is the 44th episode of the American science fiction television series, Star Trek, the 15th episode of the second season . It was first broadcast in the United States on December 29, 1967, on NBC . The episode was the first professional work of writer David Gerrold, and went through a variety of drafts before it reached the screen . Because his typewriter used a less common, smaller size font, an approved version needed to be reduced by twenty pages before filming . Nichelle Nichols remarked that she had "never seen a script go through so many changes--and stay so much the same". "The Trouble with Tribbles" was directed by Joseph Pevney, who was one of the most prolific directors of the series . </P> <P> In the episode, the starship Enterprise arrives at Deep Space Station K7 to guard a consignment of grain bound for Sherman's Planet . On arrival, a trader named Cyrano Jones (Stanley Adams) gives Lt. Uhura (Nichelle Nichols) a tribble, a small, furry alien lifeform, with dramatic consequences . Captain James T. Kirk and the crew also have to deal with the arrival of Captain Koloth (William Campbell) and his Klingon battlecruiser, but the tribbles unexpectedly reveal a plot to poison the grain . </P> <P> Around 500 tribbles were created for the episode, with special tribbles created for certain purposes with beanbags or surgical balloons inserted in them . Three additional sets were created for the episode, although there were problems with finding enough matching chairs for the trading post area . The chairs had to be pulled out of showrooms around Los Angeles County, and Pevney was warned to make sure they were not damaged during the episode's brawl scene . William Campbell had previously appeared as Trelane in "The Squire of Gothos" and was intended to be a recurring villain as Koloth . Because of his other work commitments, these plans were not followed up on until he returned as Koloth in the Star Trek: Deep Space Nine episode "Blood Oath" in 1994 . William Schallert appeared as Nilz Baris, and later appeared as a Bajoran in the DS9 episode "Sanctuary". </P>

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