Two reviewers watched the episode for Tor.com in 2010. Torie Atkinson described "Trials and Tribble-ations" as a "perfect episode", and "one of the best "Star Trek" episodes ever made, in any series." She praised the humor and the references, and found Dax as a stand-in for fans of "The Original Series". She gave the episode a score of six out of six. Eugene Myers wasn't disappointed following the hype about the episode, saying that it was "steeped in nostalgia". He thought that the bomb-in-a-tribble plot was ingenious and allowed the episode to step outside of merely being good due to the success of "The Trouble with Tribbles". His favorite scene was the constant stream of tribbles hitting Kirk on the head because Sisko and Dax were throwing them out of the grain compartment while looking for the bomb. He also gave the episode a score of six out of six. Keith R.A. DeCandido reviewed the episode for Tor.com in 2014; he also gave the episode a favorable review, with a score of 10 out of 10.