A Piece of the Action

Star Trek is often very cheesy and/or campy. That's part of what I and many other fans love about it. But it's difficult to say how aware Gene Roddenberry and crew were of just how cheesy/campy it often was, because occasionally, they did a show, like A Piece of the Action, where they're clearly trying to be cheesy/campy, and on top of the strong dose that's ordinarily there, these shows become very over the top--and very fun. A Piece of the Action may not win the award for the campiest show of the lot, but it at least ties--no other episode could trump this one. Well, not unless it's holding three Queens on a Wednesday night in October when the moon is full.

The Enterprise responds to a call from another ship 100 years after the fact, because the call was made from "old fashioned" radio. One hundred years ago, there was no Prime Directive (the Starfleet philosophy of putative non-interference with explored cultures), and the previous ship left a large tome behind--a study of the Mafia in Chicago in the 1920s. Unfortunately, the culture they left to deal with this alien text was highly adaptive and imitative. When the Enterprise crew happens upon them, they're in a near-anarchic state, ruled only by warring gang bosses.

The idea of such a highly imitative culture is an extremely interesting one with a lot of clout philosophically and scientifically, which makes it surprising that it's not been explored more in science fiction. Here, in addition to weightier ideas, it also provides a perfect staging ground for a wacky episode of Star Trek where Kirk and Spock get to don flashy pin-stripe suits, tote around machine guns, and for the coup de grace--speak in ridiculous, affected gangster accents. It's particularly funny to see Spock try to fit the act, although not surprisingly, Leonard Nimoy doesn't ham it up as much as William Shatner does.

The amusement doesn't end there. There's a running-down-the-hallway-in-and-out-of-closed-doors-styled cat and mouse game as Kirk, Spock and McCoy bounce back and forth from the Enterprise to the planet surface, and in and out of custody of two different gang bosses. Kirk, who is always amusing for off-the-cuff scheming, comes up with some doozies here, including a very funny card game. The make-it-up-as-you-go-along aesthetic permeates the episode, all the way to what's probably the most ridiculous jokey closing banter of the series.

Although it has influences and precedents, including Star Trek itself--in the Season 1 episode, City on the Edge of Forever--and it has maybe influenced other, later works--I couldn't stop thinking of the computer game, Mafia, which I just finished playing a couple weeks ago, A Piece of the Action has a very enjoyable, unusual, tongue-in-cheek and slightly crazy approach to this material. Even if you don't watch every episode of the original series, make sure you see this one for a taste of comic relief.

This was a good comedy in season 2. While not fully on par with 'The Trouble with Tribbles', it is a close second. It was hilarious to see Kirk talking like a gangster, then setting up a mob syndicate--to stop a spate of out of control gangland shootings--and negotiating the Federation's 40% 'cut' or share from the syndicate. Kirk later unconvincingly justifies to Spock that the money will be directed towards an ethical fund to guide the Iotians to a more normal existence...that is until he learns that Dr McCoy lost his tricked back on Sigma Iotia II which means the Iotians might demand a piece of the Federation's action in the future!

Great comedy and hilarious acting throughout. Of course, Kirk is only sorting out the mess that the last Federation starship, the USS Horizon, created 100 years ago before the prime directive came into effect. The Horizon's crew left behind several publications including a book on Chicago Mobs in the 1920's which the intelligent Iotians quickly imitated. This was really Star Trek's last comedy episode since season three started with Fred Freiberger who was a 'serious' science fiction producer. Virtually all season 3 Trek episodes are devoid of comedy.

The Enterprise crew arrives at a planet a hundred years after another ship arrived there. The Iotians are an imitative race and have patterned their culture after the 1920's gangster culture of the U. S. This happened because someone left a book on he planet outlining the gangland characters. This has become their Bible. There is a battle going on for territory as the factions put hits on each other. The joy of the episode is watching Kirk and Spock try to adapt to the society without encroaching on he prime directive. There are great scenes as Kirk, and even more ridiculously, Spock try to mimic the dialect and nomenclature of the time. There is the priceless scene the two attempting to drive a flivver. Kirk jerks along, not quite getting the hang of the clutch, and Spock tells him he is a great captain but a horrible, dangerous driver. The guys need to meet the gang bosses on their own level, but what is this. Anyway, it is great fun and one of the most memorable in the series. One other thing, Kirk and Spock look great in those zoot suits.

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.

This second season episode of "Star Trek," lays on the goofy qualities a bit thick at times! William Shatner hams it up shamelessly in his attempts to imitate a gangster after he and his party land on a planet that resembles 1920s Chicago. I can't recall seeing Kirk and Spock dressed in 1920s suits very often. This is harmless fun, to be fair. The cast look as though they are having a good time and that's one way of encouraging the viewers to do the same. It's best to switch off the brain when seeing this.