A Piece of the Action
- Episode aired Jan 12, 1968
- TV-PG
- 50m
IMDb RATING
7.7/10
3.9K
YOUR RATING
The crew of the Enterprise struggles to cope with a planet of imitative people who have modeled their society on 1920s gangsters.The crew of the Enterprise struggles to cope with a planet of imitative people who have modeled their society on 1920s gangsters.The crew of the Enterprise struggles to cope with a planet of imitative people who have modeled their society on 1920s gangsters.
Vic Tayback
- Krako
- (as Victor Tayback)
Steven Marlo
- Zabo
- (as Steve Marlo)
Benjie Bancroft
- Iotian Passerby
- (uncredited)
Bill Blackburn
- Lieutenant Hadley
- (uncredited)
John Blower
- Crewman Swenson
- (uncredited)
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaAfter filming wrapped, the studio received a letter from Anthony Caruso, who played Bela Oxmyx. It was a letter from "Oxmyx" thanking the crew of the Enterprise for creating the "syndicate" and things were proceeding nicely on Sigma Iotia II. As he goes on in the letter, it is now the 1950s and he is sporting a crew-cut. He also mentioned wanting to visit Las Vegas, remarking "It seems like my kind of town".
- GoofsThe two thugs are killed in the opening segment are wearing the same suits worn later by two other thugs who are made to give their clothes to Kirk and Spock.
- Alternate versionsSpecial Enhanced version Digitally Remastered with new exterior shots and remade opening theme song
- ConnectionsFeatured in William Shatner's Star Trek Memories (1995)
Featured review
Hilarious, Tongue-In-Cheek Episode
In what must be one of the funniest episodes of the series (and a great indicator of the series' intentional comedic possibilities -- brought to fruition in Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home), the Enterprise crew visits a planet that has taken a historical text on 1920s Chicago gangs as its bible. As the residents of the planet are remarkably imitative in nature, the planet's residents have divided themselves into a series of criminal gangs, two of which are headed by Bela Oxmyx (Anthony Caruso) and Jojo Kracko (Vic Tayback), and Kirk and Spock find themselves in the middle.
What makes this otherwise frivolous episode work is the fun Shatner and Nimoy have with the historical disconnect -- most notably in Kirk's efforts to drive a car (and Spock's reactions thereto) and his subsequent efforts to pick up the lingo of the planet. Needless to say, Shatner plays this for all it's worth, and Nimoy's gift for understatement complements it beautifully.
Truly a joy to watch -- just don't spend too much time analyzing it.
What makes this otherwise frivolous episode work is the fun Shatner and Nimoy have with the historical disconnect -- most notably in Kirk's efforts to drive a car (and Spock's reactions thereto) and his subsequent efforts to pick up the lingo of the planet. Needless to say, Shatner plays this for all it's worth, and Nimoy's gift for understatement complements it beautifully.
Truly a joy to watch -- just don't spend too much time analyzing it.
helpful•316
- chrstphrtully
- Jul 6, 2006
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