Ep 5. More Tribbles, More Troubles

The iconic Star Trek franchise expanded to the animated realm in 1973 with Star Trek: The Animated Series, which continued the interstellar adventures of Captain Kirk and his crew aboard the USS Enterprise. Season 1 Episode 5, titled "More Tribbles, More Troubles," serves as a direct sequel to the beloved original series episode "The Trouble with Tribbles," which aired in 1967.

In this episode, the Enterprise is tasked with delivering a shipment of grain to Sherman's Planet, but trouble arises when they discover a group of Klingons have established a base there. The Klingons accuse the Federation of violating their treaty by delivering the grain, and tensions rise as both sides refuse to back down.

Meanwhile, trouble of a different sort arrives on the Enterprise in the form of Tribbles - furry, purring creatures that breed at an alarming rate and have a penchant for getting into everything. Their arrival is initially seen as a harmless nuisance, but as their population explodes, the ship becomes overrun with the creatures and they begin to cause serious problems.

As Kirk tries to negotiate with the Klingons, his attention is diverted by the Tribbles, who have taken over the ship's food supply and started to infiltrate vital systems. The situation comes to a head when Scotty discovers that the Tribbles have accidentally been beamed onto the Klingon base on Sherman's Planet along with the grain, potentially making the situation even more volatile.

Kirk and the crew must come up with a solution to both the Tribble and Klingon problems before it's too late. Along the way, they encounter several familiar characters from the original series, including Cyrano Jones (the trader who introduced the crew to the Tribbles in the first place) and Korax (the Klingon who famously declared that Kirk was a "mangling warrior" in the original episode).

"More Tribbles, More Troubles" brings back the humor and charm of "The Trouble with Tribbles" while also introducing new elements and challenges for the Enterprise crew. It's a fun and fast-paced episode that offers plenty of fan service for longtime Trek fans.