The Trouble With Tribbles - S2-E15
Trivia: Prop master Jim Rugg "animated" the tribbles by inserting wind-up toys under their fur to make them crawl, and by supplying some with small balloons and concealed air hoses, making them appear to breathe.
The Trouble With Tribbles - S2-E15
Trivia: One week after shooting, William Campbell (the Klingon captain) returned to the set and collected some of the Tribbles for children in his neighbourhood. But when the episode was eventually aired, he was swamped by requests for Tribbles.
The Trouble With Tribbles - S2-E15
Trivia: The intention of introducing the Klingon Capt. Koloth was to bring in a counterpart and recurring adversary for Kirk, but that intention was never carried out.
The Trouble With Tribbles - S2-E15
Trivia: According to the screenwriter David Gerrold, the producers of the show noticed a similarity of the plot line and story concept to Robert A. Heinlein's story "The Rolling Stones" and asked Heinlein for permission to use the idea. Heinlein asked for an autographed copy of the script, but otherwise did not object, noting that both stories owed something to the Ellis Parker Butler's 1905 short story "Pigs is Pigs" and perhaps "Noah". (Source "The Trouble With Tribbles: the birth, sale and final production of one episode" by David Gerrold).
The Trouble With Tribbles - S2-E15
Trivia: Stanley Adams, who appears in this episode as Cyrano Jones the tribble peddler, later co-wrote the season 3 episode "The Mark of Gideon".
The Trouble With Tribbles - S2-E15
Trivia: This is the first time in the series the Klingon language is mentioned.
The Trouble With Tribbles - S2-E15
Trivia: Captain Koloth was played by William Campbell, who also played the fan favorite Trelane in "The Squire of Gothos." Almost twenty-seven years later, he reprised the role of Koloth in the DS9 episode "Blood Oath."
Answer: Kirk was getting his physical and Dr. McCoy probably turned off communications, because if he hadn't, Kirk would have left and headed straight for the bridge, leaving McCoy irritated.