| "Trials and Tribble-ations" | |
|---|---|
| Star Trek: Deep Space Nine episode | |
 The episode digitally inserted the Deep Space Nine cast into footage from Star Trek: The Original Series. | |
| Episode no. | Season 5 Episode 6 |
| Directed by | Jonathan West |
| Story by | Ira Steven Behr Hans Beimler Robert Hewitt Wolfe |
| Teleplay by | Ronald D. Moore René Echevarria |
| Featured music | Dennis McCarthy |
| Cinematography by | Kris Krossgrove |
| Editing by | Steve Tucker |
| Production code | 503 |
| Original air date | November 4, 1996 |
| Guest appearances | |
| |
"Trials and Tribble-ations" is the 104th episode of the American science fiction television series Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, the sixth episode of the fifth season. It was written as a tribute to the original series of Star Trek, in the year of that show's 30th anniversary; sister series Voyager also produced a tribute episode, "Flashback".
Set in the 24th century, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine follows the adventures of the crew of the space station Deep Space Nine, near the planet Bajor, as the Bajorans recover from a brutal, decades-long occupation by the imperialistic Cardassians. In this episode, Captain Benjamin Sisko (Avery Brooks) and the crew aboard the USS Defiant are taken back in time to the events of the Original Series episode "The Trouble with Tribbles", and must work to prevent the assassination of Captain James T. Kirk (William Shatner) of the USS Enterprise by a Klingon using a booby-trapped tribble.
The idea for the episode was suggested by René Echevarria, and Ronald D. Moore suggested the link to "The Trouble with Tribbles". The two were credited for their work on the teleplay, with the story credit going to Ira Steven Behr, Hans Beimler and Robert Hewitt Wolfe. The episode features the Deep Space Nine actors digitally inserted into footage from the Original Series. Actor Charlie Brill, who played the role of Arne Darvin in "The Trouble With Tribbles", returned to reprise the role as an older Darvin.
"Trials and Tribble-ations" was warmly received by critics with praise directed at the nostalgia and level of detail seen on screen. It was the most watched episode of the fifth season. "Trials and Tribble-ations" was nominated in three Primetime Emmy Award categories and for the Hugo Award for Best Dramatic Presentation, but did not win any awards. It was released on VHS initially alongside "The Trouble with Tribbles", and later as part of the normal release schedule. It was subsequently released as part of the season five DVD set.