Jeri Ryan's Favorite Star Trek Episode Is A Classic Original Series Adventure

Jeri Ryan isn't just a "Star Trek" icon, she's a fan. And the actress behind Seven of Nine apparently appreciates a good comedic installment in the vast sci-fi franchise. 

Ryan, who played the rescued and dissimilated former Borg on "Star Trek: Voyager" and later resumed the role on "Star Trek: Picard" — shared her personal "Star Trek: The Original Series" favorite with Variety in 2016. Her selection? The "Star Trek: The Original Series" Season 2 episode "The Trouble with Tribbles." 

"In all honesty, I only ever saw a few episodes of the original series," Ryan admitted. "But how could anyone not love Tribbles? The furry little buggers were exactly what little-girl-me wanted to have, let alone watch on TV."

Jeri Ryan isn't alone in her appreciation of "The Trouble with Tribbles." In the same Variety article, astrophysicist and "Star Trek" superfan Neil DeGrasse Tyson also mentions it as a personal favorite, and the episode also made its way on our list of most memorable "Star Trek" moments.

One of the most clearly comedy-tinged episodes of the original show, "The Trouble with Tribbles" sees the USS Enterprise traveling to a deep space station in order to begrudgingly participate on a guarding mission that Captain Kirk (William Shatner) thinks is a gross misuse of the ship's time and resources. Things almost immediately go south when a Klingon ship also travels to the station, and the two vessels' crews are sent to shore leave. The inevitable butting of heads and the episode's overarching plot of a poisoned grain shipment provide plenty of entertaining moments, but it's the tribbles that steal the show. Brought on the station by a man called Cyrano Jones (Stanley Adams), these cute balls of fur procreate at an absurd rate, which threatens to overwhelm both the station and the Enterprise. Fortunately, their instinctual dislike of Klingons — even disguised ones — proves to be crucial in solving the episode's central mystery.

Understandably, the fluffy little tribbles resonated with the fandom. Though the franchise has used them sparingly, the tribbles have turned up in various "Star Trek" shows over the years — perhaps most notably in the must-watch "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine" Season 5 episode "Trials and Tribble-ations."