Remember that one episode of DS9 with the tribbles?
March 18, 2024 9:17 PM Subscribe
The Making of Star Trek Deep Space Nine Trials And Tribble-ations [32m, complete with commercials] was a documentary which was broadcast on the Sci-Fi Channel in the US on November 4th, 1996. The documentary looks at the writing and production of the episode [Wikipedia] and features footage filmed during production of the episode.
yes, YES
posted by DoctorFedora at 10:37 PM on March 18 [2 favorites]
posted by DoctorFedora at 10:37 PM on March 18 [2 favorites]
This was made exactly the right time. A few years earlier the detailed compositing wouldn't have been feasible (or wouldn't have looked as good). A few years later we'd have gotten terrible looking CGI tribbles. Today we'd get a creepy CGI Kirk.
posted by donio at 11:31 PM on March 18 [17 favorites]
posted by donio at 11:31 PM on March 18 [17 favorites]
Go over to your computer right now! It's lonely.
posted by phooky at 1:52 AM on March 19 [1 favorite]
posted by phooky at 1:52 AM on March 19 [1 favorite]
We've been rewatching DS9 lately, including the DVD special features, and interestingly there's a fairly lengthy special feature about the making of this episode that appears to most consiste of different content (from a quick scan of this link while ostensibly working) compared to this documentary.
Both have plenty of Ira Steven Behr looking like a certified 90s Cool Guy™ though.
posted by terretu at 2:12 AM on March 19 [5 favorites]
Both have plenty of Ira Steven Behr looking like a certified 90s Cool Guy™ though.
posted by terretu at 2:12 AM on March 19 [5 favorites]
The episode in the FanFare rewatch from several years(!) back. I said plenty in that thread, so I'll just make the point here that, the impressive technical accomplishments notwithstanding, what really shines in the episode is the genuine love for the original show.
posted by Halloween Jack at 5:42 AM on March 19 [12 favorites]
posted by Halloween Jack at 5:42 AM on March 19 [12 favorites]
Wow. When Sci-Fi channel was actually the sci-fi channel.
posted by JustSayNoDawg at 6:28 AM on March 19
posted by JustSayNoDawg at 6:28 AM on March 19
This was made exactly the right time.
Doubly so. Modern Trek was on a firm-enough footing that they could directly reference the low-budget goofiness of the original series without being embarrassed by it while still being free enough to lampshade the obvious differences in appearance between Worf and the Klingons with that simple "we don't like to talk about it" remark. Production constraints aside, if they had made this episode any earlier they probably would've tried to retcon the appearance of the Enterprise to match the TOS movies, and by 2004 the writers we so obsessed with explaining continuity that we got that Enterprise episode with the virus that made TNG Klingons look like TOS Klingons.
posted by RonButNotStupid at 6:34 AM on March 19 [5 favorites]
Doubly so. Modern Trek was on a firm-enough footing that they could directly reference the low-budget goofiness of the original series without being embarrassed by it while still being free enough to lampshade the obvious differences in appearance between Worf and the Klingons with that simple "we don't like to talk about it" remark. Production constraints aside, if they had made this episode any earlier they probably would've tried to retcon the appearance of the Enterprise to match the TOS movies, and by 2004 the writers we so obsessed with explaining continuity that we got that Enterprise episode with the virus that made TNG Klingons look like TOS Klingons.
posted by RonButNotStupid at 6:34 AM on March 19 [5 favorites]
There is no Sci-Fi Channel any more, there's only...siffy? sefe? Syfy?
I was going through old videotapes with MST3K recorded off SciFi Channel, where I just hit 'record' and let it run, and late at night there was a "home shopping for nerds" show where you could call up the Sci Fi Channel's 1800 number and buy a bust of Boba Fett for like $900. Also there was a TV show for "kids" (twenty-somethings) that gave Harlan Ellison like 10 minutes to gripe and rant into the camera. That was peak Sci Fi Channel years.
Which was, incidentally, around the same time as this DS9 episode....
posted by AzraelBrown at 6:36 AM on March 19 [2 favorites]
I was going through old videotapes with MST3K recorded off SciFi Channel, where I just hit 'record' and let it run, and late at night there was a "home shopping for nerds" show where you could call up the Sci Fi Channel's 1800 number and buy a bust of Boba Fett for like $900. Also there was a TV show for "kids" (twenty-somethings) that gave Harlan Ellison like 10 minutes to gripe and rant into the camera. That was peak Sci Fi Channel years.
Which was, incidentally, around the same time as this DS9 episode....
posted by AzraelBrown at 6:36 AM on March 19 [2 favorites]
There is a version of this without commercials included, but they felt so NECESSARY to the viewing experience.
posted by hippybear at 6:40 AM on March 19 [6 favorites]
posted by hippybear at 6:40 AM on March 19 [6 favorites]
I think I remember seeing the $900 Boba Fett bust in the 1-800-Trekker catalogue.
posted by RonButNotStupid at 6:59 AM on March 19 [1 favorite]
posted by RonButNotStupid at 6:59 AM on March 19 [1 favorite]
I remember watching this documentary when it originally aired, but haven't seen it since in all these years. I was never much into DS9, but love "Trials and Tribblations". Think I'll tee up both of these for a watch some night this week.
posted by briank at 7:01 AM on March 19
posted by briank at 7:01 AM on March 19
Some friends of ours posed with a Borg and a Stormtrooper at Comicon on the weekend and my partner replied to the photo with "Best of both worlds" but he didn't get the joke, so I'm posting here
Please clap
posted by avocet at 7:05 AM on March 19 [12 favorites]
Please clap
posted by avocet at 7:05 AM on March 19 [12 favorites]
I don't get it either. How is Miley Cyrus/Hannah Montana applicable to that photo? ;)
posted by hippybear at 7:06 AM on March 19
posted by hippybear at 7:06 AM on March 19
A few years ago my kids and I watched the original "The Trouble With Tribbles" and this DSP episode back to back. They were *dying* when Sisko and Dax were in the bin and tossing the tribbles out onto Kirk.
Everyone's right - there is just so much fun and love in this episode.
posted by martin q blank at 7:07 AM on March 19 [10 favorites]
Everyone's right - there is just so much fun and love in this episode.
posted by martin q blank at 7:07 AM on March 19 [10 favorites]
I rewatched this episode (of DS9) recently. I felt like watching some older trek, and it was a really good choice. (God, TNG, DS9 and VOY are now "old Trek.")
posted by Spike Glee at 7:21 AM on March 19 [2 favorites]
posted by Spike Glee at 7:21 AM on March 19 [2 favorites]
I watched DS9 last year as I was going through all of DS9 and VOY. This episode is definitely in the top 10 of all the Star Treks for me. I was pretty blown away at how they pulled it all off, without making it seem forced. You could also tell it came from a place of love for TOS - they must have really had a blast making it.
posted by patternocker at 10:32 AM on March 19 [1 favorite]
posted by patternocker at 10:32 AM on March 19 [1 favorite]
God, TNG, DS9 and VOY are now "old Trek."
Time elapsed from "The Trouble with Tribbles" to "Trials and Tribble-ations":
December 29, 1967, to November 4, 1996 = 29 years
Time elapsed from "Trials and Tribble-ations" to today:
November 4, 1996, to March 19, 2024 = 28 years
posted by Omon Ra at 2:53 PM on March 19 [7 favorites]
Time elapsed from "The Trouble with Tribbles" to "Trials and Tribble-ations":
December 29, 1967, to November 4, 1996 = 29 years
Time elapsed from "Trials and Tribble-ations" to today:
November 4, 1996, to March 19, 2024 = 28 years
posted by Omon Ra at 2:53 PM on March 19 [7 favorites]
I loved how this episode was used by Decipher as a justification for publishing a whole set of TOS cards in their ST:TNG era card game. They were delightful to collect.
posted by Flight Hardware, do not touch at 7:44 PM on March 19
posted by Flight Hardware, do not touch at 7:44 PM on March 19
I think I saw this when it came out, watched it with my family when I was a kid!
posted by Canageek at 9:05 PM on March 19
posted by Canageek at 9:05 PM on March 19
Mmmm, Mint Milanos
posted by The corpse in the library at 11:48 AM on March 20 [1 favorite]
posted by The corpse in the library at 11:48 AM on March 20 [1 favorite]
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posted by hippybear at 9:26 PM on March 18 [1 favorite]