star trek animated series tribble

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The star trek fan website, the animated series ’ “more tribbles, more troubles” in review.

Here’s a sequel to “The Trouble with Tribbles” . Does it measure up to its enormously popular progenitor? Are there any tribbles — I mean troubles — with this episode? Let’s consider the details.

Escorting a pair of robot grain ships containing the highly valued seed grain quintotriticale to the famine-stricken Sherman’s Planet , the Enterprise encounters a Klingon battlecruiser aggressively pursuing a small, one-person scout ship. With the Klingon vessel unresponsive but violating Federation space, Kirk plans for the Enterprise to rescue the smaller craft’s occupant, so Scotty locks the transporter onto the vessel. However, the troubled little ship then explodes.

The Klingons have a new weapon, a stasis field effect which the battlecruiser fires at the Enterprise , basically paralysing the starship and disabling its weapons. Contacting the Enterprise , the Klingon captain, Koloth , argues with Kirk about who should receive custody of the scout ship’s pilot. When Kirk attempts to ram the two robot vessels into the Klingon battlecruiser, it causes the hostile spacecraft to lose power. The battlecruiser damages one of the grain ships and then retreats.

At last, Scotty manages to beam the scout ship’s survivor aboard. Everyone is surprised to see that it’s Cyrano Jones , accompanied by piles of tribbles.

Cyrano explains the tribbles he’s brought aboard are “safe,” genetically engineered ones, which don’t reproduce. He recalls that, to help him clean up all the tribbles on K-7 , he enlisted the help of a tribble predator called a “glommer” . Jones first alleges ignorance as to why the Klingons were chasing him but eventually admits that he sold tribbles on a Klingon planet. For breaching Federation and local mandates, Kirk has Jones confined.

A briefing is held. McCoy confirms that the tribbles Jones has brought aboard don’t reproduce and simply get fat. All the grain has been transferred from the damaged grain ship to the Enterprise , which is taking up a lot of physical space. Scotty worries.

Making matters worse, Koloth’s battlecruiser returns. It targets the second grain ship, wrecking its propulsion units. A battle between the Enterprise and the Klingon vessel ensues. This breaks the cargo containers in the Enterprise ’s corridors, enabling the tribbles to feast on the grain and instantly grow fat. The Klingon battlecruiser, hit by a photon torpedo from the Starfleet ship, veers off. Kirk expresses concerns about the increasingly fattening tribbles to Jones and prepares to re-engage the Klingon ship.

Using the new Klingon weapon, Koloth’s spacecraft captures the Enterprise . Though Koloth demands that Jones be turned over to the Klingons, Kirk refuses, so Koloth sends troops to take Jones by force. Kirk responds by allowing the huge tribbles to infest the battlecruiser. Koloth requests the return of the glommer, a genetically engineered prototype that was stolen by Jones from a Klingon planet. The glommer is the Klingon’s quarry, not Jones, so the Enterprise crew beam the critter to the battlecruiser, which releases the Enterprise .

When a pair of Klingons blast a gigantic tribble aboard their ship, it shatters into a multitude of much smaller tribbles that swamp the two Klingons. Kirk also gets covered in tribbles and Scotty makes a joke about their size.

Whereas the Enterprise responds to a distress call in “The Trouble with Tribbles” which is from a space station that is presumably under attack by Klingons but turns out not to be in genuine distress, the premise is completely subverted here, the Enterprise detecting a spaceship which is genuinely being hunted down by a Klingon ship. The reason for this attack? The Klingons hate tribbles, which is basically the opposite of the previous episode establishing that tribbles detest Klingons. These reversals are impressive!

I love that David Gerrold has an animated cameo as a sciences-division redshirted ensign. It’s also fantastic that Stanley Adams was rehired to reprise the role of Cyrano Jones in this episode. His clothing, though animated, looks close enough to his original costume in “The Trouble with Tribbles”. It’s also fitting that the character who first introduced the hyper-reproductive tribbles to the Enterprise (and to us, the audience) is introduced here while surrounded by piles of tribbles.

The glommer’s upper body, with sharp-looking tooth-like parts, appears suitably aggressive and the revelation that it was designed by Klingons makes perfect story sense. The pink colour of all the tribbles has always looked fine to me, even though it’s obviously different from any of the other tribbles in the Star Trek franchise — the fact they’re unique in having been genetically engineered seems like explanation enough.

There are some fantastic one-liners in this installment. Scotty’s exasperation is quite amusing. I also love the well-scripted interplay when Spock suggests throwing tribbles at the Klingons and Kirk confirms he’s not joking. On the whole, though, the episode plays less funny than its tribble predecessor.

Several factors that are reproduced in this episode after being included in “The Trouble with Tribbles” seem too coincidental to factor into both episodes. Having a different Klingon captain than Koloth in this tale would have helped make the Klingon Empire appear more vast. It also would have accounted for the change of performer between William Campbell playing the role and another actor, in this case James Doohan, voicing it.

It’s a pity this episode didn’t venture off ship. The blue and grey hues of the Enterprise ’s innards combine with Cyrano Jones’ sickly green outfit to create, artistically, an occasionally nauseating mess. The battle tactics with the Klingons are fairly interesting, though, and the animation is adequately sophisticated to show these space battles. That said, monotonous conflict doesn’t make for a particularly varied episode. I do love the look of the Klingon vessel, however, and appreciate that this episode lets us see inside Sulu’s scope at the helm station. Ultimately, this is a mediocre script which could have been executed better but is not on the same level as its TOS forebear nor superior sequel “Trials and Tribble-ations” from DS9.

Editor of WarpFactorTrek, Dan is an avid Star Trek fan who lives in Aberdeen, Scotland. Dan has loved Star Trek ever since discovering it in his childhood. He worked as an administrator, for six years, on the encyclopedic Star Trek website Memory Alpha, which involved studying the making of the various series and films. He has been mentioned in the official Star Trek Magazine,  has qualified from a Star Trek course taught at Glasgow Clyde College, and coordinates the SubSpace Chatter (formerly The Scotch Trekker) YouTube channel, which regularly features live interviews with the cast and crew of Star Trek .

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http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Recap/StarTrekTheAnimatedSeriesS1E5MoreTribblesMoreTroubles

Recap / Star Trek: The Animated Series: S1 E5 "More Tribbles, More Troubles"

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Star Trek: The Animated Series

• View history
• Main Title Theme  file info (composed by " Yvette Blais " (Ray Ellis) and " Jeff Michael " ( Norman "Norm" Prescott , main partner of Lou Scheimer in the animation studio Filmation Associates )
• 2.1 Starring the voices of
• 2.2 Also starring the voices of
• 3.1 Season 1
• 3.2 Season 2
• 4.1 Origins
• 4.2 The first recordings
• 4.3 Emmy win
• 4.4 Questionable canon and reintegration
• 4.5 Production inconsistencies
• 5 Proposed CGI reworking
• 6 Related topics
• 7.2 Documentary
• 7.3 Home video formats
• 8 External links

Summary [ ]

On the television network NBC , 22 episodes of The Animated Series were aired between September 1973 and October 1974 . Reruns continued on NBC through 1975 . The series was produced by the experienced animation house Filmation and the episodes were scripted by professional science fiction and Star Trek writers, including Larry Niven , D.C. Fontana , David Gerrold , and Samuel A. Peeples .

Some of the stories were sequels to episodes from the original series, such as " More Tribbles, More Troubles " (the follow-up to " The Trouble with Tribbles "), " Once Upon a Planet " (a sequel to " Shore Leave "), and " Mudd's Passion " (the follow-up to " Mudd's Women " and " I, Mudd ").

With the exception of Ensign Chekov , all of the regular characters from the original series continued to appear, voiced by the original actors from that series (Chekov was absent to cut down on costs of hiring the voice actors, although Walter Koenig penned an episode of the series, " The Infinite Vulcan "). Dr. McCoy was a full commander, and Nurse Chapel was a full lieutenant . New characters, such as Arex and M'Ress , were also featured. The show was the most expensive animated show on the air at the time, primarily because six "name" actors from Star Trek: The Original Series provided the voices for their characters. Nearly all the aliens and guest characters were voiced by James Doohan , Nichelle Nichols , and Majel Barrett , although some actors reprised their roles from the original series. Leonard Nimoy ( Spock ) is the only actor to voice his character in every episode of TAS. James Doohan, however, voiced different characters in every episode of the series, but missed only one episode as Montgomery Scott , the episode being " The Slaver Weapon ".

Among the returning guest actors (and characters) were Mark Lenard (as Sarek ), Roger C. Carmel (as Harry Mudd ), and Stanley Adams (as Cyrano Jones ). Although the characters Amanda Grayson , Bob Wesley , Kyle , Kor , Koloth , and Korax returned in The Animated Series , their voices were provided by the aforementioned voice talents of Majel Barrett and James Doohan.

The show featured a handful of new technologies like the recreation room (later the idea was reused in TNG , where it was known as a holodeck ) and the aqua-shuttle . It also featured many non- humanoid alien species (and even some alien officers aboard the Enterprise ) who could not have been featured within the original series' budget.

Roddenberry was adamant that this show was Star Trek (i.e. the continuation of the original series) leading to it having the same title. The addition of The Animated Series to the title was not until years later.

The series, which lasted two years, could be viewed as the completion of the Enterprise 's five-year mission. D.C. Fontana personally viewed all 22 episodes as year four. StarTrek.com considers the seasons collectively to represent the fifth and final year of the mission. [1] (X)

Although at one point Paramount Pictures did not regard the animated series as canonical, with the release of The Animated Series DVD, the studio appears to have changed its stance, and is leaning towards the animated series being part of established Star Trek canon. [2] (X) [3] (X) [4] (X) References from the series have gradually become more accepted in other Star Trek series, most notably on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine , Star Trek: Enterprise and Star Trek: Lower Decks (see the " questionable canon " section below for the complete list of references). Gene Roddenberry said that if he had known there would be more live-action Star Trek in the future, the animated series would have been far more logical and "canonable," or he might not have produced the animated series at all.

A DVD collection of the complete series was released on 21 November 2006 for Region 1.

Starring the voices of [ ]

• William Shatner as Captain Kirk
• Leonard Nimoy as Mr. Spock
• DeForest Kelley as Dr. McCoy

Also starring the voices of [ ]

• George Takei as Sulu
• Nichelle Nichols as Uhura
• Majel Barrett as Chapel and M'Ress
• James Doohan as Scott and Arex

Episode list [ ]

Season 1 [ ].

TAS Season 1 , 16 episodes:

Season 2 [ ]

TAS Season 2 , 6 episodes:

Background information [ ]

Origins [ ].

Former Original Series writer D.C. Fontana reported in the fanzine Star-Borne of 22 June 1972 that, " Paramount... [is] enormously impressed by the quantity (and quality) of fan mail they continue to receive. The possibility seems to be slowly developing of a Star Trek feature movie for theatrical release, aimed at becoming the new Star Trek television pilot… on the network front, NBC still expresses great interest in doing Star Trek in some form. Both NBC and Paramount continue to receive a great deal of mail and have had to assign secretaries for the sole job of answering it. " [5]

NBC's surprising complete turnaround (as it were they who had canceled the live-action precursor in 1969, purportedly for poor ratings performance) not only stemmed from the spectacular resurgence of the Original Series in syndication , but also from its own accounting department. Shortly before Fontana's report, NBC had replaced its old Nielsen rating system with a new and updated one. Mystified by the success of a show in syndication they were convinced was a flop, they decided to run the original Original Series figures through their new system they and found out much to their surprise that it had not only reached full penetration into their most coveted target audience, the male population between 18 and 45, but also that the series had been one of the most successful series the network had ever aired. The sickening realization hit upon the dismayed network executives that they had slaughtered the proverbial goose that laid the golden eggs, something that every Star Trek fan at the time could have told them. Hurriedly approaching Roddenberry to see if the series could be revitalized, it turned out to be unfeasible, as Paramount had only a few months earlier cleared out their warehouses from the vast majority of the remaining Star Trek production assets, they either being scrapped, given away or simply stolen. Recreating them, calculated at US$750,000, was deemed far too cost-prohibitive. It did however lead NBC to commission the creation of The Animated Series . ( Star Trek - Where No One Has Gone Before , pp. 51-52)

Roddenberry was not really interested in doing a Star Trek animated show, but had his mind set on an actual live-action resurrection of the the show. However, as Marc Cushman explained, " His ultimate goal was to get Star Trek back into [live-action] production. And he felt that the animated series, if it did really well, could bring that about. " ( The Center Seat: 55 Years of Star Trek : "Saturday Morning Pinks")

Even though they did not produce the new series themselves, Paramount Pictures, possessing all rights and title to the Star Trek brand, was legally the owner of the new property.

The first recordings [ ]

The first recording session for the animated Star Trek series was in June 1973 (on or prior to the fourth of that month ). ( The Star Trek Compendium , 4th ed., p. 143; Star Trek: Communicator  issue 119 , p. 32) This was with the entirety of the series' regular cast and was the first time they had reunited since production of the original series ended in January 1969 . The recording session was held at Filmation's studios in Reseda, California , where the performers recorded the first three scripts for the series (" Beyond the Farthest Star ", " Yesteryear ", and " More Tribbles, More Troubles "). ( Star Trek: Communicator  issue 119 , p. 32)

Lou Scheimer reminisces about the cast, " The glorious thing was getting them all together for the first recording session […] It was a joyous occasion. " ("Drawn to the Final Frontier – The Making of Star Trek: The Animated Series ", TAS DVD ) William Shatner recalls how he got into character; " [Kirk had] been locked away inside me for almost four years, but as soon as I opened my mouth to read his first line he was back. Slipping back into that character was like putting on a comfortable old sweatshirt; it fit. " ( Up Till Now: The Autobiography , p. 171)

On 4 June 1973, NBC publicly announced that the initial recording session had gone ahead. ( Star Trek: Communicator  issue 119 , p. 32)

Emmy win [ ]

In 1975, the animated series of Star Trek won a Daytime Emmy Award in the area of "Best Children's Series" for the 1974-1975 television season. Although Star Trek 's original series had repeatedly been nominated for Emmys, this was the first such award that the franchise actually won. It became also the only best-series Emmy ever won by Star Trek as of 2020. It beat out Captain Kangaroo and The Pink Panther . ( Star Trek: The Animated Series - special feature : "Drawn to the Final Frontier – The Making of Star Trek: The Animated Series "; Star Trek - Where No One Has Gone Before , p. 57, et al. ) Incidentally, the series had already been nominated for the same award in its inaugural debut the year previously, [6] but lost out on that occasion to PBS 's Zoom .

The series essentially won the award on the basis of a certain episode. " When Filmation submitted Star Trek for the Best Children's Series Emmy, [' How Sharper Than a Serpent's Tooth '] is the episode they submitted, " explains David Wise , a co-writer of that installment. ("How Sharper Than a Serpent's Tooth" audio commentary ) The episode's other co-writer, Russell Bates , comments, " [The episode] became the only credential submitted when Filmation received an Emmy nomination for the series, and thus was instrumental in the winning of a 1975 Emmy Award. " Bates also notes that the Emmy was not the only accolade that the episode attained. [7]

Shortly after Hal Sutherland and his family moved out of Los Angeles to Washington state , he received a call that informed him of the Emmy nomination. He remembers, " This was exciting news and I spread the word to all of our friends and neighbors in case Filmation picked up the Emmy. " As he learned prior to the event, it was to be presented in New York and Lou Scheimer decided to bring his own family to the festivities. [8] The ceremony was actually on a boat in the New York harbor. Lou Scheimer's son, Lane, heard a practice session, below-decks, of the announcements being rehearsed. The elder Scheimer reflects, " He said, 'Dad, don't worry, I just saw them down there and they said it was Captain Kangaroo ' [....] So I was sitting there, drinking wine, not worried, and [getting] half-plastered. " ( Star Trek Magazine Souvenir Special , p. 58) Scheimer also personally doubted that the animated Star Trek series was about to receive the award. He states, " I was absolutely certain we weren't going to win; there was no way that show could win because it really was not a kids' show. " ( Star Trek: The Magazine  Volume 1, Issue 16 , p. 68)

Hal Sutherland recalls tuning into the televised coverage of the event; " I remember gathering the family to watch the award ceremonies with me. I hoped to make them proud of what we had accomplished in some way. Sitting in front of the TV, I watched with anxiety as the nominations for best animated series came up […] The award envelope was opened and Star Trek was announced the winner for its category. " [9] Lou Scheimer (who says he was "a nervous wreck" at the time), also recollects the announcement; " Cyril Richard gets up there and says, 'And the best children's programming for Saturday morning is Star Trek and Lou Shimmer [ sic ]. I didn't know what to do. You cannot tell, but I was floating. " ( Star Trek Magazine Souvenir Special , p. 58) Hal Sutherland continues, " Lou stepped to the podium to make his acceptance speech. " [10] A transcript of that speech follows:

Lou Scheimer accepts the series' only Emmy

Lou Scheimer recalls the shock of having to collect the award; " I was totally flabbergasted when we did [win]. I didn't know what to say; I was not prepared. I was just aghast at the idea of being in front of all those people, waiting to hear me say something meaningful. " ( Star Trek: The Magazine  Volume 1, Issue 16 , p. 68)

Watching Lou Scheimer's acceptance speech was a very emotional experience for Hal Sutherland and he was enormously disgruntled that Scheimer thanked Norm Prescott rather than him. Although Sutherland never expressed his extreme disappointment to the award recipient, Scheimer finally apologized to Sutherland in 2004 . " He […] sorrowfully related to me an apology for his 'drunken' statement at the Emmy affair regarding his confusion between Norm and I and the production credits, " explained Sutherland. " We'd both carried that haunting memory all those many years, neither wanting to bring up the tender subject. We later kissed [and made up, putting the issue behind them]. " [11]

Lou Scheimer criticized the winning of the award, saying that – even though it was "the only Emmy I've ever gotten for a show" – it was inappropriate for the animated Star Trek to receive an award for a children's show, since the series was actually meant to be " a show for the entire family and anybody who was really a fan of the original live-action show. " ("Drawn to the Final Frontier – The Making of Star Trek: The Animated Series ", TAS DVD ) Norm Prescott, on the other hand, considered the award to be a high point in Filmation's history. ( Star Trek: Communicator  issue 119 , p. 79) Both Filmation, in general, and the writers of "How Sharper Than a Serpent's Tooth", were happy that the episode gained the series the award. David Wise reminisces, " We, Russell [Bates] and I, considered that an achievement. Filmation was thrilled and invited us to an Emmy party and all sorts of fun things like that. " ("How Sharper Than a Serpent's Tooth" audio commentary) Gene Roddenberry regarded the award win as "the best proof" that the animated series had been "a fairly good job." ( The Making of Star Trek: The Motion Picture , p. 20) D.C. Fontana was also "pleased" that the franchise had finally won an Emmy, later stating, " I was thrilled to death. " ("Drawn to the Final Frontier – The Making of Star Trek: The Animated Series ", TAS DVD ) In their text commentary for series finale " The Counter-Clock Incident ", Michael and Denise Okuda describe the Emmy win as the series having been "honored." The book Star Trek - Where No One Has Gone Before (p. 57) refers to the win as "a fitting send-off" for the series.

Considering the efforts the writers, including Bates, put in to tell more mature stories akin to the main series, the win of a "children's" award turned out to be somewhat of a mixed blessing as it cemented the impression of Star Trek being an immature, superficial show for adolescents only at best in the minds of the non-fan society at large, which started to become wary of the emerging " Trekkie " phenomenon. It became a large part of the reasons why to date a substantial part of "Trekdom", Creator Gene Roddenberry included, continued to refuse to consider The Animated Series part of canon, as related hereafter. ( Star Trek: The Official Guide to the Animated Series , pp. 8 & 153) Most ironically, the six-episode second season of Star Trek: Short Treks , which only became nominated in 2020 for Star Trek 's fifth "major" Emmy Award, did include two animated episodes, " Ephraim and Dot " and " The Girl Who Made the Stars ", specifically intended for children.

Questionable canon and reintegration [ ]

According to Voyages of Imagination [ page number? • edit ] , the Animated Series was officially removed from canon at Gene Roddenberry's request in 1988, with the exception of some parts involving Spock's youth, from Fontana's episode " Yesteryear ". Roddenberry was partly motivated to do so because of his disappointment that the animated series did not bring about his ultimate goal of getting back Star Trek as a live-action production, as mentioned above . The removal from canon had already been confirmed previously by reference book author Mike Okuda in the introductions of his works. ( Star Trek Chronology  (2nd ed., p. vii); Star Trek Encyclopedia  (4th ed., vol. 1, p. introduction); [12] (X) ) Paramount Pictures has followed suit by elevating the request to policy, having officially declared the series non-canon. ( Star Trek Encyclopedia  (1st ed., p. iii))

Despite this request, Memory Alpha recognizes The Animated Series as a valid resource. There were also strong indications from the StarTrek.com (former) official website that TAS was unilaterally, yet formally, re-added to the official canon in 2006 by the franchise for the sole purpose of commercially promoting the occasion of the series' release on DVD that year. ( [13] (X) [14] (X) [15] (X) ; See also the content policy ).

Writers from later Star Trek series have integrated various references from the series into their works. Star Trek: Enterprise writer/producer Manny Coto once remarked, " They did some great stuff in the animated series and why not use some of that? " ( Cinefantastique , Vol. 37, No. 2, p. 37) Star Trek: The Next Generation and Star Trek: Deep Space Nine writing staffer Ronald D. Moore likewise commented, " It's kinda cool to throw in the odd reference [to TAS] here and there. " ( AOL chat , 1998 ) The following references were used in subsequent series:

• The city of Shi'Kahr resurfaced on an okudagram in " The Emissary " called the "Shi-Kar Desert Survival, Vulcan", which was also a reference to Spock's kahs-wan . The city was again indirectly mentioned in " Fusion " in reference to the Shi'Kahr Academy , and later served as the namesake for the USS ShirKahr , seen but not mentioned in " Tears of the Prophets ". A Vulcan city which looks very similar to Shi'Kahr was shown in the new establishing shots used in the remastered version of " Amok Time ".
• An okudagram featured in " Eye of the Beholder " referenced the Sepek Academic Scholarship , which coincides with the name of a Vulcan child in " Yesteryear ".
• Vulcan's Forge was later referenced in " Change of Heart " and was the focus of a three-episode ENT arc: " The Forge ", " Awakening ", and " Kir'Shara ".
• Both Lunaport and the kahs-wan were mentioned in " The Catwalk ".
• The sehlat , which first appeared in "Yesteryear" in animated form, was recreated in CGI in ENT : " The Forge ".
• The nearby planet seen briefly behind Shi'Kahr made it into the original version of Star Trek: The Motion Picture . For the director's cut it was decided to remove the planet (named Charis or T'Khut in the novel Spock's World ).
• The title of " healer " for a Vulcan physician was referred to for Healer Senva in " Prophet Motive ".
• Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country confirmed Kirk's middle name as "Tiberius", a name first revealed in " Bem ". The name had been used in novels , including in the preface to the novelization of Star Trek: The Motion Picture .
• A chart of Federation space, seen in " Conspiracy ", contained references to solar objects first mentioned in TAS, including the planets Canopus III , Lactra VII , Omega Cygni , Phylos , and Kzin , and the stars Beta Lyrae and Pallas 14 .
• In the episode " Once More Unto the Breach ", Kor recalled his former vessel, the IKS Klothos , which was the ship he commanded in the " The Time Trap ". It was a D5 Klingon ship (where D5s were later shown in Enterprise ), rendered as a questionably-drawn D7, but in both cases it was commanded by Kor.
• The episode " Broken Link " referred to Edosian orchids , the episode " These Are the Voyages... " mentioned Edosian suckerfish , and there were several other Enterprise references to the Edosian slug – all homages to the Edosian Lt. Arex .
• Coincidental references which may or may not be attributed to terms first used in The Animated Series include Klingon Imperial Fleet (" The Time Trap ") and Starbase 23 (" The Terratin Incident ").
• Amanda 's maiden name, Grayson, was given in the series, and later established in Star Trek V: The Final Frontier .
• The holodeck concept first appeared in " The Practical Joker ", and was later adopted into Star Trek: The Next Generation . The use of holograms was used in " Lethe ", showing that USS Discovery was equipped with similar technology during 2250s .
• The idea of an additional turbolift on the bridge first appeared in TAS, and ultimately adopted in the live-action franchise from Star Trek: Phase II onward.
• The act of entering the warp nacelles first appeared in TAS, and later appeared in the TNG episode " Eye of the Beholder " and in the ENT episode " The Catwalk ".
• In " The Counter-Clock Incident ", a race is shown that has a life span where individuals start out old and grow younger until death. Star Trek: Voyager later reused this idea in one of its episodes for a race of aliens .
• In Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home , two members of the Caitian species are seen, which FASA 's RPG sourcebook , Star Trek IV Sourcebook Update , identified as the same species as M'Ress .
• The robot grain ships from " More Tribbles, More Troubles " have later been established in the 2008 remastered TOS episodes " Charlie X " (manned version) and " The Ultimate Computer " (robot version) as belonging to the Antares -type of starships. Later to also appear as wreckage in the Lower Decks episode " Terminal Provocations ".
• Star Trek: Discovery confirmed Robert April from " The Counter-Clock Incident " to be an important Starfleet captain in the episode " Choose Your Pain " when Saru asks the ship's computer to list Starfleet's most decorated captains. He was later confirmed as the first captain of the USS Enterprise , preceding Christopher Pike , in " Brother ".
• Lower Decks also made a mention of Spock Two from " The Infinite Vulcan " in " Veritas " before featuring his skeleton in " Kayshon, His Eyes Open ".
• " Second Contact " introduced another Caitian, T'Ana , as a series' regular.
• " Envoys " included the Aurelian from " Yesteryear "and the Vendorian from " The Survivor ".
• " Much Ado About Boimler " introduced an Edosian character whose species was first featured through the series' regular Arex .
• " Mugato, Gumato " included the appearance of a Kzinti from " The Slaver Weapon ".
• " An Embarrassment Of Dooplers " depicted a total of five TAS species appearances, the aforementioned Caitian, Kzinti, Edosian, Aurelians, and a prominent return of several members of Em/3/Green's species , who first appeared in " The Jihad ".
• " Mining The Mind's Mines " included the appearance of Kukulkan from "How Sharper Than a Serpent's Tooth".

Several non-canon productions have also made reference to TAS:

• A second exit for the bridge, referenced in Franz Joseph 's Star Fleet Technical Manual .
• DC Comics' writer Len Wein reintroduced M'Ress and Arex into the post- Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home comics , and they were further developed by Michael Carlin and Peter David until that series went into hiatus.
• Some of the worlds and aliens in the series were included in the 1989 book called The Worlds of the Federation .
• Author Peter David later integrated M'Ress and Arex into his 24th century book series Star Trek: New Frontier , beginning with the novel Gateways #6: Cold Wars . They also appear in IDW's "New Frontier" comic miniseries, Turnaround , by David.
• The trilogy Crucible by David R. George III includes the plot from "Yesteryear" in its history.
• The IDW comic miniseries Star Trek: Year Four takes place during the TAS timeframe and features appearances by Arex and M'Ress.

Production inconsistencies [ ]

One unfortunate reality of an animated television series was the occasional color discrepancy.

The most notable color discrepancy was shown with several appearances of the color pink. Unknown to the rest of the production staff, director Sutherland was color-blind, so to him, pink was light gray. (" Drawn to the Final Frontier – The Making of Star Trek: The Animated Series ", TAS DVD ) While true, Kaplan was not color-blind and was often conscientious of the color decisions being made.

The following images are examples of Irv Kaplan's personal color choices:

Reversed color variant

According to Bob Kline, " Pink equals Irv Kaplan. Irv was in charge of ink and paint, coloring the various characters and props (and he would do it himself in his office, he would sit down with a cel and paint it). He was also referred to by many people there as the purple and green guy. You'll see in a lot of scenes, purple and green used together – that was one of his preferences. He made dragons red, the Kzintis' costumes pink. It was all Irv Kaplan's call. He wasn't listening to anyone else when he picked colors, or anything. " ( Star Trek: The Official Guide to the Animated Series , p. 26)

Several other unintentional coloring issues also cropped up. Kirk's type 1 phaser had its color scheme reversed (black on silver/grey, instead of silver on black), and some shots featured characters wearing Starfleet uniforms of the wrong division or colors.

As a result of the use of recycled footage, there were also many instances of randomly misplaced characters and equipment. Recurring inconsistencies in this vein include the random appearance of Lt. Kyle in several transporter room scenes, close-up shots of Scott operating the transporter controls, the interchanged appearances with Uhura and M'Ress at the communications station, and the appearance of characters on the bridge while simultaneously appearing in another section of the ship or on the surface of a planet.

Another inconsistency that appears sometimes is Scott shown with the rank of captain, and Kirk with a unknown rank insignia.

The Animated Series also made substantial changes to set locations used in the original series:

• A second turbolift is installed on the bridge, next to the main viewscreen.
• The bridge stations are rounded, and form a perfect circle, instead of the hexagonal TOS bridge set.
• The access stairs to the upper level engineering deck (seen in TOS seasons 2 and 3) are gone.

One production glitch that was avoided from being televised was Uhura having white skin. " Someone in the paint department used Nurse Chapel's colors on Uhura, who turned Caucasian with the flip of a brush! " exclaims Malcolm C. Klein, a management and marketing consultant to Filmation. " Fortunately, that one was caught before the film reached the lab. " ( Starlog , Vol. 2, No. 6, p. 47)

On many other occasions, body parts on various characters would go missing. According to animator Bob Kline , " it was usually something the cameraman did on purpose or accident to keep the cel levels at six. You couldn't use more than six cel levels under the camera. " This was often completed to allow more animation to appear on screen, as any more than six cells would make the animation appear "muddier". ( Star Trek: The Official Guide to the Animated Series , p. 27)

Proposed CGI reworking [ ]

In 1998 , there were talks of TAS being re-worked with CGI animation. According to Mainframe Entertainment ( Reboot ):

“Mainframe proposes to produce a television series continuing the original adventures of Captain James T. Kirk and the crew of the Starship Enterprise (NCC-1701). The new series will reunite the original ‘young’ crew by the use of modern technology and production methods developed by Mainframe over the last 5 years.

The new series will incorporate a ‘virtual’ cast performing in 3D computer generated sets, bringing together the advantages of new technology with the sensibilities of traditional film making.

In the early Seventies, ‘Filmation’ produced 22 one-half hour traditionally animated episodes based on the original ‘STAR TREK’ franchise.

It is our intention to take these ‘Filmation’ episodes and use them as a starting point to craft the new series. By using the original recordings of the core cast, carefully re-working the scripts, and rerecording all incidental characters, we believe that it is possible to bring the storylines up to the high standards expected of a ‘STAR TREK’ series today.”

The project was never realized. [16]

Related topics [ ]

• TAS directors
• TAS performers
• TAS recurring character appearances
• TAS writers
• Star Trek Logs by Alan Dean Foster
• Undeveloped TAS episodes
• Star Trek: Final Frontier , a proposed but undeveloped animated series
• Star Trek: Lower Decks
• Star Trek: Prodigy
• These Are the Voyages: Gene Roddenberry and Star Trek in the 1970s, Volume 1 (1970-75) , February 2019
• Star Trek: The Official Guide to the Animated Series , September/October 2019

Documentary [ ]

• The Center Seat: 55 Years of Star Trek : "Saturday Morning Pinks" ( The History Channel , 5 November 2021)

Home video formats [ ]

• Star Trek: The Animated Series on VHS
• Star Trek: The Animated Series on Betamax
• Star Trek: The Animated Series on LaserDisc
• Star Trek: The Animated Series  on DVD
• Star Trek: The Animated Series  on Blu-ray

External links [ ]

• Star Trek: The Animated Series at Memory Beta , the wiki for licensed Star Trek works
• Star Trek: The Animated Series at Wikipedia
• Star Trek: The Animated Series at StarTrek.com
• The Making of Star Trek: The Animated Series (X) at StarTrek.com
• The Animated Series Gets Real (X) at StarTrek.com
• DanHauserTrek.com – Guide to Animated Star Trek
• Star Trek: The Animated Series  at Ex Astris Scientia
• Star Trek: The Animated Series at the Internet Movie Database
• StarTrekAnimated.com – fan site
• 2 ISS Enterprise (NCC-1701)

Star Trek: The Animated Series (TV Series)

More tribbles, more troubles (1973).

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• This was apparently going to be a season 3 episode from the live action series, but was ultimately dropped when Roddenberry's exit helped usher in large budgetary cuts.
• The actors from the original ST series reprise their roles here, save for Chekov, who wasn't in the animated series. Also returning was Stanley Adams as Cyrano Jones, the Tribble salesman.

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Star Trek - The Animated Series, Vol. 1: More Tribbles, More Troubles/The Infinite Vulcan [VHS]

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• Package Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 7.1 x 5.42 x 0.58 inches; 6.13 ounces
• Release date ‏ : ‎ June 19, 1995
• Date First Available ‏ : ‎ February 9, 2007
• Actors ‏ : ‎ Star Trek Animated Series
• Studio ‏ : ‎ Paramount
• ASIN ‏ : ‎ 6301320360

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Giant Freakin Robot

John Trimble, The Most Important Star Trek Fan Ever, Dead At 87

Posted: April 29, 2024 | Last updated: April 29, 2024

Star Trek is perhaps the most venerable science fiction franchise ever made, premiering in 1966 and continuing to this day. However, that franchise would have died out with The Original Series if not for the contributions of John Trimble, making him the most important fan in Star Trek history.

Sadly, Trimble has now passed away at the age of 87, and fans have the chance to honor his memory by enjoying the franchise he helped to save.

John And Bjo Trimble Launch A Campaign

How, though, did John Trimble save Star Trek? First off, he didn’t do it alone. He and his wife Bjo Trimble were major fans of The Original Series, but that show was in danger of being canceled after season two.

NBC would have ended the adventures of Captain Kirk and crew if not for the Trimbles, who launched a grassroots letter-writing campaign to help save the show.

Star Trek Getting Canceled?

All of this happened mostly due to a stroke of luck when John and Bjo Trimble got the chance to visit the set of Star Trek: The Original Series during the production of season two.

At one point, they grabbed some food from craft services, an area that was a well-known nexus of what John called “underground gossip.” That day, the gossip said the show was getting canceled after season two, prompting John and Bjo Trimble to launch a letter-writing campaign to save Star Trek.

Had Work With Post Office

You might not think that a letter-writing campaign would be that difficult to pull off. However, the most difficult part was learning all the rules of the post office, including how to use the relatively new zip code system.

Fortunately for future fans, John memorized all the rules needed to pull off this unprecedented grassroots campaign.

Star Trek: The Original Series Gets Second Season

Thanks to John and Bjo Trimble’s letter-writing campaign, Star Trek: The Original Series got a third season, but NBC finally pulled the plug after that (I imagine episodes like “Spock’s Brain” made that decision fairly easy).

Because of that, you might wonder why John is now remembered as the man who saved the franchise. In short, what was the big deal with saving The Original Series for one measly season?

Simple: while NBC didn’t want to spend any more money making new episodes of Star Trek, they were happy to generate profits by broadcasting reruns. Three seasons meant that The Original Series went into syndication, with NBC keeping the show on the air long after its cancellation.

Syndication Gets New Fans

Thanks to syndication, Star Trek found a new generation of fans (many of them college students), and the renewed popularity of the old show led to the launch of an animated series.

Both the new Animated Series and the ongoing syndicated success of Star Trek: The Original Series helped the franchise become a pop culture fixture. That popularity helped Trek branch into films and spinoff TV shows, continuing the vision of Gene Roddenberry long after his death. None of this would have been possible without John Trimble, the man who saved Star Trek.

What A Difference A Fan Makes

Next time you tune into a new episode of Discovery or a beloved rerun of The Next Generation, think about the contributions of John Trimble.

He showed the world how much of a difference a fan can make and ultimately affected the lives of millions of fans. John will be sorely missed, and we extend our deepest condolences to his wife and fellow Star Trek savior Bjo.

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Published Feb 9, 2024

5 Ways Star Trek: The Animated Series Totally Predicted Modern Star Trek

50 years later, The Animated Series continues to live on in all iterations of the Star Trek universe.

StarTrek.com

For whatever reason, some longtime Star Trek fans missed The Animated Series . Airing for just two short seasons in 1973 and 1974, the Filmation-produced series was the only version of Trek that fans got in between The Original Series ending in 1969 and The Motion Picture debuting in 1979. Featuring the return of (most) of the original cast, the series also sported an impressive array of writers, including the return of Trek legend D.C. Fontana, Walter Koenig, sci-fi impression Larry Niven, and beloved TOS scribes like David Gerrold and Margaret Armen. To put it another way, in both then and now, The Animated Series is very much "real Star Trek ."

It was also a bonkers 1970s animated series that was designed to be enjoyed by kids and adults alike. And, while some fans may have slept on this version of Trek , the franchise itself never forgot about all the wonderful ways The Animated Series pushed the adventures in the Final Frontier forward.

In fact, several versions of 21st Century "modern" Star Trek are deeply influenced by The Animated Series . Here are five ways episodes and themes of TAS predicted the stories of the reboot movies, Discovery, Picard, Strange New Worlds , and Lower Decks . Mild spoilers ahead.

" One of Our Planets Is Missing" is The Motion Picture + Discovery Season 4

"One of Our Planets is Missing"

When a massive space cloud threatens to consume a heavily populated colony, only the Enterprise can infiltrate it and stop it before it's too late. But, turns out, this cloud is utterly sentient, but lacking the awareness that the planets it consumes are full of relatively tiny lifeforms. Sound familiar? From its broad strokes to some specific details, "One of Our Planets Is Missing" shares many parallels with the first Trek feature film, The Motion Picture , as well as aspects of Discovery Season 4.

In "One of Our Planets Is Missing," Spock mind-melds with the immense cloud, something he also attempts with V’Ger . In the Discovery episode " Coming Home ," Vulcan President T'Rina attempts a mind-meld with the alien life form known as Species Ten-C, which, although not entirely successful, is very similar to Spock’s long-distance meld in "One Of Our Planets Is Missing."

And that’s not all! The cosmic cloud is also unaware it is accidentally consuming planets, which, again, is very similar to the DMA created by Ten-C in Discovery Season 4. In "One of Our Planets Is Missing," Spock convinces the cloud to leave our galaxy. In Discovery, Burnham and the crew have to do the same — Make it clear that accidentally consuming planets is not cool.

Genetically-Engineered Tribbles

"More Tribbles, More Troubles"

In the 2019 Short Treks episode "The Trouble With Edward," we learn, retroactively, that the original Tribbles were, in fact, genetically-engineered to reproduce so prodigiously. In 2023's Picard Season 3 — specifically the episode " The Bounty " — we learned that Section 31 had gone even further, and created a horrifying genetically-modified "attack tribble." And, over in an alternate timeline, in 2013's Star Trek Into Darkness , Bones even injected a tribble with Khan's genetically enhanced super-blood, mostly just to see what would happen, and thus, saved Captain Kirk's life.

But, way back in 1973, The Animated Series episode "More Tribbles, More Troubles" revealed that the first person to genetically modify Tribbles was… Cyrano Jones! When Tribble dealer Jones returns to the Enterprise in this episode, the all-pink versions of the fuzzy little menaces don’t appear to multiply quickly, instead, they become massive, resulting in a Tribble so large that Captain Kirk can’t even push it off of his chair. Later, Bones makes it clear that these Tribbles are still multiplying, but they’ve become colony creatures comprised of a bunch of regular-sized Tribbles. In terms of sophisticated and funny ideas regarding alternate Tribbles, arguably, The Animated Series did it first, and best.

Complicated Economics — with a Side of Changelings

"The Survivor"

Throughout Star Trek: Picard, and Star Trek: Strange New Worlds , we’ve seen that the post-scarcity economy of the Federation doesn’t work, or benefit, the entire galaxy. In the SNW episode " Lift Us Where Suffering Cannot Reach ," the planet Majalis goes to horrific lengths to maintain socioeconomic stability, while just outside of Federation control. And across all three seasons of Picard , we learn that the territory usually controlled by the Fenris Rangers finds certain individuals struggling to redistribute wealth, and humanitarian aid, in the face of an unjust and cruel non-Federation section of the galaxy.

So, even in the enlightened future of Trek , sometimes, resources and money need to be shifted to planets in need, even in a future where the heroes generally don’t use money. In The Animated Series episode "The Survivor," the reputation of the philanthropist Carter Winston is all about helping disenfranchised planets. Bones notes that it was Winston's donations that saved the planet Cerberus from crop failure, and thus, saved Bones' daughter. In this way, Carter Winston predicts the actions of Beverly and Jack Crusher in Picard Season 3.

For a bonus similarity, shapeshifters are pursuing Beverly and Jack, and in "The Survivor" Carter Winston turns out to be a shapeshifter!

Spock’s Childhood Jaunt in "Yesteryear"

"Yesteryear"

In Star Trek: Discovery Season 2, we got quite a bit of information about Spock’s childhood that had never really been depicted in live-action before. That said, in the Kelvin Timeline, we also saw aspects of Spock's childhood. And in both cases, these storylines, and in the case of one specific scene, all have origins in the classic Animated Series episode, "Yesteryear."

Written by Dorothy "D.C." Fontana, "Yesteryear" finds Spock heading back in time via the Guardian of Forever to save himself from accidentally dying as a kid. The scene in which young Spock is bullied by other Vulcans was recreated nearly identically (minus those single-strap costumes) for the 2009 film Star Trek in which that version of young Spock also got into a scrape.

Meanwhile, the designs of Amanda Grayson and Sarek's home, first glimpsed in TAS, was echoed throughout the flashbacks in Discovery Season 2, in which young Michael Burnham joins the household after being orphaned. Discovery Season 2 also revealed that Burnham’s mother Gabrielle had been visiting young Spock via time travel. This means that, as a little kid, young Spock just couldn’t seem to shake the visitations of accidental time travelers.

The Pirates of Orion

"The Pirates of Orion"

While the Orions were mentioned and depicted as an illusion in the guise of Vina in the first Original Series pilot "The Cage," the newer Trek series, specifically the Lower Decks episode " Something Borrowed, Something Green ," has lifted the veil on Orion culture .

Thanks to the character of D'Vana Tendi, the nuances of Orion culture have been fully explored throughout all four seasons of Lower Decks , a theme that impacted the Strange New Worlds crossover episode " Those Old Scientists ." In all cases, the tension between the Orions as a more complex culture, and the idea that they’re simply a bunch of pirates, is made both clear and smartly uncomfortable. Because of the events of " The Serene Squall ," when the Orions return in "Those Old Scientists," Captain Pike has a hard time accepting they can be more than just pirates. Tendi fights the good fight to dispel these prejudices, but it’s a frustrating, and sometimes, hilarious, uphill battle.

But where do these pirating Orions come from? Visually, a lot of the aesthetics of the Orions in Lower Decks — including their flags and insignia — are derived from The Animated Series episode "The Pirates of Orion," written brilliantly by Howard Weinstein. At the time, Weinstein was only 19 years old, which makes him the youngest person to write a Star Trek episode, ever. Like the opening of Discovery Season 1, the episode depicts a fight on the surface of an asteroid, as well as establishing the iconic design of the Orion ships. In the finale episode of Lower Decks Season 4, "Old Friends, New Planets," a ship that was identical to its Animated Series counterpart meets the Cerritos , taking Tendi away to her new life.

This moment was the most recent Star Trek season finale to date, and aired in 2023, during the 50-year-anniversary of The Animated Series . Visually and tonally, the bonkers, hyperbolic, and big-hearted nature of The Animated Series continues to live on in all iterations of the Star Trek family, proving that this bold little series may have been overlooked by fans in the past, but that it will never beam away quietly into the night.

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Ryan Britt is the author of the nonfiction books Phasers on Stun! How the Making and Remaking of Star Trek Changed the World (2022), The Spice Must Flow: The Journey of Dune from Cult Novels to Visionary Sci-Fi Movies (2023), and the essay collection Luke Skywalker Can’t Read (2015). He is a longtime contributor to Star Trek.com and his writing regularly appears with Inverse, Den of Geek!, Esquire and elsewhere. He lives in Portland, Maine with his family.

Star Trek: Discovery Seasons 1-4 are streaming exclusively on Paramount+ in the U.S., the UK, Canada, Switzerland, South Korea, Latin America, Germany, France, Italy, Australia and Austria. Seasons 2 and 3 also are available on the Pluto TV “Star Trek” channel in Switzerland, Germany and Austria. The series streams on Super Drama in Japan, TVNZ in New Zealand, and SkyShowtime in Spain, Portugal, Poland, The Nordics, The Netherlands, and Central and Eastern Europe and also airs on Cosmote TV in Greece. The series is distributed by Paramount Global Content Distribution.

In addition to streaming on Paramount+ , Star Trek: Picard also streams on Prime Video outside of the U.S. and Canada, and in Canada can be seen on Bell Media's CTV Sci-Fi Channel and streams on Crave. Star Trek: Picard is distributed by Paramount Global Content Distribution.

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds streams exclusively on Paramount+ in the U.S., U.K., Australia, Latin America, Brazil, South Korea, France, Italy, Germany, Switzerland and Austria. In addition, the series airs on Bell Media’s CTV Sci-Fi Channel and streams on Crave in Canada and on SkyShowtime in the Nordics, the Netherlands, Spain, Portugal and Central and Eastern Europe. Star Trek: Strange New Worlds is distributed by Paramount Global Content Distribution.

Star Trek: Lower Decks streams exclusively on Paramount+ in the U.S. and is distributed by Paramount Global Content Distribution. In Canada, it airs on Bell Media’s CTV Sci-Fi Channel. The series will also be available to stream on Paramount+ in the UK, Canada, Latin America, Australia, Italy, France, the Caribbean, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Ireland and South Korea.

Screen Rant

How the bad batch became my favorite star wars animated tv show.

Star Wars: The Bad Batch has come to an end, and its finale only further proves why it's become my favorite animated Star Wars TV show to date.

Warning! This article contains SPOILERS for the Star Wars: The Bad Batch season 3 finale.

• The Bad Batch offers a rare peaceful and hopeful ending, making it a standout in Star Wars animation.
• The series builds on the best elements of The Clone Wars and Star Wars Rebels, creating a beloved family dynamic.
• The diverse members of Clone Force 99 allow for relatability and add a human touch to the galactic saga.

The series finale of Star Wars: The Bad Batch has only further proven that it's my favorite Star Wars animated TV show to date, and there are many reasons as to why that is. Following Clone Force 99 for the durations of its three seasons, The Bad Batch has blossomed from a spin-off of Star Wars: The Clone Wars to its own standalone and heartfelt story. The Batch started out as a fun and interesting addition to The Clone Wars season 7, and they have since become one of Star Wars' most beloved families yet.

The Bad Batch season 3's ending is what makes it even more clear for me that this is my favorite project Star Wars animation has ever done. It's so rare in the Star Wars galaxy for characters to have a truly peaceful and hopeful ending, and after everything Clone Force 99 goes through in The Bad Batch , they certainly earned one. This series has had such a beautiful range of human emotions tied to it, and its importance in the greater Star Wars story also makes it something forever special to me - and this is why.

Will There Be A Star Wars: The Bad Batch Season 4?

The bad batch embodies the best parts of star wars animation, it builds on the best aspects of the clone wars & star wars rebels.

Throughout its three seasons, The Bad Batch has taken the things that many viewers love most about The Clone Wars and Star Wars Rebels and has brought them together. Regarding The Clone Wars , it was inevitable that The Bad Batch was going to emulate it in many different ways. Its first episode opens with the Clone Wars -style logo and narration, and it uses the same style of animation overall. It also picks up right where The Clone Wars season 7's ending had left off, closely tying The Bad Batch to the beloved prequel era as well.

As for Star Wars Rebels , the biggest appeal has always been the found family at the heart of it. The Ghost crew, composed of Ezra, Sabine, Zeb, Kanan, and Hera (and Chopper) has a special place in the hearts of all viewers, especially as they made their way into live-action in the Ahsoka series. The Bad Batch has taken this and highlighted Clone Force 99 as a family, with Omega at the heart of it. Though both these families tragically lost one of their loved ones, that loved one lives on in the rest of the family's actions.

Clone Force 99 Is A Family With Something For Everyone

There are all types of relatability in the members of the bad batch.

What makes Clone Force 99 so special as a family is that they're a very diverse group in terms of personality, skills, and more. Everyone brings something different to the table, and The Bad Batch has highlighted each character's strengths and weaknesses to emphasize the most human parts of them. One of the best moments where this is shown is when Tech and Omega have a heart-to-heart in season 2, episode 9 "The Crossing," which sees Tech revealing to Omega that he feels things just as much as she does, even if he can't express them the same way.

This has allowed all audiences to see parts of themselves in various members of the Batch, which makes the entire experience of The Bad Batch feel even more personal. The tenderness Omega brings to the dynamic only enhances this, as she proves no one's heart is too hardened for the love a family of any kind, by blood or by choice, can provide. Clone Force 99 has become a fully human reflection of a family , and knowing they got to live in peace thanks to Tech's sacrifice only makes it even more realistically bittersweet.

Star Wars: The Bad Batch Voice Cast - What The Actors Look Like In Real Life

The bad batch has expanded star wars lore in a perfect way, its story has added essential new lore & created meaningful bridges between content.

The Bad Batch hasn't just captivated audiences with its emotional and familial dynamics, however. This animated series has also added vital lore to the Star Wars galaxy, filling in the gaps during a crucial part of the Star Wars timeline . From detailing the earliest days of the transition from the Galactic Republic to the Galactic Empire to laying the foundation for the clone troopers' resistance to the Empire, The Bad Batch has added essential storylines to the greater Star Wars story.

These bridges built between stories are vital to keeping a transmedia franchise like Star Wars so consistent, and The Bad Batch has done it expertly.

Just as important is its connections to other parts of Star Wars , from The Clone Wars all the way to The Mandalorian . The show finally provides context to the War-Mantle Imperial project mentioned in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story by showing the transition from clone troopers to stormtroopers, and its later focus on Palpatine's Project Necromancer connects it directly to Grogu and The Mandalorian . These bridges built between stories are vital to keeping a transmedia franchise like Star Wars so consistent, and The Bad Batch has done it expertly.

The Bad Batch Has Star Wars' Best Happy Ending (& Deserves It)

Happy endings are rare in star wars, & the batch's is certainly well-deserved.

Most endings in Star Wars are either sad yet hopeful or downright tragic, as seen in both Rogue One and The Clone Wars . This is what many figured for The Bad Batch , especially given the fact that these clones never make an appearance during the original trilogy. Thankfully, this isn't what Star Wars opted for with Clone Force 99. Instead, they gave the Batch their well-deserved happy ending, one that came at the cost of Tech's major sacrifice and many devastating trials and tribulations.

Hunter, Wrecker, Crosshair, and Echo all spent years fighting in the Clone Wars, quite literally being bred for war, and had to fight even more just to earn a semblance of peace after the war ended.

While happy endings also exist in Return of the Jedi and even Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker , even they don't feel quite as satisfying as this one. These happy endings are expected in their respective trilogies and stories, whereas Clone Force 99's was certainly a gamble right up to the very end . Hunter, Wrecker, Crosshair, and Echo all spent years fighting in the Clone Wars, quite literally being bred for war, and had to fight even more just to earn a semblance of peace after the war ended. At long last, they've finally earned it.

This proves that The Bad Batch 's ending is simply perfect, and it's a major part of why this animated Star Wars TV show is my favorite. Though the reality of Tech's true death and sacrifice is still hard to swallow, it's honored in the way the characters pay tribute to him and earn the life Tech wanted for them all on Pabu. From beginning to end, there isn't a single moment in The Bad Batch that I don't thoroughly enjoy, which will make this one of my hardest yet most meaningful Star Wars goodbyes yet.

Star Wars: The Bad Batch

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