More Tribbles , More Troubles ( episode ) While escorting a shipment of grain to Sherman ' s Planet , the " Enterprise " encounters three " old friends " : Koloth , Cyrano Jones – and tribbles ! Summary . Lieutenant Sulu confirms that the vessel is a Klingon ship , rapidly closing in on its target , a one - man Federation scout ship of common design . Captain Kirk hail s the Klingon battle cruiser after it begins firing on the scoutship , demanding that they identify themselves . After receiving no response , Kirk orders the " Enterprise " to pursue at warp 6 . While the " Enterprise " attempts to get within transporter range , the scoutship continues to dodge several volleys of Klingon weapons fire . Kirk again demands the Klingon battle cruiser to identify itself , stating that it is violating Federation space . The battle cruiser attacks the scout ship with another volley of weapons fire , and Kirk orders the " Enterprise " to raise deflector shield s and to arm all phaser s . The " Enterprise " increases to warp 8 , still demanding that the Klingon vessel stand down . The cruiser continues to fire on the scout ship as Scotty transports the occupant just as the scout ship explodes . Meanwhile , the Klingon cruiser turns its attention to the " Enterprise . " The " Enterprise " automatically goes to red alert moments before the Klingons utilize their new weapon – identified by Spock as some sort of field effect that produces a most remarkable disruption . As a result of the first shot , the " Enterprise " s engines go dead – further analysis of the weapon determines it to be a projected stasis field , which paralyzed the " Enterprise " by disabling its matter / antimatter generators . Kirk attempts to return fire , but the ship ' s phasers , as well as its photon torpedo es are also disabled . Spock concludes that the weapon is capable of disabling all higher order field and warp functions . Spock surmises that this new Klingon weapon must be one of surprising power if it can immobilize a starship and that the energy drain on the Klingon vessel must be enormous . Scotty , meanwhile , is still attempting , from the transporter console , to materialize the scout ship pilot , who is still stuck in mid - transport , due to interference from the Klingon attack . The Klingon ship , commanded by Captain Koloth hails the " Enterprise " . Kirk demands to Koloth that he release his ship ; Koloth , in turn , demands that Kirk hand over the scoutship pilot . However , because the craft was Federation - built , its pilot is under Kirk ' s protection . Koloth explains that the pilot has committed ecological sabotage ( which crime he does not immediately explain ) , and that if he has to take him by force , he will . " " The first Klingon to step aboard this ship will be the " last " Klingon , " " Kirk defiantly states . Uhura breaks in and informs Spock and Kirk that she is losing contact with the robot - ships because they were moving out of range , having not been affected by the stasis field . Realizing that they still have control of the ships , Kirk breaks off communication with Koloth and orders Sulu to bring them back and have them ram the Klingon ship from different angles . Spock reminds Kirk that he cannot afford to lose that grain , but Kirk tells his first officer that he can afford less to lose the " Enterprise " . Kirk re - establishes contact with Koloth ' s ship and again demands that he release the " Enterprise " . Koloth catches on to Kirk ' s plan and fires the stasis fields at both approaching ships ; but his ship ' s power is now overextended , as it attempts to hold three ships at once in stasis . Suddenly the stasis field releases the " Enterprise " and Koloth ' s ship fires at one of the robot ships , disabling it by destroying its nacelle s . Koloth ' s ship veers off , as their power cells are almost exhausted . With the Klingons gone , Scotty is finally able to re - integrate the scout ship pilot in the transporter . Dr . McCoy , Spock and Kirk arrive in the transporter room just as the pilot materialize , revealing Cyrano Jones , and a transporter pad full of tribble s . Jones greets " friend Kirk , " only to get a bitter reply reminding him about breaking the law by transporting animals proven harmful . Jones declares that " these " are safe tribbles , as they are incapable of reproducing . Jones had them genetically engineered for compatibility with humanoid ecology . Kirk inquires as to why he left Space Station K - 7 , knowing full well he could not have cleaned up all the tribbles there by now . Jones reveals that he found some help , a tribble predator , called a " glommer " . Kirk then inquires as to why the Klingons were chasing him , to which Jones replies " " How should I know ? Klingons have notoriously bad tempers . " " Kirk brought up Koloth ' s mention of " ecological sabotage , " to which Jones stumbles around until he confesses that he sold tribbles on a Klingon planet , but claims not to have known that it was a Klingon planet . Kirk states to Jones that according to Federation computer files , he was in violation of three Federation mandates and forty - seven local ones . Kirk confines Jones until they complete their mission , after which , he will be turned over to the proper authorities . The senior staff conducts a meeting in the briefing room where McCoy confirms Jones ' claim that the new tribbles don ' t reproduce ; " " They just get fat . " " Kirk is more concerned about this new Klingon weapon . Spock explains that it is an energy - sapping field of great strength . It immobilizes a starship and its weapons capability , but apparently it also renders the projecting ship nearly helpless at the same time . Despite the practical disadvantage the weapon poses to the Klingons , it does have logic al applications . The key question is " " How long does it take to recharge ? " " Concerned that the Klingons will attempt to destroy the remaining robot ship when they return , Kirk inquires to the status of the first damaged ship . Scotty notes that they have transported all the grain off the ship and onto the " Enterprise " , severely limiting them . Her shuttlebay , extra cargo hold s and corridor s were overfilled with barrels of grain . Back on the bridge , the ships sensors detect the Klingon battle cruiser once again . Kirk orders the other robot - ship to change course and act as a decoy as the " Enterprise " begins evasive maneuvers . The Klingon cruiser veers off and attacks the robot - ship , disabling its nacelles as well . The cruiser changes course back to the " Enterprise " , and fires upon her . As a result of the attack , the grain barrels in the corridors of the " Enterprise " break open . The tribbles , roaming freely around the ship begin to eat the spilled grain , growing immensely fatter in size . They grow too large , in fact , for the glommer , which is also roaming freely through the corridors , to effectively devour the tribbles . The " Enterprise " returns fire on Koloth ' s ship , which quickly withdraws . With the second robot grain - ship also disabled , Kirk is forced to use a tractor beam to tow the vessel . Spock fears this was Koloth ' s intention all along – as he forced the " Enterprise " to expend additional power to tow the robot ship . Scott warns Kirk that that is not his only problem , as the tribbles were eating all the grain in the corridors from the broken containers . Alarmed , Kirk requests that Cyrano Jones is to report to the bridge immediately . Jones arrives on the bridge and innocently offers Kirk some Spican flame gem s . Kirk explains that " his " tribbles are all over the ship and that his security men cannot find them all – and worse , they are eating the quintotriticale . Koloth ' s battle cruiser once again returns , forcing Kirk to release the robot ship and prepare for battle . The " Enterprise " fires a photon torpedo moments before Koloth fires his stasis field . The field and the torpedo cross paths , and the torpedo is destroyed and the " Enterprise " becomes caught in its path as well . Koloth once again hails Kirk , stating that he will be taking control of his ship now and demanding the release of Jones . Koloth orders Korax to implement " Boarding Plan C . " Meanwhile , Kirk orders Scotty to implement " Emergency Defense Plan B . " Just as the Klingon troops approach their transporter room , the door bursts open and the room fills with enormous tribbles that had been beamed over from the " Enterprise " . Kirk hails Koloth one last time and asks if he wishes to surrender . Koloth , unaware of what action had been taken against his ship , once again rejects his request . Suddenly an enormous tribble rolls through the bridge . Koloth breaks down and explains that the reason they want Cyrano Jones so badly is because he stole a Klingon genetic construct , an artificial creature from a Klingon planet , the first of its kind . Koloth demands they have the glommer back as it was designed to be a tribble predator , noting that they are even prepared to go to war if they have to . Koloth explains that they need it in order to grow more from it so that they may rid the Klingon planet that Jones sold tribbles on before they completely over - run it – and destroy its ecology , which Jones had unwittingly sabotaged . This time , now that he knows what is really at stake , Kirk concurs with Koloth ' s request and orders Scott to transport it over to the Klingon ship as well . Jones objects to Kirk ' s request , stating that under space salvage laws , the glommer is his ; however , Scott notes that a planet ' s surface is not covered by these laws , so the only way he can stay with the glommer is to be transported with it onto the Klingon ship . Jones immediately relents . Upon receiving the glommer , Koloth ' s ship releases the " Enterprise " . Despite their encounter with the new Klingon weapon , Kirk establishes that the stasis field is not as effective of a weapon as they thought . The power drain is too high , and it takes too long for the Klingon ship to recover to make it practical . McCoy , meanwhile , makes a further analysis of Jones ' s genetically engineered tribbles only to determine that it was a slipshod procedure at best . It seems that he was only able to keep them from reproducing , not slow down their metabolism . It was determined that these " giant " tribbles are in fact large colonies . Onboard Koloth ' s ship , the crew attempt to use their recovered glommer on the tribbles infesting their engine room . The door opens , and an enormous tribble stands blocking the door . Cowed from its previous failures aboard the " Enterprise " , the glommer flees in terror . Koloth orders Korax to blast it with his disruptor , and it explodes into dozens of smaller tribbles . Koloth orders Korax never to do it again . Back in the " Enterprise " s corridor , McCoy uses a simple shot of neoethylene to force the tribble colonies to break down into their individual units with a slower metabolic rate , ensuring , once and for all , " truly " safe tribbles . Kirk looks up a Jefferies Tube , tells McCoy that he missed one . But McCoy tells Kirk he did " not " miss it , and before Kirk can say anything else , he is again buried in tribbles . Kirk just stands there , up to his armpits again in tribbles and can only lament " " Someday I ' ll learn . " " Scott then tells Kirk that if they " must " have tribbles around , it ' s best if all their tribbles are little ones . Memorable quotes . " " The first Klingon to step aboard this ship will be the last Klingon . Full security alert , Mr . Spock . " " " " I ' m afraid , Captain Kirk , you will find your phasers no longer work , nor any of your weapons . " " " " I . . . think we know that man ! " " " " It appears to be . . . " " " " I don ' t want to think about it . " " " " Cyrano Jones ! " " " " And he ' s got tribbles with him . " Tribbles ! " " " Jones , how did you get away from Space Station K - 7 ? You were supposed to clean up all the tribbles there ! " " " " Oh , well , I managed a short parole ; I found some help . This is a tribble predator . It ' s called a glommer . Watch . " " " " Well , at least it ' s neat . " " " " Jim , there ' s something about these tribbles . " " " " Later , Bones ! " " " " Aren ' t you going to sit down , sir ? " " " " I think I ' ll stand . " " " " Kirk , Cyrano Jones took a Klingon genetic construct , an artificial creature , from one of our planets ! We must have it back ! It was designed to be a tribble predator ! We are prepared to go to war if we have to ! " " " " You must have others ? " " " " This was the first one , Kirk . We need it in order to grow others from it ! We need it to get rid of the tribbles Jones sold before they completely overrun the planet ! " " " " And that ' s all you want ? " " " " Jones is not that important ! We must have the glommer ! " " " " He did it to us again ! That tin - plated overbearing excuse for a starship captain did it to us again ! Blast that thing ! " " " " Any other orders , sir ? " " " " Yes : Don ' t do that again . . . ever ! " "