During the original run I think this was either my favorite or possibly second favorite episode in the entire show. And fortunately it has aged quite well. This is especially fun since it doesn't seem all that long ago that I was watching the first two tribble episodes and this feels like a nice conclusion. The effects of inserting the crew into the original episode actually work quite well. This is also one of those rare times where it is apparent how awesome it is to have a character with memories going back hundreds of years. This also introduces the Temporal Investigation Agency who I feel like make at least one more appearance, but I don't remember in what episode. It seems like if they existed they should have shown up when Sisko inserted himself into history as a critical civil rights leader, but I guess the writers didn't have the idea yet.
The episode opens with the two Temporal Investigation agents showing up to question Sisko about an incident with the Defiant. They aren't interested in any jokes about time or time travel, not that this stops the crew from trying. It seems they were on a mission to retrieve a Bajoran orb from Cardassia with a human passenger who had been trapped on Cardassia after the war started. While warping home they suddenly go to plaid and discover they have traveled a great distance in both time and space. They encounter the original USS Enterprise (well, the original Trek version, there have been a lot of other types of ship with that name) in orbit around station K-7. It seems where human passenger was in fact Arne Darvin, the Klingon agent altered to look human from the original episode. Somehow he has already beamed to station K-7 and they all assume correctly he is trying to get revenge on Kirk.
They beam over and get into all sorts of hi-jinks before finally catching Mr. Darvin, but it is too late, he hid a bomb inside a tribble intent on killing Kirk. I am not going to go through all the gags and bits in this episode, just go watch it, almost all of them work out great. They eventually find the bomb in the grain hopper full of tribbles that fall onto Kirks head and beam it into space just in time. Before leaving Sisko shakes Kirks hand and tells him what a pleasure it has been to serve with him. This seems to satisfy the Temporal Investigation agents who somehow miss that the station is now infested with tribbles.
Review: Much like the original episode this is about as comedic as they get in any part of Trek. Luckily everyone seemed to be working well both in writing, effects and acting making this a real pleasure to watch.
9 out of 10
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