Star Trek: The Original Series
"A Piece of the Action"
Air date: 1/12/1968
Teleplay by David P. Harmon and Gene L. Coon
Story by David P. Harmon
Directed by James Komack
Review by Jamahl Epsicokhan
A Prime Directive issue becomes a lively comic piece when the landing party beams down to a planet to correct the social damage inflicted upon the culture, which is based on the Chicago gangsters of the 1920s because of a single book left behind by a Federation starship a century before.
Unfortunately, after beaming down, Kirk & Co. constantly find themselves on the business end of several machine guns, in the middle of the war between leading gangsters Bela Oxmyx (Anthony Caruso) and Jojo Krako (Victor Tayback), who both want a supply of Kirk's "heaters" (phasers).
The running gag of Kirk and Spock getting guns pulled on them proves quite amusing; every time it looks like they've gained the upper hand, ka-chack—two more goons with guns. Meanwhile, we get to see Kirk and Spock in gangster suits, a hilarious game of "Fizzbin," Spock saying "Check!", and Kirk in full role-playing mode, chewing the scenery in some genuinely funny scenes as he tries to work out everybody's piece of the action. It's an enjoyable gem with sharp dialog and good timing, as well as an undercurrent that still manages to say something relevant about intervening in other societies.
Previous episode: The Gamesters of Triskelion
Next episode: The Immunity Syndrome
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44 comments on this post
Thu, May 2, 2013, 2:03pm (UTC -6)
Sat, Jan 4, 2014, 4:28pm (UTC -6)
Wed, Apr 9, 2014, 10:17pm (UTC -6)
Wed, Jun 4, 2014, 7:35pm (UTC -6)
Mon, Aug 11, 2014, 12:34am (UTC -6)
Of course, for all we know, Iotia was already mostly a parallel for 20th century Earth before Horizon visited. Wouldn't be the first time.
Tue, Mar 3, 2015, 9:53am (UTC -6)
Kirk's on the blower -- sorry, communicator -- to Scotty and he's outlining the telephone-transporter scam about to be pulled.
Camera angle is on Scotty standing next to the captain's chair, Uhura visible behind him at her console.
As Kirk outlines the scam and what it entails from the Enterprise's end, Scotty's not quite catching on -- but Uhura is. And the delighted and satisfied grin that slowly spreads across Uhura's face is priceless.
Thu, Jan 14, 2016, 4:09am (UTC -6)
Mon, Dec 5, 2016, 8:28pm (UTC -6)
Tue, Jan 31, 2017, 9:14pm (UTC -6)
Don't get me wrong, there's obviously a giant logical leap here. One would assume the book left behind didn't have so much detail as to describe the suits, the accents, the intricacies of how Tommy guns work, to say nothing of 1920s style and architecture. And the throwaway line that the aliens are very imitative still makes it hard to swallow that they would radically change that much. But who cares? It set up an interesting plot, so I can willingly suspend disbelief for the sake of the action.
On the Prime Directive side, this works better than the "dying peoples" storylines. We see how something as simple as a book can contaminate a culture. Yes, this is an extreme example, but if they assumed that that book was how the Federation actually operated, and they saw how advanced the Federation actually was, maybe they would try to incorporate those ideals into their life. It's interesting, too, that the problem isn't actually interference in this case, but rather limited interference. If the Horizon stayed behind and talked to the Iotians more, they would certainly explain to them that this culture is just one of many that sprung up on Earth, that was a short lived culture, and is certainly not one that should be emulated. If the Federation decided to be fully invested in this planet (as they are after Kirk's visit), then there could certainly be some positive ramifications. But a fly-by visit? We can see how the lack of full communication could cause the other culture to get some wrong ideas. And so one could argue that unless the Federation was interested in a permanent presence on this planet, it is better to simply stay away entirely. It does not fully justify the Prime Directive, but that's ok. It tells one little piece of the Prime Directive story, and does it well.
And one reason why it does it well is because it's in the background. We don't get into a philosophical debate on the PD like what seems to happen too often. Instead, the situation is presented simply: these people were contaminated, and we can see pretty quickly that the contamination is a negative. Instead, the plot is, besides all the twists and turns of who has the drop on who, about Kirk trying to find a way past this mess and to get it to work. I'm a bit confused about wanderer's statement that there was no resolution; I thought the resolution was very clever. We saw that scene where the two women complain about services while pointing out that they pay their cut. It showed Kirk that, as messed up as the situation is, the Iotians were making it work somehow, and that things were still functioning. It showed that the mob bosses were actually performing as a government. We also see that both Oksmyx and Krako did have grander aspirations, and we could see why Kirk thought he could use them. And naturally, given the reverence the people had for The Book, any reversion to normal would have to be gradual. Kirk couldn't just give a speech and expect everyone to abandon their ways. So his subtle solution, to basically declare that he is the top mob boss and that the rest of them would have to work together to give him his cut, serves the primary purpose of unifying the people and stopping all the "hits". The secondary goal, moving away from a gangster culture, would take more time, and Kirk even got a head start on it by basically creating a tax that would be reinvested in changing their status. I'm not necessarily on board with the solution, but it is in fact a resolution to the story. And a good one. It solved both of the two major plot issues (Kirk must fix what once was wrong, and Kirk must outwit the two mob bosses) quite effectively.
And yeah, it was funny. Shatner, Nimoy, everyone seemed to be at their best here. The levity involved made the obviously silly concept a lot of fun to watch, and the jokes and humorous moments hold up well I think. I even like Spock's grimace at the end when Kirk declares that his solution was completely logical. Like he didn't want to admit Kirk might have had a point. Especially since he was probably embarrassed about the whole outing the entire time. Well, he may have been mortified at having to dress as a gangster and talk in slang, but his loss was our gain.
Fri, May 26, 2017, 3:10pm (UTC -6)
Great how Kirk/Spock start talking like the gangsters and Spock tries adapting. Some convincing supporting roles from Oxmyx/Krakow etc. Good script / good acting.
Ultimately, I'm not sure what Kirk and the crew accomplish with the Iotians but it's one of those episodes with some suspension of belief and flexibility with the PD that is a success.
This one is full value for 3 stars out of 4. Not quite on the level of Tribbles but plenty of comedy gold that shows what TOS could do.
Thu, Nov 2, 2017, 9:13pm (UTC -6)
The scene of Spock fussing at Kirk for his driving gets me in stitches just about every time; it feels so genuine and unforced. The fish-out-of-water comedy of watching the crew muck about Iotia's gangster society is great, but it especially gets funny when Kirk and Spock start playing along as gangsters themselves. The slang, patter, and dialogue (love the use of "Feds" for the Fedaration) are especially good in this show.
Despite all of the silliness, there's a serious kernel to the story, as the crew embarks on a mission to identify and remove cultural contamination left behind by the USS Horizon in violation of the prime directive. That the contamination turns out to be a book on 1920s Chicago gangs is a nifty twist, giving us a society that resembles what the US would have looked like ruled by mafia gangs. The final throwaway moment where McCoy realizes he may have left his tech behind leaves the show on a sober note, as we can only imagine what a culture that treated a "Chicago gangs" book as its holy Bible will do with a communicator, but the sublime chemistry of the whole cast (including great guest roles here for the mobsters, molls, ad other Iotians) is the real scene-stealer here.
It's a great Kirk-Spock showcase too: From Kirk's "Fizzbin" improv and put-on mob boss persona to Spock's reluctant embrace of a gangster accent, we see the two leads at their most iconic here. McCoy is a bit more along for the ride in this one, and the other regulars (Uhura, Chekov) barely register. But that's okay because the Kirk-Spock chemistry feels so natural, seamless, and entertaining; it's a good bromance story for their friendship.
Mon, Jan 8, 2018, 1:03pm (UTC -6)
Tue, Jan 9, 2018, 3:28am (UTC -6)
Tue, Mar 13, 2018, 5:07pm (UTC -6)
Thu, Dec 27, 2018, 1:35pm (UTC -6)
Thu, Apr 4, 2019, 8:10pm (UTC -6)
Sat, May 11, 2019, 7:08am (UTC -6)
Some saving graces in some funny lines, costumes and scenes, in Spock gamely trying to fit in, and in good performances.
Average overall.
Tue, Jun 4, 2019, 11:02pm (UTC -6)
Wed, Oct 23, 2019, 3:18pm (UTC -6)
Fri, Nov 1, 2019, 11:21pm (UTC -6)
Plot goes:
Sent to planet to fix mess of their interference < fixes mess < interferes again with Bone's communicator < makes a joke and laughs it off < The End
Left the way it started.
Cool. Legit just an episode of cat and mouse.
"We dont want to use our technology" ....
Uses transportation and phasers towards end.
Legit could have saved 30 minutes of "action" . Wanting those 30 minutes back thanks 😂
Fri, Jan 17, 2020, 12:34pm (UTC -6)
Sat, Feb 8, 2020, 1:10am (UTC -6)
I won't lie, this is incredibly silly and to a great extent: downright stupid.
But there's also no denying in that it's absolutely hilarious.
Sawbones, Spocko and the last scene with my favorite quote "Captain. I'm also curious as to how you propose to explain to Starfleet Command that a starship will be sent each year to collect our cut."
III / IV
Wed, Jun 3, 2020, 8:18am (UTC -6)
Wed, Jun 3, 2020, 9:53am (UTC -6)
Sun, Aug 30, 2020, 7:17pm (UTC -6)
Sat, Dec 19, 2020, 11:38am (UTC -6)
Could it be that The Orville is Star Trek's true heir in the modern era?
Sat, Dec 19, 2020, 2:19pm (UTC -6)
While the Orville takes it's visual cues from TNG, it is actually closer to TOS in spirit.
Sat, Dec 19, 2020, 3:38pm (UTC -6)
Both of you have a good point.
TOS wasn't afraid to mix in different elements to build and release tension. The comedy often elevates the seriousness of what surrounds it.
Fri, Apr 16, 2021, 2:35am (UTC -6)
Sure, there is little to reflect on, no great talking points, but if you accept it on its own lighthearted terms, it’s ¾ of an hour that flies by and provides laughs galore.
3 stars, maybe slightly more.
Fri, Apr 16, 2021, 1:42pm (UTC -6)
I wanted to give this episode more than a 6 but it has no sci-fi theme & no moral dilemma. It doesn't make you think but it's a fun episode with lots of action. Kirk learning to drive was great. At one point Scotty set the ship's phasers to stun & took out a block, I've never seen this used again in Star Trek but it sure would have been useful. In the first draft script there were Romulans in this episode which I think would have been better. The first use of a site to site transport was in this episode.
Wed, Apr 6, 2022, 7:29pm (UTC -6)
Sat, Dec 24, 2022, 8:44pm (UTC -6)
Spock: Captain, perhaps we should purloin a taxi ---
Kirk: Nooo, that's just what they'd be expecting us to do.
I wonder if some fan-novel has been done describing the book-bering Horizon's first encounter with Iotia.
Sun, Jan 8, 2023, 4:28pm (UTC -6)
Sun, Jan 8, 2023, 7:22pm (UTC -6)
Mon, Jan 9, 2023, 7:52am (UTC -6)
There are obvious parallels to The Book and The Bible. Not so much its content (although like a treatise about Mob Chicago in the 1920’s, the Bible has plenty of murder, thievery, greed and fornication for sure) as much as its legions of faithful followers and the way they approach it. It’s also interesting how Kirk fixes the planet’s cultural contamination in a way that adheres coherently and strictly to that very contamination’s own “rules.” He never once attacks the Sigma Iotians for what they believe. He simply accepts their belief system and finds a way to cleverly manipulate them into making improvements that still follow The Book’s logic.
While this episode isn’t as madcap or funny as “Mirror Mirror” or “The Trouble With Tribbles,” it’s entertaining. It has some great lines, some reliably hammy acting by William Shatner (his Chicago accent isn’t half bad), priceless Leonard Nimoy reaction shots, and even playfully goofy character names--I’m sorry, but I can’t hear Krako’s without thinking it’s “Crack Ho.” There are times that it tries too hard (Fizzbin) and gets repetitive (we get it--mob bosses are murderously funny, pardon the pun).
Is it oversimplified? You betcha, pally. You’d think there would be one or two “factions” or villages on the planet that wouldn’t be subscribing to The Book. An entire population all in full agreement about enacting the roleplay and its real-life executions (pun intended this time) involving murder, gambling and illicit commerce is intellectually hard to believe, but this quirk of Star Trek (ten to twenty people representing an entire cohesive civilization) is certainly not unique to this episode. And I’m willing to hand-wave this away as a nitpick anyway--they’re aliens after all. They may simply have more coherence or different approaches to stimuli than we do.
Ultimately, “A Piece of the Action” isn’t meant to be asking too much of us. Sometimes things aren’t meant to be analyzed and picked apart like a vulture’s meal. This is one of those Star Trek episodes that’s best to simply kick back and watch without much of a critical eye, to be sure. The episode’s only wish is to simply entertain us, offering us a little piece of the action ourselves vicariously.
Speak Freely:
Krako -- “What do you think, we’re stupid or something?”
Kirk -- “No, I don’t think you’re stupid. I just think your behavior is arrested.”
Krako -- “I haven’t been arrested in my whole life!”
My Grade: B-
Mon, Jan 9, 2023, 11:15am (UTC -6)
So for me, it works perfectly. I like how the story arc is based on Murphy’s law… every time Kirk et al. apparently manage to get out of the mess, something else goes wrong, and in the final scene, the problem they have just solved starts again. I love the humour and the wordplay… the dialogue is crackling with puns and jokes and hilarious misunderstandings (Kirk: “No, I don't think you're stupid. I just think your behaviour is arrested.” - Krako: “I haven't been arrested in my whole life!”).
There are many great character moments which manage to be funny without making fun of the characters: such as Spock bravely struggling with the illogic of the situation and everyone around him, or Kirk learning to drive (which is particularly hilarious since in "The Doomsday Machine" we’ve seen him pilot a wrecked starship single-handedly, but then, realistically, how should he know how to drive a 20th century car?).
And there are countless funny little details. Just to name a few: when I recently watched the episode, I noticed that in the showdown scene in Oxmyx’s office, the two men Kirk and Spock have disrobed earlier are still in their underwear… and I love the bit when Oxmyx first uses the communicator to call the Enterprise; he looks up at the ceiling as if expecting to see the ship there, and that glance, full of amazement and suspicion, cracks me up every time. Which brings me to praise the acting which really elevates the episode; this could have been just another dress-up episode, but everyone’s just having so much fun, it’s infectious…
Thu, Jan 26, 2023, 4:55am (UTC -6)
THe feeling-superior civilization demands in name of its civilizing mission a "percentage" of the output, compels it by superior firepower intimidation, and rules through clients from the local tyrant elite.
Fri, Jun 16, 2023, 6:30am (UTC -6)
Fri, Jun 16, 2023, 9:25am (UTC -6)
Mon, Jul 3, 2023, 12:56pm (UTC -6)
Mon, Jul 10, 2023, 8:04am (UTC -6)
I will say that this might be the first real “prime directive” outing. The PD has been alluded to and mentioned plenty, but here it’s really the central issue, and this episode tries in its own goofy way to explain the core reasoning behind the non-interference policy. Whether that explanation is satisfactory or not remains quite debatable.
Not much else to really dig into. It’s fun to see our crew in 1920s attire, especially Spock. The fizzbin bit was pretty funny, as was the driving sequence. And who knew that the enterprise’s phasers had a stun setting? Sorta weird. Also McCoy leaving his communicator behind, and the communicator having some sort of miracle tech that was the secret sauce of all federation technology seemed an odd beat to end on.
3/4 heaters.
Mon, Oct 30, 2023, 6:22am (UTC -6)
Still far-fetched, but it is the nature of speculative fiction to stretch the boundaries of imagination, and I don't find this a particularly unfair or lazy way of doing that. I'm comfortable giving the writers the premise.
Interestingly, this premise also gives us "gangsters" who, strangely, do not come across as unethical, just as having an ethical system confused by messed up conscience formation. They are devoutly, almost piously, committed to the "standards" they believe they have been given by a higher power.
It's not presented as a theistic religion as if they considered the past visitors gods or emissaries of gods, but even without any metaphysical underpinnings, their devotion to their planet's way of life as laid out in "The Book" is quasi-religious. It is quite literally sacred to them, and the people who have risen to positions of power are not the ones who have flouted the cultural values they all espouse, but the ones who have embraced them most firmly. Of how many of our own leaders in politics and industry could our society say the same?
The fact that they are not acting out of amoral or outright immoral selfishness makes it seem plausible that with a little help from the Federation, they may be able to grow into a more peaceful, healthy civilization.
It also helps, of course, that we as the viewers see only cartoonish violence. Despite all the guns being pointed and even fired, as I recall, I don't think we see anyone actually killed, and the "cute kid" is not seen using his knife in a deadly fight with a playmate. I've never been 100% clear on whether the "real" violence in their society is supposed to happen offscreen, or we are supposed to think that they are only imitating the outer trappings of a violent society. Maybe we can choose to imagine that they don't understand that the gangsters in "The Book" ever actually hurt anyone.
However, when Kirk has the Enterprise stun dozens of people in the street, they immediately get the concept that those people could be dead, and their assumption is that they are. (Kirk tells them they are not, but just as easily could have been.) That, at least to me, suggests that this is an extremely violent society, in which many people do not die of natural causes.
Mon, Oct 30, 2023, 12:24pm (UTC -6)
I really like your observation that the book is like a Bible to them, and that their devotion to it is pious. I think the book being biblical to them is intentional in the writing, but I never thought about how devoted their are to it and what that means about their leaders. I took it for granted that they are an "imitative people" and assumed their devotion was a sign of naivete or even ridiculous literalness. It's cool to consider that it may actually be a hidden virtue.
Mon, Oct 30, 2023, 6:51pm (UTC -6)
I think (as a religious person myself) I picked up on it from the time I first saw the episode as a child, but it has taken me many viewings over the course of many years to grasp the paradox of it all. These men are devoutly living a life in conformity with their culture's values that, in the history they are trying to imitate, was far from devout and very much not conformist. Perhaps their society does have a few impious nonconformists (whom we don't meet), but if so, they are probably not in gun-toting gangs. They're probably off quietly growing vegetables or something.
I have always wondered how this kind of culture ended up with anyone doing necessary, nonviolent tasks like growing food and manufacturing everything (including guns), but then, I wonder that about Klingons, too.
But I'll tell you, if most of their farmers (unlike the hippie nonconformists) buy into the accepted system, then I can certainly imagine them willingly handing over a set percentage of every harvest so the gangsters can "give the Federation their cut." After all, the Federation is stronger than any gang on the planet, and The Book tells them that the strongest are entitled to a "piece of the action." If that action is growing potatoes, well, there you go. They might not enjoy handing over a few bushels, but they'd probably do it without complaint, even considering it a genuinely sacred duty.
It's a strange world, but somehow it hangs together.
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