10 Star Trek Moments That Always Make You Smile
9. Trials And Tribble-Ations
If there were a phaser placed to your head, and you were ordered to pick one moment from this episode that makes you smile more than any other, whatever you chose, this writer will tell you that you’re right. It’s one of ‘those’ episodes, one that is concerned only with sharing a bit of joy in the universe. The fact that it pops up in a series that generally took itself so seriously only adds to the fun.
What a celebration this was of thirty years of Star Trek, merging two iterations of the universe together, playing with nostalgia the whole time.
If one picked the Klingon bar fight, they’d be right. If one picked Dax fancying Spock in the hallway, they’d be right. But for this entry, there is a moment that stands out in a heartwarming and beautiful way (and full disclosure, this theme may be repeated later on this list).
The entire incident is an accident, caused by a man who wants nothing more than to punish James T. Kirk for his own humiliation. Instead, he gives a 24th Century Starfleet crew the chance to say hi their 23rd Century forebears. This is epitomised on the bridge when, just before the Defiant returns home, Captain Sisko takes the opportunity to meet Captain Kirk.
Even Sisko knows that it might have a step too far over the temporal prime directive's lines, but as those agents assert, they would probably have done the same thing themselves. We know that we would have too.