star trek a piece of the action car

A Piece of the Action (episode)

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Returning to a planet last visited by an Earth ship 100 years earlier, the Enterprise finds a planet that has based its culture on the Chicago gangsters of the 1920s.

• 1.2 Act One
• 1.3 Act Two
• 1.4 Act Three
• 1.5 Act Four
• 2 Log entries
• 3 Memorable quotes
• 4.1 Production timeline
• 4.2 Story and production
• 4.3 Continuity
• 4.4 Performers
• 4.5 Props and settings
• 4.6 Syndication cuts
• 4.7 Remastered information
• 4.8 Video and DVD releases
• 4.9 Apocrypha
• 4.10 Reception
• 5.1 Starring
• 5.2 Also starring
• 5.3 Guest star
• 5.4 Co-starring
• 5.5 Featuring
• 5.6 Uncredited co-stars
• 5.7 References
• 5.8 External links

Summary [ ]

" Put your hands over your head, or you ain't gonna have a head to put your hands over. "

The USS Enterprise arrives at Sigma Iotia II . This remote planet had been visited by the Horizon in 2168 , before the establishment of the non-interference directive . The Horizon was lost shortly after leaving Sigma Iotia II and Starfleet only managed to receive her radio reports nearly a century later, as the Horizon was only equipped with conventional radio.

After planetfall, Uhura informs Captain Kirk that she is in contact with an Iotian named Bela Okmyx who describes himself as " Boss ". Okmyx invites Kirk to come down to the planet's surface saying that a "reception committee" will be waiting for him upon arrival. Since the Horizon 's visit was before the Federation's Prime Directive against non-interference, Kirk, Spock and McCoy are concerned about what effects the Horizon 's crew may have had on the Iotian culture which was just beginning industrialization at the time and have a knack for imitation. The three beam down to find a culture resembling that of Chicago in the 1920s . They are immediately greeted by two men dressed as gangsters who threaten them with Tommy guns .

Act One [ ]

The landing party surrenders its standard phasers and communicators and are asking questions of the gunmen when a drive-by shooting occurs. One of the gunmen is killed; the other refers to the "hit" being committed by someone named Krako . Kirk, Spock, and McCoy are taken to Okmyx's office, where they learn that Okmyx is one of a dozen or so "Bosses" and that he has the largest territory on Iotia. The office contains a book (referred to as "The Book") published in the year 1992 titled Chicago Mobs of the Twenties . Okmyx informs Kirk, Spock, and McCoy that "The Book" was left by the crew of the Horizon , and the landing party correctly deduces that the entire Iotian culture has been formed by "This Book". Okmyx refers to the landing party as "Feds" and tells them he wants the Enterprise to furnish him with " heaters " so he can wipe out all of the other bosses and take total control of the planet. Kirk refuses and Okmyx gives him just eight hours to provide the weapons or die.

Act Two [ ]

Okmyx has the landing party taken to a warehouse under guard. He then takes one of the confiscated communicators and contacts the Enterprise . He threatens to kill the landing party unless the ship provides him with one hundred phasers (which he calls " heaters ") and troops to show him how to use them.

An angry Jojo Krako

In the warehouse the gunmen are playing cards on a makeshift table while the landing party speculates while sitting in the background about the future of the Iotian society. Spock reasons that, although Okmyx's methods may seem deplorable, his ultimate goal is what the Enterprise crew must also work for: Iotia's society must become united or it will break down completely into anarchy. Kirk feels that since a Federation vessel contaminated the culture , it's the Enterprise 's responsibility to set things right from this mess the planet's inhabitants are currently in. He distracts one of the gunmen named Kalo with a nonsensical and nonexistent card game supposedly from Beta Antares IV called " Fizzbin " which he makes up on the spot, enabling the landing party to overpower the gunmen and escape. Kirk grabs one of the mobster's Tommy gun and instructs Spock and McCoy to find the local radio station, contact the ship, and have themselves beamed aboard.

Kirk goes off by himself planning on abducting Okmyx and bringing him back to the Enterprise . He is promptly greeted by a new gunman, named Zabo , and is forced to take a ride. Kirk is taken to the office of Jojo Krako, another boss who wants to be in control of the planet. Kirk again refuses to "come across with the heaters" for Krako and is confined to a small room.

Spock uses AM radio to talk to Uhura

Spock and McCoy find the radio station. Spock incapacitated the station's operator with a Vulcan nerve pinch and they manage to contact Lieutenant Uhura and return to the ship. Shortly after, Okmyx contacts the ship through the communicator he stole and informs Spock that Krako has kidnapped Kirk. He offers to assist in getting Kirk back if Spock and McCoy will return to his office. Spock finds it difficult to trust Okmyx but decides to rather than use blatant force.

Using wire from a radio, Kirk rigs a trip line across the doorway and then yells out for help. He knocks out two gunmen and escapes with a machine gun.

In the transporter room , Spock instructs Scott to set one of the ship's phaser banks to a strong stun setting. He and McCoy then beam down to Okmyx's office where they are again met by armed hoods.

Act Three [ ]

Kirk and Spock fire phasers on the mob

Okmyx again takes them prisoner, but Kirk arrives and turns the tables. Kirk and Spock dress in the clothes of Kalo and one of Okmyx's henchmen, commandeer a car and set out to "put the bag" on Krako. They are assisted by a small boy who demands "a piece of the action" in exchange for creating a diversion. The boy poses as Kirk's son and pretends to be injured, so Kirk and Spock can incapacitate the guards. They break into Krako's headquarters and appear to be in control until Krako's men gain the upper hand.

Kirk cools his heels while in control of the mob

Act Four [ ]

Kirk tells Krako that the Federation is taking over and arranges, via an indirect order to Scotty, to have Krako beamed up to the Enterprise to show him what he's up against. They overpower Krako's men in the process and then head back to Okmyx's office where Kirk has Scott locate and transport the other Bosses including Krako. Tepo is successfully transported, though, before more are located, an argument arises and Tepo casts doubt and supposes there aren't more people than just the three "Feds" he sees.

Soon, on the street below, Krako's men try a hit on Okmyx's territory in an attempt to rescue Krako and a gunfight ensues in the street below. The landing party loses their guns once again, and Kirk has the ship fire its phasers on wide stun in the surrounding area to demonstrate their power. The mobsters are now convinced and agree to Federation control with Okmyx as the top boss and Krako as his lieutenant. They call the new structure a syndicate.

Back aboard ship, Spock has concerns about Kirk's solution of having the Federation take a 40% cut of the planet's annual "action". Kirk explains that the money will go back into the planetary treasury to help the Federation guide the Iotians into a more ethical society. Spock has his doubts as to the logic behind Kirk's plan.

McCoy is concerned because he seems to have left his communicator behind somewhere in Okmyx's office. Kirk and Spock speculate that with that kind of technology, such as the communicator's transtator in the hands of the Iotians and with their gift for imitation, the Iotians may one day want a piece of the Federation's action.

Log entries [ ]

• Ship's log, USS Enterprise (NCC-1701)

Memorable quotes [ ]

" Okay, you three, let's see you petrified. " " Sir, would you mind explaining that statement, please? " " I want to see you turn to stone. Put your hands over your head, or you ain't going to have no head to put your hands over. "

" I got the biggest in the world. You know, there's one thing wrong with having the biggest. There's always some punk trying to cut you out. "

" I’m gonna give you just eight hours to get me the things I want. If I don’t have those tools by then, I’m gonna call up your ship and have them pick you up… in a box! "

" No, I don't think you're stupid, Mister Krako. I just think your behavior is arrested. " " I haven't been arrested in my whole life! "

"Nobody helps nobody but himself." "Sir, you are employing a double negative."

" The most co-operative man in this world is a dead man. And if you don't keep your mouth shut, you're going to be co-operating. "

" Logic and practical information do not seem to apply here. " " You admit that? " " To deny the facts would be illogical, Doctor. "

" Captain, you’re an excellent starship commander. But as a taxi driver, you leave much to be desired. " " It was that bad? "

" You mind your place, mister, or you'll be wearing concrete galoshes. " " You mean cement overshoes? " " Uh… Aye. "

" Are you afraid of cars? " " Not at all, Captain. It's your driving that alarms me. "

" Mother! "

" I would advise yas to keep dialin', Okmyx. "

" Do you really think it’s that serious?!" " Serious?! Serious, Bones? It upsets the whole percentage." " How do you mean?" " Well, in a few years, the Iotians may demand…a piece of OUR action!"

Background information [ ]

Production timeline [ ].

• Series proposal " Star Trek is... ": 11 March 1964 – Mentions story idea "President Capone"
• Story outline "Chicago II" by George Clayton Johnson : April 1966
• Story outline "The Expatriates" by David P. Harmon : 8 August 1967
• First draft teleplay: 16 August 1967
• Second draft teleplay: 5 September 1967
• First draft teleplay "Mission into Chaos" by Gene L. Coon : 28 September 1967
• Revised first draft "A Piece of the Action": early- October 1967 , 25 October 1967
• Final draft teleplay by John Meredyth Lucas : 30 October 1967
• Additional revisions: 31 October 1967 , 2 November 1967 , 7 November 1967
• Day 1 – 2 November 1967 , Thursday – Desilu Stage 10 : Int. Bela's office
• Day 2 – 3 November 1967 , Friday – Desilu Stage 10 : Int. Bela's office , Warehouse
• Day 3 – 6 November 1967 , Monday – Paramount McFadden Street backlot: Ext. Bela's headquarters , City square
• Day 4 – 7 November 1967 , Tuesday – Paramount Boston Street backlot: Ext. Krako's headquarters ; Desilu Stage 11 : Int. Radio broadcasting room
• Day 5 – 8 November 1967 , Wednesday – Desilu Stage 11 : Int. Krako's headquarters , Krako's office
• Day 6 – 9 November 1967 , Thursday – Desilu Stage 9 : Int. Bridge , Turbolift , Transporter room
• Original airdate: 12 January 1968
• Rerun airdate: 30 August 1968
• First UK airdate (on BBC1 ): 7 September 1970
• First UK airdate (on ITV ): 26 December 1982
• Remastered airdate: 28 April 2007

Story and production [ ]

• Gene Roddenberry jotted down the idea for this episode – a one-sentence synopsis titled "President Capone" – on the very first page of his very first Star Trek series proposal in 1964.
• Early in the first season , George Clayton Johnson wrote an outline based on this premise, called "The Syndicate". Roddenberry liked it, and hired Johnson to develop it further. Johnson wrote a treatment entitled "Chicago II". However, as he got occupied with developing and writing " The Man Trap ", this concept was forgotten. During the second season, then-producer Gene L. Coon discovered the treatment, and decided to use it, as he felt that, after the success of " The Trouble with Tribbles ", the series needed more comedy-themed episodes. [1]
• David P. Harmon and Coon's first draft script, entitled "Mission into Chaos" featured the Romulans trying to exploit the borderline planet Dana Iotia II, which the Federation wants to industrialize. Much to the crew's surprise, the planet is ruled by gangster bosses, based on the book Chicago Mobs of the Twenties . Kirk has to negotiate with Bela Okmyx and the other crime bosses, outsmarting the two Romulan agents, Rorek and Ramo, who try to lure Bela with sending him weapons and troops. At the end, the Iotians agreed to make a treaty, and send an ambassador to the Federation. But since every boss had a vote, they all "naturally" voted for themselves, and hence, they are all beamed aboard the Enterprise to be escorted to the diplomatic talks. [2]
• No stardate is actually logged in the episode. A stardate of 4598.0 appeared in Bjo Trimble 's Star Trek Concordance , apparently using an earlier script version, and the fotonovel provides a closing stardate 4598.7.
• The scene when Kirk puts his feet up on Krako's table and declares that now the Federation is "taking over the whole ball of wax" is reminiscent of a similar scene in Mervyn LeRoy 's classic gangster film, Little Caesar .
• This is the only episode of Star Trek: The Original Series to end in a freeze-frame.

Continuity [ ]

USS Horizon model

• The Star Trek Encyclopedia  (2nd ed., p. 195) refers to the Horizon as the Daedalus -class USS Horizon , which was later seen as a model in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine .
• This episode marks the only time in the entire Star Trek franchise that Kirk calls McCoy by his full nickname: "Sawbones."
• This is also the only episode in which the ship's phasers are set to stun . In " The Ultimate Computer ", Kirk has them set at 1/100th power.

Mayweather's hardbound copy of Chicago Gangs

• In a homage to this episode, a hard-bound copy of a book beginning with the title Chicago Gangs can be briefly glimpsed on a bookshelf in Travis Mayweather 's quarters on board the ECS Horizon in the Star Trek: Enterprise episode " Horizon ".
• This is the first episode in which a site-to-site transport is performed – although due to the events of Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home , it is not the first time from a historical perspective.
• According to the production report for the Star Trek: Enterprise episode " The Communicator ", that episode explored a premise hinted at in this episode when Dr. McCoy confessed to leaving behind his communicator on Sigma Iotia II. "The Communicator" picked up on this idea, with a far more serious tone, after Lt. Reed loses his communicator on a pre-warp planet, but he and Archer go back to retrieve it, but things do not go well. [3] (X)
• Before it was decided they would focus on the events of " The Trouble with Tribbles ", the Star Trek: Deep Space Nine writing staff toyed with the idea of the Deep Space Nine crew visiting Sigma Iotia II and finding they had all imitated the Enterprise crew and wore their uniforms . The idea even was used in The Worlds of the Federation where the Iotians were shown to have recreated much of Original Series era Federation technology of using only their understanding of the transtator. The story was to be both a comedy and a social commentary on the Trekkie phenomenon; however, it was agreed that revisiting the famous "The Trouble with Tribbles" would be more memorable. The original idea was followed up in the final issue of the Star Trek Unlimited comic book series, " A Piece of Reaction ", instead.
• Apparently Kirk and Spock failed to learn the dangers of stepping into the path of motor cars from their experience in " The City on the Edge of Forever " as they have a couple of near misses on the roads in this episode. Indeed, although the Iotian city does not look too different from 1930s New York, Kirk, McCoy and Spock act as though they've never encountered such a place outside of history books; while McCoy's time outside in New York while sane was limited, Kirk and Spock had spent a number of days in 1930s New York.

Performers [ ]

• George Takei ( Sulu ) does not appear in this episode.
• This episode contains Walter Koenig 's smallest speaking part in The Original Series , with only one line of dialogue, " Approaching Sigma Iotia II, Captain. "
• William Blackburn 's character, Hadley , is given his name in this episode. It is also the only episode in which Hadley is referred to by name.

Props and settings [ ]

• The landing party wears their number-one type phasers on their right hips, hanging vertically from their belts, emitter tubes downward. This placement is unique to this episode.
• The street seen throughout this episode is on the Paramount lot and can be seen in many television series. The steps leading up to Okmyx' headquarters were used in the Judd Hirsch series Dear John .
• The car that Kirk drove to "put the bag on Krako" had a V-12 engine, as a V-12 emblem is seen on the radiator. It was a Cadillac , probably a 1931 model. [4] Note the winged radiator cap, which Cadillacs of that vintage had. It is a nod to Chicago crime boss, Al "Scarface" Capone, who had a 1928 V-12 Cadillac. Incidentally, this represents the only time that a member of the crew ever operated any kind of land vehicle during the course of The Original Series .
• In the Star Trek: The Original Series Sketchbook (p. 133), a book on the costumes and art direction of the original series, Herb Solow shows a yellow costume for "Marlys" that he says no one can identify. It is, in fact, the costume Marlys Burdette wore in this episode.
• All of Okmyx's henchmen wear felt fedora hats (although Okmyx wears no hat). Krako and all of his henchmen wear straw boater hats, and all the minor bosses that Kirk has beamed to Bela's office wear bowler hats.

Syndication cuts [ ]

Although this episode officially received no syndication cuts, many local television stations were known to cut small segments at the end of scenes bordering a commercial break. The most common of these was the scene in which Kirk is captured by Krako's men who tell him, " This can either be a taxi or a hearse " before driving Kirk away. Television stations would often omit the last minute of this scene, showing Kirk sitting in the car driving away, and end the scene with Kirk simply saying " I'm beginning to get the idea ". ( The Star Trek Compendium )

Remastered information [ ]

The remastered version of "A Piece of the Action" aired in many North American markets during the weekend of 28 April 2007 . While the episode required very few new effects, the planet Sigma Iotia II was given a CGI-makeover, now a more Earth-like planet. Aside from orbital establishing shots, new phaser effects were created depicting the block-wide stun implemented from the Enterprise , replacing the more "cartoonish" aspects of the original.

Video and DVD releases [ ]

• Original US Betamax release: 1986
• UK VHS release (two-episode tapes, CIC Video ): Volume 26 , catalog number VHR 2361, 4 June 1990
• US VHS release: 15 April 1994
• UK re-release (three-episode tapes, CIC Video): Volume 2.7, 23 June 1997
• Original US DVD release (single-disc): Volume 25, 19 June 2001
• As part of the TOS Season 2 DVD collection
• As part of the TOS-R Season 2 DVD collection

Apocrypha [ ]

• Bantam Books published a series of novelizations called Star Trek Fotonovels which took photographic stills from actual episodes and arranged word balloons and text over them, to create a comic book formatted story. The eighth installment was an adaptation of this episode which contained a foreword written by Anthony Caruso in the character of Bela Okmyx . He mentions that he was elected president of the planet in a landslide and that he made Jojo Krako his vice president. The arrangement worked out well, he said, as he hadn't heard from Krako since.
• The plot for the Star Trek: 25th Anniversary Nintendo game has the Enterprise thrown outside of known space entering the Sigma Iotia system. When they finally get back, they find that McCoy leaving his communicator behind was responsible for the incident and they go back in time to retrieve it from the gangsters.
• In Shane Johnson 's reference book The Worlds of the Federation , in the entry on Iotia, the planet is referred to as being known indigenously as "Okmyx." Johnson also explains that the Iotians's discovery of McCoy's communicator led them to abandon their mobster culture and seize on the opportunity it presented; he adds that the next ship to orbit the planet (which he does not identify) found what, at first, appeared to be a Federation starbase, complete with uniformed personnel and communications on Star Fleet channels. He concludes, drawing this detail from the "Star System Data" booklet that accompanied the first Star Trek Maps , that Sigma Iotia II was subsequently declared a Federation Protectorate, with a cultural rating of E+ on the "Richter Scale of Cultures," and that though no quarantine was imposed, an orbital customs facility was eventually constructed, through which visiting personnel had to be cleared before they were permitted to beam to the surface.
• The events of the episode are recapped in the comic " ... Let's Kill All the Lawyers! when Bela Okmyx was one of the witnesses at James T. Kirk 's trial. Okmyx revealed at Kirk's trial that the captain's cut of Iotia's "action" was still being skimmed for him. Okmyx also returned Leonard McCoy's communicator (which the doctor had left behind on Iotia), saying that the Iotians didn't do anything with the device and just put it away for safekeeping.
• In DC's second Star Trek series Bela Okmyx is called to testify in the Trial of James Kirk in the issue " ... Let's Kill All the Lawyers! ".
• The Star Trek: Picard novel Rogue Elements depicts the Iotians as maintaining their cultural fixation with the culture of Chicago gangs even into the late 24th century . In that novel, Cristóbal Rios deals with an Iotian gang, and even purchases La Sirena from them.

Reception [ ]

• The book Star Trek 101 (p. 19), by Terry J. Erdmann and Paula M. Block , lists this episode as one of "Ten Essential Episodes" from the original Star Trek series.

Links and references [ ]

Starring [ ].

• William Shatner as Capt. Kirk

Also starring [ ]

• Leonard Nimoy as Mr. Spock
• DeForest Kelley as Dr. McCoy

Guest star [ ]

• Anthony Caruso as Bela

Co-starring [ ]

• Victor Tayback as Krako
• Lee Delano as Kalo
• James Doohan as Scott
• Nichelle Nichols as Uhura
• Walter Koenig as Chekov

Featuring [ ]

• John Harmon as Tepo
• Sheldon Collins as Tough Kid
• Dyanne Thorne as First Girl
• Sharyn Hillyer as Second Girl
• Buddy Garion as Hood
• Steve Marlo as Zabo

Uncredited co-stars [ ]

• Benjie Bancroft as Iotian passerby
• William Blackburn as Hadley
• John Blower as Swenson
• Nick Borgani as Iotian gang leader
• Marlys Burdette as Krako's gun moll
• Christie as Hood
• Conde as Hood
• Tony Dante as Krako's hood
• Frank da Vinci as Brent
• James Doohan as the Announcer (voice)
• Roger Holloway as Roger Lemli
• Jay Jones as Mirt
• Jeannie Malone as Yeoman
• Jim Michael as Bela's hood
• McIntosh as Hood
• Clark Ross as Iotian passerby
• Bela's gun moll
• Bela's hood 5 and 6 , plus three more
• Bosses 1 , 2 , and 4
• Krako's hoods 2 , 3 , and 4
• Northside pedestrians
• Southside pedestrians
• Radio engineer
• Woman with baby

References [ ]

1992 ; 2168 ; .45 automatic ; advisor ; alternative ; amplitude modulation ; anarchy ; Angelo's Delicatessen ; apple ; arrest ; audio ; authority ; baby blue ; baby carriage ; bag ; Bang Bang ; beans ; beef ; behavior ; Bela's office ; Bela's place ; Beta Antares IV ; Beta Antares IV natives ; Bible ; billiards ; blade ; block ; blotter ; blower ; blue ; blueprint ; boater ; bolt ; book ; boss ; bowler hat ; box ; broad ; broadcast ; brooding ; bugged ; Buick Master Six ; building ; business ; " business is business "; businessman ; buster ; button ; Cadillac ; Cadillac Series 353 ; Cadillac V-12 ; Cadillac V-16 ; car ; card game ; cart ; cement ; Chamey's Auto Repair ; Chicago ; Chicago Mobs of the Twenties ; chicken ; choice ; chopper ; Cirl the Knife ; citizen ; cloche hat ; clutch ; cold-blooded ; communicator ; computer ; concrete ; confusion ; contact ; contamination ; contract ; conventional radio ; coordinates ; criminal organization (aka gang or mobs ); cue ; culture ; darts ; dartboard ; date ; deal ; dealer ; device ; dialing ; dilemma ; distill ; dope ; double-barreled shotgun ; double negative ; dozen ; driving ; ear ; Earth ; E.B. Green Portraits ; Economy Bus Lines ; emotional state ; ethical system ; evidence ; evolution ; eye ; face ; fact ; Federation law ; Federation of Planets ("Fed"); fedora ; feet ; firearm (aka gun or hardware); fireplug ; fizzbin ; flivver ; flop ; foot ; frequency ; friend ; gear ; galoshes (aka overshoes ); gangster ; garage ; gears ; " give the word "; goods ; government ; guest ; gun moll ; hand ; head ; hearse ; heater ; hello ; " hit "; home ; Horizon ; hostage ; hostility ; hour ; ice ; ice cream ; ice cream sandwich ; idea ; ignition ; industrialization ; information ; intelligence ; intersection ; Iotian ; Iotian language ; Jailbreakers, The ; job ; key ; kidnapping ; king ; kronk ; language banks ; laundry ; letter ; lieutenant ; logic ; machine gun ; material ; microphone ; Milky Way Galaxy ; minute ; money ; month ; moral inversion ; mouth ; name ; neighbor ; neutronium ; night ; No parking sign ; Northside Territory ; " no sweat "; non-interference directive ; odds ; office ; " on the level "; order ; pattycake ; peanut ; pedal ; percentage ; penny-ante operator ; percentages ; petrified ; phaser ; phaser bank ; phone ; phone call ; picture ; " piece of the action "; piecework factory ; place ; planetary treasury ; " play a hunch "; " play ball "; player ; playing cards ; postage due ; prisoner ; problem ; profit ; punk ; queen ; question ; radio report ; radio set ; radio station (aka official station ); radius ; reception committee ; Request Time ; result ; right ; right of petition ; roof ; Sawbones ; scrag ; Sigma Iotia ; Sigma Iotia II ; site-to-site transport ; society ; sociological computer ; sound ; Southside Territory ; sralk ; standard orbit ; Starfleet Command ; starship ; starter ; stone ; story ; street ; street light ; Studebaker Standard Six ; solution ; subspace communication ; surface ; sweat ; switch ; syndicate ; taxi ; taxi driver ; telephone ; Tepo's mother ; territory ; textbook ; thing ; Thompson submachine gun ; title ; tool ; toy ; transporter ; transporter room ; transtator ; trick ; troops ; truce ; truck ; Tuesday ; Vulcan neck pinch ; US Mail ; walking ; warehouse ; weapon ; week ; wheel ; " whole ball of wax "; window ; year ; yellow

External links [ ]

• " A Piece of the Action " at Memory Beta , the wiki for licensed Star Trek works
• " A Piece of the Action " at Wikipedia
• " A Piece of the Action " at MissionLogPodcast.com , a Roddenberry Star Trek podcast
• 1 Abdullah bin al-Hussein

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http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Recap/StarTrekS2E17APieceOfTheAction

Recap / Star Trek S2 E17 "A Piece of the Action"

Edit locked.

Original air date: January 12, 1968

The Enterprise receives a 100-year-old radio transmission from the U.S.S Horizon on the planet Sigma Iotia II and investigates. The person they first contact is "Boss" Oxmyx. Kirk, Bones and Spock beam down to Iotia to find a world very much like 1920s Chicago , only with people not even trying to hide the fact that they're carrying submachine guns. Apparently, shoving one in somebody's face is their way of saying "Hi".

A Piece of the Tropes:

• Are You Sure You Can Drive This Thing? : Kirk drives one of the 1920s-model automobiles based on his and Spock's vague recollections of how such vehicles work. Naturally, he's fairly clumsy. Spock: Captain, you are an excellent starship commander but as a taxi driver you leave much to be desired. Kirk: It was that bad? Spock: [ Nods ]
• Badass Fingersnap : One snap of Oxmyx's fingers and his mooks step forward with heaters aimed at Kirk's head.
• The Bad Guy Wins : Oxmyx and Krako become Top Boss and Lieutenant for the entire planet. Spock brings this up at the end of the episode as one of the flaws in Kirk's strategy, but Kirk suggests that the Federation's "cut" from the Iotian syndicate can go towards teaching the natives better ways.
• Bizarre Alien Psychology : The Iotians likely come as close to this trope as TOS ever got. They take mimicry of other cultures to extremes far beyond anything humans have done, even with the inspiration being so obviously detrimental to themselves to the point that everyone in their society wants to get shot at for no appreciable gain.
• Blunt Metaphors Trauma : The Starfleet heroes have a hard time understanding the gangster slang that the natives use, though Kirk does adjust to it quite nicely while putting on a "mafia" act.
• Brick Joke : Becomes one in DC Comics ' Star Trek : Remember McCoy's communicator? Oxmyx returns it intact, figuring McCoy wouldn't like him or the other Iotians messing with it. He also brings in Kirk's "piece of the action," several briefcases filled with money.
• Calvin Ball : To distract the guards holding them, Kirk comes up with an extremely complex card game, "fizzbin". Naturally, the rules are bizarre, and, while the guard doesn't catch it, the audience can hear that Kirk contradicts his own rules at least once. Kirk: ...but the odds of getting a royal fizzbin are astro— Spock, what are the odds of getting a royal fizzbin? Spock: I have never computed them, Captain.
• Cargo Cult : The Iotians use Chicago Mobs of the Twenties as a means for modelling their entire society, treating it as their Bible, with all due reverence. Presumably justified as, after having come into contact with a successful advanced alien culture, they aimed to copy that culture and said book was the best they had available.
• Chain of Deals : Star Trek 25th Anniversary for the NES has a segment based on this episode and was structured this way. In the actual episode, Kirk and company refuse a deal to give them phasers. They're trying to undo a mistake that was made by giving them advanced tech, after all!
• Chekhov's Gun : With an actual gun—Spock tells Scotty to keep the ship's phasers on stun (perhaps the only time they do that). Kirk then has Scotty fire them to stop a shootout and show everyone what they're dealing with.
• Dartboard of Hate : Krako has one of Oxmyx. Of course, he cheats at darts.
• Death from Above : This is one of the few shown cases of orbital bombardment in Star Trek, though it is not death from above, just stunning (yes, even the Federation's starships have a stun setting on the phasers).
• Distressed Dude : To the point of parody; Kirk, Bones and Spock manage to get kidnapped three times each, and Kirk's mostly just annoyed by the whole thing.
• The Don : Several Dons. In the end Kirk is the biggest Don on the planet — and he makes clear that he's really only an enforcer for the real mob, the Federation.
• Dramatic Gun Cock : As Kirk and Spock confront Krako, Krako's men get the drop on them this way. Spock: Captain, I believe that perhaps it would be wise to do as he says. I just heard the sound of... Kirk: The sound of a machine gun bolt being pulled back .
• Dress-Up Episode : Kirk and Spock dress up in 1920s clothes in order to blend in with the citizens on the Planet of Hats .
• Drives Like Crazy : Kirk is an awesome Starship Captain, but a lousy driver.
• Forgotten Phlebotinum : Who knew that the ship's phasers could be set on stun? This incredibly useful feature had never appeared before and would never be used again across the entire franchise for 53 years and counting!
• Freeze-Frame Ending : This is the only episode of the series to end in a freeze-frame.
• Gangland Drive-By : The crew land on a planet who based their society on 1920s gangsters, complete with period weapons and vehicles. Minutes after beaming down, a drive-by takes place right in front of them.
• Gangster Land : This planet's hat.
• Giving Radio to the Romans : That's what started this mess!
• Giving Up on Logic : Even Mr. Spock (gasp!) gives up logic because he's observed that normal rules do not apply on this planet. Spock: I would advise youse to keep dialin', Oxmyx.
• Glasses Pull : Oxmyx does this a few times, such as when Spock mentions their encounter with Krako's men.
• Gunboat Diplomacy : "The Federation's takin' over whether you like it or not!"
• Had the Silly Thing in Reverse : Kirk puts the car in reverse before managing to make it go forward every time he tries to drive.
• Haven't You Seen X Before? : After a brief shootout between Krako's and Oxmyx's mooks . McCoy : That man's dead back there! Kalo: Yeah? We ain't playing for peanuts. What's the matter, you guys never saw a hit before?
• Here We Go Again! : Bones accidentally leaves his communicator behind.
• The Iotians as a whole, are extremely intelligent, adaptable people who are imitative by nature. Their actions are more based on the "teachings" of the book, rather than pure malice.
• I Lied : When Oxmyx tricks Spock and Bones into beaming back down and recaptures them : Spock: Mr. Oxmyx, I understood that we had an arrangement, a truce. Oxmyx: I was hoping you'd think that, dummy.
• Indy Ploy : Pretty much all of Kirk's plan to end the Iotian gang war, especially fizzbin , gets made up as he goes along. The Enterprise doesn't even have information as to what exactly the Horizon did to contaminate the planet before they get there, so they're going in blind. Luckily, Kirk's plan turns out to be Crazy Enough to Work .
• I Want My Mommy! : Tepo, one of the minor bosses, whimpers "Mother" when he's beamed into Oxmyx's office.
• Large Ham : Kirk has way too much fun playing gangster. And then there's Krako, who seems to have No Indoor Voice .
• Let Me Get This Straight... : After Oxmyx spells out his plans to Kirk. Kirk: Now let me get this straight. You want us to supply you with arms and assistants so you can carry out an aggression against your neighbors? Oxmyx: What aggression? I gotta make some hits. I want you to help me hit 'em! That's all!
• Locking MacGyver in the Store Cupboard : Kirk manages to escape using some wires from a radio, a bed sheet and a waste basket.
• Mugged for Disguise : Kirk and Spock steal the clothes from two of Oxmyx's flunkies, leading to the above picture.
• Mundanization : Kirk, McCoy , and Spock are beamed down in the middle of a world of crosswalks and fireplugs.
• Not Distracted by the Sexy : Kirk mostly just seems annoyed at the beautiful woman told to give him a massage.
• Offered the Crown : At the end, Oxmyx wants Kirk to be the top boss. Kirk declines and makes Oxmyx the top boss , with Krako as his Number Two .
• Oh, Crap! : Bones is troubled by the fact that he's left his communicator with the Iotians. Spock agrees with his concerns, but Kirk shrugs it off as no big deal and reasons that studying it will probably help their growth. "Prime Directive, Shrime Directive" basically.
• Oh, No... Not Again! : Krako's Number Two , when he wakes up after Kirk knocked him out for the second time.
• O.O.C. Is Serious Business : Spock admits that logic and practical knowledge can't help here. Spock: Logic and practical information do not seem to apply here. McCoy : You admit that? Spock: To deny the facts would be illogical, Doctor.
• Parrot Expo-WHAT? : When Kirk tries to explain to Oxmyx that his planet is on the far reaches of the galaxy. Oxmyx: Toward the edge of what ?
• Planet of Hats : The former poster child for this trope. The Iotians' "hat" seems to be extreme imitativeness, and in this case they're imitating a book called Chicago Mobs of the 20s . Incidentally, if you look closely, you'll notice the three gangs pictured wear three different kinds of hats. Oxmyx's gang all wear fedoras. Krako's gang all wear boaters. Mirt's gang all wear bowlers.
• Protection Racket : How the gangs seem to operate, pretty much to the level of rudimentary government. People pay their "percentages" and expect protection and services in return. One woman is shown complaining to Oxmyx's men about a faulty street-light, claiming "a girl ain't safe".
• Puppet King : Kirk claims that the Federation wants to control the planet through one of the natives. "The planet is bein' taken over, but we don't wanna come in here and, uh, use our muscle, you know what I mean? That ain't, uh, subtle. So what we do is we help one guy take over the planet. He pulls the strings and then we pull his !"
• Red Oni, Blue Oni : Krako and Oxmyx, respectively. Oxmyx prefers to calmly discuss things with Kirk (though with aggressive undertones), while Krako (as mentioned above) has No Indoor Voice and a very short temper.
• Stab the Picture : Jojo Krako (one of the planet's gang bosses) has a dartboard on the wall of his office with a picture of a hated rival gang leader, Bela Okmyx, on it. The picture has red circles on Okmyx's head and chest to act as targets for when Jojo throws darts at it.
• Straw Vulcan : Not this time for Spock who recognizes that other methods are necessary on this screwy planet: Spock: It would seem that logic does not apply here. McCoy : You admit that? Spock: To deny the obvious would be illogical.
• Stupidest Thing I've Ever Heard : One of Oxmyx's men demeans Spock's question whether he is pointing a large gun at him. Spock: Sir, does everyone here carry firearms? Kalo: I never heard such stupid questions in my life.
• The Syndicate : Part of Kirk's solution for the mess is forcing the Iotian mobs to form one (the idea being that they'll learn to work together instead of constantly fighting each other), kept together by the threat of the Federation intervening . Oxmyx: Okay. A syndicate makes sense to me. I'm a peaceful man at heart, but I'm sick and tired of all these hits. I hit Krako, Krako hits Tepo, Tepo hits me. There's too many bosses. We can't get anything done. Now I was thinking if there was just one, maybe somebody like you, as the top boss, then we can get things done. Kirk: Hey, Bela, no, no, no. The Federation can't get connected with a small-time operation like this. No, I was thinking, Bela, you would be the top boss. Krako, you'd be his lieutenant. The rest of you, I don't want any trouble from the rest of you because you'll have to answer to the Federation. We'll be back every year to collect our cut.
• Take a Third Option : Unable to reverse the cultural contamination that altered the Iotians, and unwilling to provide technology — weapons that Oxmyx or Krako want to finish their Mob War once and for all — Kirk decides to keep the existing power structure in place by imposing the Federation as the biggest Operation taking over the planet's divided Syndicates. With the plan to have the Federation's "piece of the action" paid back into Sigma Iota's development (by future Federation expeditions to the planet) into a more law-abiding peaceful culture.
• Telephone Teleport : Sorta. Oxmyx's phone has no teleporting abilities, but Scotty uses it to locate the other bosses and beam them to Oxmyx's office.
• Timeline-Altering MacGuffin : Chicago Mobs of the Twenties , copyright 1992. (It must have sounded more impressive in January of 1968.)
• Trip Trap : Kirk places a wire from a dismantled radio above the ground across the door, starts yelling and two guards come rushing in and trip.
• We Need a Distraction : Will this Street Urchin do? He can even give us a Title Drop !
• What Happened to the Mouse? : The kid Kirk promised a piece of the action to never gets his payment.

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A Piece of the Action

The crew of the Starship Enterprise receives a distress call from the planet Sigma Iotia II, a world they previously visited about a century ago. When the crew arrives, they discover that the planet’s culture has been transformed by a book left behind by the previous visit. The book, titled “Chicago Mobs of the 20s”, has led to the Iotians developing a mafia-like culture, with rival gangs vying for control of the planet.

Captain Kirk, Spock, and Dr. McCoy beam down to the planet to investigate the situation and to see if they can find a peaceful resolution. They are greeted by two rival gang leaders, Bela Oxmyx and Rahda. Oxmyx is a traditional Iotian dressed in a garish 20s-style outfit and Rahda is more modernly dressed in a bright yellow suit.

Kirk tries to talk to the two gang leaders separately in order to negotiate a peaceful resolution but the leaders are stubborn and unwilling to negotiate. Oxmyx insists on a “piece of the action” and won’t discuss the situation until he gets what he wants. Kirk eventually agrees to Oxmyx’s demands, and Rahda and Oxmyx agree to a truce.

Meanwhile, the Enterprise crew have been studying the Iotian culture, and have determined that it is a primitive society and that the Iotians are not capable of handling a complex and advanced form of government. The crew decide to teach the Iotians a more suitable form of government by introducing them to democracy.

Kirk and Spock organize a voting system, and the Iotians quickly take to the idea. They start electing leaders from both gangs, and the Iotians seem to be enjoying their newfound freedom and independence.

However, it soon becomes clear that the Iotians are lacking proper knowledge and understanding of the concept of democracy, and they start to use it as a way to settle arguments and disputes. This leads to an unexpected brawl between Kirk and Oxford when he refuses to abide by the majority decision.

In the end, Kirk and Spock manage to restore order and convince the Iotians that democracy is about more than just voting, and that it requires compromise and understanding. The Enterprise crew then depart, leaving the Iotians to their democratic experiment.

A Piece of the Action is a fascinating exploration of Star Trek’s ideas of democracy and its effects on a primitive society. It examines the importance of understanding the concept of democracy, and how it has to be handled with patience and perseverance to ensure that it is used for the benefit of the society, rather than for the benefit of power-hungry individuals.

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A Piece of the Action

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A Piece Of The Action Stardate: 4598.0 Original Airdate: 12 Jan, 1968

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Star Trek – A Piece of the Action (Review)

The first Star Trek pilot, The Cage , was produced in 1964. To celebrate its fiftieth anniversary, this December we are reviewing the second season of the original Star Trek show. You can check out our first season reviews here . Check back daily for the latest review.

A Piece of the Action is the last script credited to Gene L. Coon.

Of course, Coon would write two episodes for (and contributed two more stories to) the show’s troubled final season under the alias Lee Cronin. However, A Piece of the Action could be seen as the last hurrah for Gene L. Coon’s vision of Star Trek . The writer and producer had helped to shape and define many of the ideas that Star Trek fans take for granted. A lot of the core Star Trek ideas that have permeated into popular culture – the Federation, the Klingons – originated with Coon.

Dey call him Boss Koik…

While Coon is often overlooked when it comes to crediting those responsible for creating Star Trek as fans have come to know it, history has tended to gloss over his wry subversive streak. In many ways, Coon could be said to be the godfather of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine . Had he not passed away at the tragically young age of forty-nine, Coon might have been coaxed back to write a first season episode of Deep Space Nine alongside Dorothy Fontana. Coon was, after all, the first Star Trek writer to shrewdly and knowingly problematicise the Federation.

So it feels appropriate that the last Star Trek script credited to Coon should have Kirk proposes the Federation as an intergalactic racket.

Top gun…

A Piece of the Action is, first and foremost, a romp. It can trace its origins back to an idea that Gene Roddenberry jotted down early during the development of Star Trek – there is a clear connection between A Piece of the Action and the one-liner pitch for President Capone . However, the episode has been filtered through several different writers since that original gem of an idea. The early drafts of the script were written by Dan P. Harmon, who also scripted The Deadly Years . However, it was heavily re-written by Gene L. Coon.

Coon’s influence is rather keenly felt on A Piece of the Action . It feels very much like a spiritual successor to The Trouble With Tribbles , a comedy episode that doesn’t take the surrounding show all that seriously. Coon’s irreverent approach to Star Trek was controversial among the staff – some members of the production team felt that he did not always treat the show with the necessary gravity and weight that it deserved. Coon would receive protests from figures like Gene Roddenberry, Robert Justman and Leonard Nimoy for pushing the show towards comedy.

“It’s a very difficult job and the only way to get through it is we all work together as a team. And that means you do everything I say.”

However, A Piece of the Action works spectacularly well. There are a lot of reasons for this. The script is light and witty, moving at an impressive pace with an endearing charm. There is a sense that everybody involved in the show is having a great time. In an interview with Starlog , director James Komack described the atmosphere on set:

Like most good comedy, a great deal of  A Piece of the Action was improvised,  particularly the Fizzbin card game played by Captain Kirk and a group of dim-witted  gangsters. “They just sat down and did it,” Komack  laughs. “Shatner really thought of this idea,  and I embellished it. Since I was a writer, it  was very easy to add the corrective to get us  onto the next beat.”

There’s a sense that the cast are greatly enjoying the freedom afforded by that looser atmosphere, particularly William Shatner.  A Piece of the Action features wonderful supporting turns from Leonard Nimoy and James Doohan, but there is no question that the episode is an showcase for William Shatner.

“Take this Vulcan out back and waste him…”

While Spock gets some great moments (particularly his stern references to the street kid as “young man” or his deadpan instruction to Oxmyx to start dialing), A Piece of the Action basks in Kirk. Kirk gets the episode’s best moments – teaching goons to play “fizz bin” , biting his lip when captured outside Oxmyx’s warehouse, or boasting proudly that “nobody’s going to put the bag on [him] any more.” The last act has Kirk completely in control of the story, and Shatner is loving every single second of the experience.

Shatner’s style has always been theatrical, but the actor has consciously dialed his performance up through the second season, perhaps an attempt to steal back some of the spotlight from Nimoy. A Piece of the Action doesn’t just let Shatner loose, it actively encourages him. Here it isn’t just Shatner turning in a scenery-chewing performance, it is Shatner turning in a scenery-chewing performance as Kirk turning in a scenery-chewing performance. Kirk is basking in this opportunity just as much as Shatner.

Public enemy number one…

In a way, A Piece of the Action is just as iconic and influential as The Trouble With Tribbles . It certainly sets an effective precedent for the franchise’s approach to comedy. The Trouble With Tribbles had Kirk confronting a problem that the Enterprise could not solve, but A Piece of the Action derives a great deal of comedy from throwing Kirk and his crew out of their depth. This would become a standard motif for Star Trek comedy.

More than Tomorrow is Yesterday or Assignment: Earth , a clear line can be drawn between Kirk’s difficulties driving a car in A Piece of the Action and about half the gags in Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home . (Similarly, Spock and Scotty’s difficulties with the vernacular are also recycled for that most-loved feature film.) A Piece of the Action is an episode that realises that Kirk and his crew operate within a very particular fantastical framework, and removing them from that framework is a great source of laughs.

The original (series) gangster?

That said, the “fish-out-of-water” here is not temporal in nature. Kirk and his crew are not confused about the trappings of twentieth-century Earth – well, not mostly. Nor is it a case of Kirk and his crew wandering into the real world. Instead, our heroes have literally beamed into another story. They are not looking at Earth as it ever actually existed, but instead intruding on a world governed by narrative principles and theories.

When McCoy remarks on how Sigma Iota II reminds him of Earth, Kirk is quick to correct him. “Home was never like this,” he insists, and he’s correct. A Piece of the Action doesn’t unfold in a world resembling Chicago in the twenties, it unfolds in a heightened gangster movie. “I’ve seen pictures of the old days that look like this,” McCoy responds, and he’s likely correct. This version of Earth only existed in motion pictures or pulp fiction. Kirk and his crew have wandered into a different genre, and it’s telling that Kirk only wins once he starts playing by the rules of that genre.

He’s got to make his Bones…

It is an episode that realises that “fish-out-of-water” comedy is the kind of thing you can do with Star Trek , now that the audience has had a chance to get to know the fish in question. The rules and storytelling tools in a Star Trek story are different from the rules and storytelling tools in the real world – or in another sort of story. Indeed, the “fish-out-of-water” set-up works so well within the Star Trek framework that the writers on Deep Space Nine would apply it for Trials and Tribble-ations .

Of course, A Piece of the Action was one of the episodes to which the Deep Space Nine writing staff originally considered returning for the thirtieth anniversary special. The pitch would have seen Sisko and his crew discovering that the population of Sigma Iota II were now imitating Starfleet, as an extended riff on Star Trek fandom. This was not the first time such an idea was proposed. A Piece of the Action is so beloved among Star Trek writers and fans that Melinda Snodgrass had proposed a similar idea in the early years of Star Trek: The Next Generation .

It is never not the time for a little Ballad of Bilbo Baggins…

Ultimately, the franchise never returned to Sigma Iota II, at least not on-screen. In The Magic of Tribbles , Ira Steven Behr explains why Deep Space Nine eventually decided against the original pitch:

“It seemed like a pretty fun idea,” comments Behr. “All these people dressed up in Star Trek uniforms, living by the code of the Federation. But then we started to get paranoid, especially René, who said that he thought it could sound like were making fun of the fans.” While Behr notes that this was never anyone’s intention, he admits that once Echevarria placed the thought in their minds, the story line quickly died.

Still, the spirit of A Piece of the Action can be seen in Trials and Tribble-ations , with little gags like Sisko’s confusion about how communicators work in the twenty-third century or the fact that members of the crew cannot identify Kirk.

Reading the signs…

There is something quite interesting in that idea, an implication that retroactively makes A Piece of the Action more interesting. At its heart, A Piece of the Action is about Kirk and the crew of the Enterprise engaging with a body of hardcore fandom. It just so happens that this particular fandom has fixated on “Chicago Mobs of the Twenties” rather than something like Star Trek . Sigma Iota II is essentially an entirely planet that is engaging in cosplay and live action role-play.

At the time that  A Piece of the Action was written,  Star Trek was still discovering its own fandom. The term “Trekkies” had only been coined by Arthur W. Saha shortly before the start of the second season , fanzines were only beginning to spread , and the first campaigns to save Star Trek were being launched . It is impossible for A Piece of the Action to have been cognisant of all this, but it makes the episode all the more potent in hindsight. An episode about devoted fandom from a show that was cultivating its own devoted fandom.

The good book…

That said, A Piece of the Action is more than just a light episode. It is undoubtedly a comedy caper, and a delightful one at that, but there’s more to it than that. There are points where its observations about the Federation ( “the Feds” ) seem quite pointed. Sure, it ends with Spock pointing out that Starfleet Command is unlikely to approve of Kirk’s negotiating tactics, but the best jokes have just the slightest hint of truth. Kirk’s suggestion that the Federation is an intergalactic mob might by an exaggeration, it is not entirely disconnected from Coon’s view of the institution.

After all, Arena – the first episode to feature the Federation – portrayed them absent-mindedly intruding into Gorn space, causing a major diplomatic incident and the loss of many lives. The Federation seemed quite expansionist in A Taste of Armageddon . Similarly, Errand of Mercy suggested an equivalence between the Federation and the Klingons; Kirk was just as blood-thirsty as Kor, despite his justifications. Metamorphosis seemed to support the view that the honest love between two people was more important than any Federation business.

Built like an Ox…

There is a sense that many viewers consider Star Trek to be a monolithic entity – that commentators will try to map cohesive morals and themes on to the eighty-episode run of the original Star Trek series. A lot of this is retroactive romanticism, a desire to believe that Star Trek offered an internally consistent vision of the future. This was never the case. Continuity was subject to change from one episode to the next, but also the show’s position on topical issues was just as volatile.

The production team were often more concerned with hammering out story problems or budget issues than ensuring a consistent philosophical approach across the series. Gene Roddenberry seemed to buy into the ideology of the Cold War, with episodes like A Private Little War and even The City on the Edge of Forever insisting that some wars needed to fought. Gene L. Coon was more cynical, dismissing the whole ideological framework in shows like A Taste of Armageddon or Errand of Mercy .

Somebody up there likes him…

For all that A Piece of the Action is a comedy piece, it is a comedy that is riffing on classic Star Trek themes. As James F. Broderick notes in The Literary Galaxy of Star Trek , the episode uses some stock Star Trek elements:

In the first look at the society of gangsters which populates the planet Kirk and crew visit in A Piece of the Action, everyone is brazenly brandishing a “Tommy gun.” As the viewer soon discovers, this is merely a variation on a common theme in Trek wherein rival factions seek to gain the advantage over their opponent by gaining possession of more potent, more lethal, technology.

It’s very much a stock Star Trek story, to the point where it was originally pitched as a more serious story featuring Kirk and Spock competing against subversive Romulan agents for the fate of the planet . This draft of the episode, Mission into Chaos , plays like Friday’s Child with gangsters instead of medieval iconography and with Romulans instead of Klingons.

Kirk rates this episode two thumbs up…

The Romulans are entirely absent from the final version of A Piece of the Action . As a rule, John Meredyth Lucas tended to shy away from the traditional Star Trek aliens – in some respects, the new producer tended to push the show’s general atmosphere back towards that of the early first season, before a sense of continuity and world-building had developed during Coon’s tenure. While the Romulans were seriously under-used on the classic Star Trek, dropping the aliens from A Piece of the Action is a very clever move.

It is worth noting that all of the remaining “interference” stories in the second season – including Patterns of Force and The Omega Glory – blame the Federation or Starfleet for meddling in the affairs of these cultures. There are no more convenient meddling Klingons like Krell or Kras. A Piece of the Action marks a sharp change in direction for the series, and one that seems like a turn away from the politics of Friday’s Child and A Private Little War .

Under cover…

Indeed, a lot of A Piece of the Action plays as a knowing parody of A Private Little War . The local gangsters are looking for the kind of support that Kirk offered Tyree. “I got to make hits,”  Oxmyx explains in a matter-of-fact manner. “I want you to help me hit them. That’s all.” By the time that Kirk crosses paths with Krako, he knows what to expect. “Let me guess,” Kirk begins. “You’ll want heaters, and then you’ll want troops to teach them how to use them.”

While A Private Little War ended with Kirk providing Tyree and his people with rifles, A Piece of the Action ends with a slightly more optimistic (albeit playful) resolution. Kirk brings the gangs together for a singular purpose – actually engaging with the inhabitants of the planet on a meaningful level (and on their own terms) instead of simply stoking the fires of conflict. Sure, the situation is a little different than it was on Tyree’s planet due to the absence of the Klingons, but it’s still a more reasonable solution.

Pooling resources…

In Gilligan Unbound , Paul A. Cantor suggests that A Piece of the Action could be seen as a criticism of the Cold War as an ideological conflict, wryly mocking the sort of flag-waving chest-beating politics that Roddenberry would write into his own scripts for the series:

This is one of the more amusing episodes in the history of the series, but it has potentially serious undertones. It seems to reduce the ideological conflicts the series normally presents (democracy versus autocracy) to mere gang warfare – with each side simply grabbing for its “piece of the action.” The suggestion seems to be that the two sides in the Cold War may be no better than gangsters themselves.

This is pretty consistent with Coon’s perspective of the Cold War. Classic Star Trek has tended to portray the Federation as an extrapolation of contemporaneous American values into the distant future – Kennedy’s “new frontier” on a galactic scale. Roddenberry seems to think this is a good idea; Coon is less certain.

Gunning for the crew…

Kirk’s solution to the problem is decidedly tongue in cheek, but plays as a wry critique of Federation foreign policy as suggested in Errand of Mercy . Boss Kirk makes the local crime lords an offer they can’t refuse. “The planet is being taken over by the Federation, but we don’t want to come in here and use our muscle, you know what I mean?” he asks, rhetorically. “That ain’t subtle. So what we do is we help one guy take over the planet. He pulls the strings, and then we pull his.”

Despite Kirk’s flippancy, this is a fairly succinct summary of the political realities of the Cold War, where both major powers sought to shore up their own position by installing friendly regimes and enabling sympathetic political movements. Gene L. Coon’s Federation would seem to have adopted a similar approach. A Taste of Armageddon is about the Federation’s attempts to secure a strategically important friendly port, regardless of what the natives want. Errand of Mercy has Kirk trying to force the Organians into an alliance with the Federation ahead of the Klingons.

Kidding themselves…

In a way, A Piece of the Action plays as a light-hearted criticism of capitalist democracy. Although Sigma Iota II has built a society based about criminal enterprise, the planet has developed a system of government that feels somewhat analogous to contemporary America. The language may be slightly different, but A Piece of the Action suggests that the mechanics themselves are uncannily similar.

It turns out that Oxmyx is more than a local hood – he’s the leader in charge of the local community. Escorting the Starfleet officers to a meeting with Oxmyx,  Kalo finds himself hassled by angry constituents. “Hey, when’s the boss going to do something about the crummy street lights around here, eh?” one local woman demands. “A girl ain’t safe.” Another chimes in, “And how about the laundry pickup? We ain’t had a truck by in three weeks.”

Tying themselves up in knots…

There’s a sense that this works quite similar to representative democracy. Confronted with this dissatisfaction, Kalo suggests, “Write him a letter.” One of the constituents protests, “Listen, we pay our percentages. We’re entitled to a little service for our money.” That is how the system works. “We pay our percentages and the boss takes care of us.” This protection racket appears to be taxation in all but name.

Sigma Iota II has built a system of government based on organised crime, and it looks a lot like representative democracy. Of course, gangsters could be said to embody a warped (and almost romantic) sense of American individualism – rugged characters who are essentially “self-made” in a hyper-competitive world. Given how quintessentially American the idea of “the gangster” is, it makes sense that a culture built around that iconography would resemble America in some rather pointed ways.

Let us see if he has one Iota of common sense…

There is a sense that Coon is having a bit of fun with the idea of Star Trek . A Piece of the Action is a comedy, but is a comedy that affectionately riffs on the trappings and the internal logic of a Star Trek story – subversively and wryly playing with audience expectations and teasing the audience’s familiarity. Even the gangster setting feels like an excuse to play with the core narrative of Star Trek as a whole.

Star Trek has been described as “Wagon Train to the stars” , and there is a clear sense that the show is inspired by the American frontier narrative. Star Trek can be effectively classified as a space western, an idea that Gene L. Coon would play with even more explicitly in The Spectre of the Gun in the third season. It’s no wonder that Kirk makes such an effective gangster – even discounting his driving skills. After all, Kirk is a cowboy in space, which is a similar archetype to the classic gangster.

This is going down gangbusters…

As Barry Langford suggests in Film Genre , the gangster and the cowboy are very similar pop culture archetypes:

As Neale notes, the film gangster like the Western hero has often been discussed in socially symptomatic terms; in fact, the gangster is frequently received as the Westerner’s urban mirror image, enacting the conflicts and complexities of an emergent urban modern imaginary as the cowboy enacts those of a residual agrarian myth. Like the Westerner, the gangster and his values have been embedded in a fairly stable thematic and iconographic universe established and consolidated through decades of reiteration and revision, and a certain masculine style and the elaboration of a code of behaviour through acts of decisive violence are central concerns in both genres. A number of writers draw parallels between the two genres: McCarty describes the gangster as ‘the modern continuation of the Western – a story the Western had grown too old to tell.’

The idea of having Star Trek cross over from futuristic western to classic gangster film is an inspired twist.

A criminal Enterprise?

In fact, A Piece of the Action rather skilfully transposes familiar western and Star Trek plot elements into the gangster setting. Kirk and his crew ride into town to find themselves caught between two competing forces. Using his wits, Kirk manages to stay alive and out-manoeuvre both parties. However, A Piece of the Action cleverly plays with expectations in having Kirk cast himself not as the captain of a starship or a high plains drifter while taming this chaotic environment, but as a criminal boss.

The plot is so archetypal that it almost plays like a Star Trek adaptation of A Fistful of Dollars , with a gangster twist. Then again, the basic plot of A Fistful of Dollars is so archetypal that it was originally a samurai film ( Yojimbo ) and later adapted as a gangster film set in the thirties ( Last Man Standing ) while still retaining its core essence. A Piece of the Action offers a delightfully gonzo reflection of the archetypes that exist at the very heart of Star Trek .

Just a crazy bunch of guys and dolls…

It is worth noting that – at the time that A Piece of the Action was written and broadcast – the gangster film was largely considered a spent force in American pop culture. While the Western was still going strong, gangster films were still awaiting their resurgence, as Nicole Hahn Rafter reflects in Shots in the Mirror :

About 1940 the gangster film entered a period of relative dormancy, one brought on by America’s involvement in World War II and the decreasing relevance of the Great Depression. For the next two decades, mobsters appeared mainly ins secondary roles or as desperate, aging representatives of a dying breed, as in Raoul Walsh’s High Sierra and Key Largo. In High Sierra, Humphrey Bogart stars as a middle-aged gangster trying to do one last job before retiring to an honest life. The honourable mobsters of his generation, who killed only when double-crossed, are being replaced by a younger brasher type. His last stand in the mountains, outnumbered and outgunned, is thus emblematic of the decline not only of traditional gangsters but also of the gangster film itself.

The type of gangster film that Kirk wanders into is particularly old-fashioned, harking back to the thirties and forties rather than forward towards the revival of the genre in the seventies. It is specifically modeled on Chicago of the 1920s, full of bright colours and broadly-drawn archetypes.

A piece of home…

Although it is hard to imagine, there was a point in recent memory where the gangster movie was in decline – where the genre was less popular and successful than the western. However, by the late sixties, the gangster film’s heyday was considered a distant memory, as Keith M. Booker observes in The Historical Dictionary of American Cinema :

Few gangster films were produced in the 1940s and 1950s, when the world of criminality was primarily through film noir. However, some noir films, such as Raoul Walsh’s White Heat, could also be considered gangster films. Meanwhile, 1960s films such as Bonnie and Clyde did depict criminal gangs but were still more concerned with the depiction of their protagonists as individualist outlaws rather than as organised gangsters. The genre did not see a real resurgence until the appearance of Francis Ford Coppola’s The Godfather, a landmark film that raised the gangster genre to the level of high art, while depicting its organised criminals as real human beings with considerable psychological depth and complexity. When Coppola followed with the equally successful The Godfather: Part II in 1974, it was clear that the genre had great potential both for the depiction of human drama and for social and political commentary, as the line between ‘legitimate’ business and criminal enterprise was increasingly shown to be a fine one.

So A Piece of the Action was playing with a genre that was – at the time – considered to be a lot less viable than westerns or science-fiction. Perhaps this sense of distance allowed Gene L. Coon to have a bit more fun, to use the pulpy genre as a vehicle to explore contemporary America in a way that would be more difficult with a more vibrant and dynamic genre like the western.

It’s the Fed!

After all, Oxmyx is a particularly stinging reflection of the type of rugged American individualism and exceptionalism, exaggerated to an absurd degree. Justifying his violence and brutality, Oxmyx offers Spock an important lesson in the way the world works, “Nobody helps nobody but himself.” Spock finds it quite difficult to understand Oxmyx’s motivations. “You yourself have stated the need for unity of authority on this planet,” he observes. Oxmyx responds, “Yeah, but I got to be the unity.”

A Piece of the Action portrays this sort of individualism and exceptionalism – a feature common to the archetypal cowboy and the classic gangster, and also part of the traditional narrative of the American Dream – as a clear weakness that holds back Sigma Iota II. Oxmyx and his fellow gangsters need to get past this particular hang-up. They need to come together and work together in a way that puts aside their own petty bids for power. For all its broad comedy, A Piece of the Action is also somewhat pointed in its use of these archetypes.

Waiting for his cue…

A Piece of the Action is a comedy episode that – like The Trouble with Tribbles before it – is as brilliant as it is clever. It’s hilarious and fun, a wonderful demonstration of just how charming Star Trek could be. At the same time, there’s just the right amount of cynicism and reflection buried at the heart of the joke. It is a reminder of just how sorely Gene L. Coon will be missed.

You might be interested in our other reviews from the second season of the classic Star Trek :

• Supplemental: (Gold Key) #1 – The Planet of No Return!
• Supplemental: (Marvel Comics, 1980) #4-5 – The Haunting of Thallus!/The Haunting of the Enterprise!
• Metamorphosis
• Friday’s Child
• Who Mourns for Adonais?
• Supplemental: Spock’s World by Diane Duane
• Supplemental: New Visions #3 – Cry Vengeance
• Wolf in the Fold
• The Changeling
• Supplemental: (DC Comics, 1984) #43-45 – The Return of the Serpent!
• Supplemental: (IDW, 2009) #13 – The Red Shirt’s Tale
• Supplemental: Deep Space Nine – Crossover
• Supplemental: New Visions #1 – The Mirror, Cracked
• Supplemental: (DC Comics, 1984) #9-16 – New Frontiers (The Mirror Universe Saga)
• Supplemental: Mirror Images
• Supplemental: Mirror Universe – The Sorrows of Empire by David Mack
• Supplemental: (IDW, 2009) #15-16 – Mirrored
• The Deadly Years
• Supplemental: (Gold Key) #61 – Operation Con Game
• Supplemental: (DC Comics, 1984) #39-40 – The Return of Mudd
• Supplemental: The Galactic Whirlpool by David Gerrold
• Supplemental: Alien Spotlight – Tribbles
• Bread and Circuses
• Journey to Babel
• A Private Little War
• The Gamesters of Triskelion
• The Immunity Syndrome
• A Piece of the Action
• By Any Other Name
• Return to Tomorrow
• Patterns of Force
• The Ultimate Computer
• The Omega Glory
• Supplemental: Assignment: Eternity by Greg Cox
• Supplemental: (DC Comics, 1989) #49-50 – The Peacekeepers
• Supplemental: (IDW, 2008) Assignment: Earth

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Filed under: The Original Series | Tagged: capitalism , Chicago , Cold War , dan p. harmon , exceptionalism , Feds , gangsters , Gene L. Coon , gene roddenberry , imperialism , individualism , kirk , meta-fiction , mob , star trek , star trek: the original series , stories , tos , William Shatner |

11 Responses

“This is one of the more amusing episodes in the history of the series, but it has potentially serious undertones. It seems to reduce the ideological conflicts the series normally presents (democracy versus autocracy) to mere gang warfare – with each side simply grabbing for its “piece of the action.” The suggestion seems to be that the two sides in the Cold War may be no better than gangsters themselves.”

I think a big reason for the popularity of the gangster genre is that it allows you to make movies about power, about leadership, about conflict, about the rise and fall of empires, et al… which completely strip away all the ideological bullshit that would come with it if this were anything else. It’s become cliche to say that “The Godfather” is trying to talk about the dark side of the American Dream and free enterprise or that its main characters are like the Kennedys, but if the movies were speaking directly about these things, they’d not only be more controversial, but less timeless and universal. As it is, there’s no pretense that it’s about anything more than money and power (and more unquantifiable human motives, like wanting to be the big fish in the pond rather than one of the little ones being bossed around). So you can relate it to any kind of human activity that touches on these things… and yet leave behind all the baggage that would come with your movies if they were directly about the Cold War, or free enterprise, or the Kennedys. It’s about all of these things, and none.

Very good point. I also think that there’s a vicarious thrill to the gangster genre as well, even if that makes me sound horribly puritan. 🙂

But very fair point. Luckily I can never be accused of reading too much into a television show, right? 😉

This is just an addendum to what Chris said… Part of the American experience, I find, is that anti-authoritarians always turn to authoritarians for guidance in the end. It’s nothing unique to us (all power systems do this), but we int he states have this great feeling of independence, so it’s even more dramatic. Gangsters feed on a naive mistrust in “the system” and trust in “neighborhood protectors” who know them by name. Libertarians prefer a “free market” controlling their lives over a representative government. New Yorkers identify more with an unaccountable police force than they do with the Mayors they elect. The list goes on.

Writing these reviews, I am occasionally worried I might seem a little too critical of the US. Certainly Ireland can cast few stones in these regards, but it’s not really relevant to the context of most Star Trek.

Most of the reviews I’ve read of this episode are so taken in by the comedy that they don’t notice the underlying themes or issues. Thanks (as always) for your delightfully thoughtful and insightful review.

And thanks for the kind words!

To be fair, there is a wealth of material to draw on here. I’m standing on the shoulders of giants. That’s the beauty of TOS, it has been analysed and discussed time and time again, so there’s a lot of pre-existing work to draw upon. (It also makes Voyager and Enterprise so much fun, because they are comparatively under-explored.)

One small nit, the franchise actually did return to Sigma Iotia II in the 25th anniversary console video game for the original Nintendo Entertainment System. The game took several plot points from several shows and mashed them together. It even had a cameo with a Gorn from “The Arena.”

But is should be noted, that the little cliffhanger moment with McCoy’s communicator was the central plot to that video game narrative. The Iotians learned the technology, and created a machine that created serious space-time disturbances that throws the Enterprise for a loop. In the end, the crew has to go back in time to recover Bones’ communicator from the Iotians.

Not the best story line written, but better than the first half of season 1 of TNG.

That being said, a fun way the franchise played into another genre for a week. Something would be ridiculous today, but almost a necessity in the three-network television landscape from the 1960s.

Not really impressed by this episode. I think it would have worked better if it had been a time travel episode.

I don’t know. I loved TOS’ ability to embrace surrealism and absurdity in its storytelling.

Actually, you could almost say this episode brings the idea of playing two criminal gangs against each other full circle. “Yojimbo” has been noted as an uncredited adaptation of “Red Harvest”, a story by Dashiell Hammett where his character, the Continental Op, pits two warring gangs fighting to control a town in the 1920’s against each other.

Ha! Good spot.

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Star Trek A Piece of the Action

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Memory Beta, non-canon Star Trek Wiki

A friendly reminder regarding spoilers ! At present the expanded Trek universe is in a period of major upheaval with the continuations of Discovery and Prodigy , the advent of new eras in gaming with the Star Trek Adventures RPG , Star Trek: Infinite and Star Trek Online , as well as other post-57th Anniversary publications such as the ongoing IDW Star Trek comic and spin-off Star Trek: Defiant . Therefore, please be courteous to other users who may not be aware of current developments by using the {{ spoiler }}, {{ spoilers }} OR {{ majorspoiler }} tags when adding new information from sources less than six months old (even if it is minor info). Also, please do not include details in the summary bar when editing pages and do not anticipate making additions relating to sources not yet in release. THANK YOU

A Piece of the Action

• View history

"A Piece of the Action" was the 49th episode produced of Star Trek: The Original Series and was released during the show's second season, first airing on 5 January 1968 . The teleplay was written by David P. Harmon MA & Gene L. Coon MA and directed by James Komack MA . It was novelized in Star Trek 4 by James Blish and adapted as a fotonovel in 1978 .

• 1 Description
• 2.1 Episode log entries
• 2.2 Fotonovel log entries
• 3.1.1 Episode characters
• 3.1.2 Novelization characters
• 3.2 Starships and vehicles
• 3.3 Locations
• 3.4 Races and cultures
• 3.5 Technology and weapons
• 3.6 Materials and substances
• 3.7 States and organizations
• 3.8 Ranks and titles
• 3.9 Other references
• 4.1.1 Adaptations
• 4.1.2 Video releases
• 4.3.1.1 Translations
• 4.4 External links

Description [ ]

Summary [ ], episode log entries [ ], fotonovel log entries [ ], references [ ], characters [ ], episode characters [ ], novelization characters [ ], starships and vehicles [ ], locations [ ], races and cultures [ ], technology and weapons [ ], materials and substances [ ], states and organizations [ ], ranks and titles [ ], other references [ ], appendices [ ], related media [ ].

• A Little More Action ( Strange New Worlds IV short story )
• Legal Action ( Strange New Worlds V short story )
• A Piece of the Pie ( Strange New Worlds VI short story )
• A Piece of Reaction ( Star Trek Unlimited 10 )
• 25th Anniversary (NES)

Adaptations [ ]

Video releases [ ]

Connections [ ]

Timeline [ ], translations [ ], external links [ ].

• " A Piece of the Action " article at Memory Alpha , the wiki for canon Star Trek .
• A Piece of the Action (Star Trek) article at Wikipedia , the free encyclopedia.
• ↑ The character of Clifford Brent was not named in the episode but the same actor, wearing an officer 's Starfleet uniform , was addressed as Brent in TOS episode : " The Naked Time ". The same actor also played the character of Vinci .
• 1 The Chase
• 2 Preserver (race)
• 3 Ferengi Rules of Acquisition

10 Best Star Trek Cars

These classic vehicles don’t let the enterprise steal the show.

The Star Trek science fiction franchise may be one of the most unique in show business. With a library of over 800 TV episodes and 13 movies, the discerning auto enthusiast (and sci-fi lover) knows there are plenty of moments when some iconic vehicles make a cameo. We wanted to go a step further and compile a list of the 10 best Star Trek cars (and trucks) to play a role in the Star Trek universe.

10 Best Star Trek Cars And Trucks

Star Trek has been alive as either a live broadcast, syndication, or rerun since the 1960s. The many television series and movies are set between the mid-2100s in the “Enterprise” series to the late-2300s with the newest series “Picard.” Spaceships, shuttles, and advanced technology are the norm from episode to episode and movie to movie, but that doesn’t mean that an automotive gem from our time doesn’t pop up here and there.

1936 Ford Model 67 (Star Trek: Voyager, “The 37’s”, S2E1)

The first episode of the second season of “Star Trek: Voyager,” begins with the crew detecting rust in space. Since it is impossible to have rust in space with the lack of oxygen, they investigate and find a 1936 Ford Model 67 floating in space. The episode is also memorable for its storyline. Spoiler alert: you might just find out what happened to Amelia Earhart.

1977 Volkswagen Type 2 (Star Trek: Voyager, “Future’s End”, S4E8-E9)

This won’t be the only time you see the episode “Future’s End” on the list. For a significant portion of the episode, Tom Paris and Tuvok are on the run with guest star Sarah Silverman in the role of Rain Robinson. The 1977 Volkswagen Type 2 van is Robinson’s personal vehicle which they use to escape a dire situation.

1931 Cadillac V-12 (Star Trek: The Original Series, “A Piece of the Action”, S2E17)

This classic makes its cameo in the second season episode “A Piece of the Action” in which the Enterprise crew discovers a planet that runs itself in some sort of 1920s gangster culture. In this scene, both Captain Kirk and Spock are uncharacteristically clothed in 1920s attire and fedoras driving the 1931 Cadillac V-12.

1971 Ford LTD Country Squire (Star Trek: Voyager, “11:59”, S5E23)

In the fifth season episode “11:59”, Captain Janeway tells the crew about a historic figure in her family’s past — Shannon O’Donnell. She believes O’Donnell helped build a unique historic structure. Most of the episode is set in the past with Shannon O’Donnell and begins with her getting into a fender bender with a 1974 Ford Mustang II. She hits the Mustang with her 1971 Ford LTD Country Squire. The accident sadly cripples her car which will not start, trapping her in the town and setting the stage for the story to unfold.

1995 Dodge RAM (Star Trek: Voyager, “Future’s End”, S4E8-E9)

The second-generation Dodge RAM truck might have been made famous for chasing tornados in the blockbuster movie “Twister” and on the small screen as Chuck Norris’ ride in “Walker, Texas Ranger”, but it also popped up in an episode of Star Trek: Voyager. In the episode “Future’s End”, the crew of the Voyager gets thrown back to ’90s Earth. During a dramatic phaser shootout, Tom Paris and Tuvok hide behind the Dodge RAM before it is vaporized by a phaser shot.

Argo (Star Trek: Nemesis)

“Star Trek: Nemesis” isn’t one of the most loved movies of the Next Generation movie era, but it does feature one cool eye-catching, off-road vehicle. The Enterprise crew picks up a signal that is known to only come from androids such as the main character Data. Captain Picard, Data, and Worf head down to the particular planet to find the source of the signal. To complete their mission, the trio hop in a shuttlecraft equipped with this unique off-road vehicle for some driving scenes that are an added bonus.

1975 Chevrolet C-10 (Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home)

“Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home” is one of the most comedic installments of any series or film in the Star Trek universe. The crew of the Enterprise has to travel back in time to find some humpback whales, and luckily find two at an aquarium in San Francisco. There they begin a strange friendship with the whale biologist. That whale biologist, Dr. Gillian Taylor, picks up Captin Kirk and Spock in her 1975 Chevrolet C-10 to try to save the whales.

The Reactor (Star Trek: The Original Series, “Bread and Circuses”, S2E25)

In the episode “Bread and Circuses” in the second season of the original series, the Enterprise visits a planet based on the Roman Empire, but with 20th-century technology. On this planet, there is a futuristic car called Jupiter 8 . This car was actually a show car from the 1960s called The Reactor which was basically a 1956 Citroën DS chassis powered by a Chevrolet Corvair engine. The vehicle appears in an in episode television broadcast as well as a television advertisement.

1969 Chevrolet Camaro (Star Trek: Voyager, “Vis a Vis”, S4E20)

Voyager’s pilot, Tom Paris, is an aficionado of Earth’s history, and it is only fitting that he works on a special vehicle. In the episode “Vis a Vis,” from the fourth season, a 1969 Camaro plays a supporting actor. At the beginning of the episode, Paris works on the Camaro in a 1960s garage holodeck program instead of taking care of his medical study duties. At the end of the episode, he invites his future wife to spend a romantic evening in the car.

1965 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray (Star Trek 2009)

One of our favorite Star Trek cars has to be this Stingray driven by the most famous captain of all —Captain James Tiberius Kirk. In the first J.J. Abram’s reboot film “Star Trek 2009”, a young James T. Kirk dramatically steals the ’65 Corvette from his stepfather to drive it off the side of a cliff. True Trekkies know, thanks to a deleted scene, that the car actually belonged to his father, George Kirk, who died in the opening scene of the film.

Star Trek Cars: Futuristic Favorites & Cool Classics

So, as you can see, there are plenty of cool vehicles found in the Star Trek universe. “Star Trek: Voyager” seems to have been a hotbed for its vehicles, with several iconic models. “Star Trek: The Next Generation,” which debuted the holodeck, only got some love from a specially built off-road buggy.

And this list is just the start. We could have gone on to tell you about the blink-and-you-will-miss-it 2008 Aptera 2e in “Star Trek 2009” when Kirk chats with McCoy about the Kobayashi Maru test. Or there’s the 1967 Dodge Coronet in a particular Star Trek: The Original Series episode. The point is, the Star Trek universe is a car enthusiast gold mine if you know where to look. So keep your eyes peeled the next time you venture into the far reaches of outer space.

RELATED POSTS

Danny Korecki is a financial analyst by day and a freelance automotive writer by night. His words, photos, or videos have been seen on many well known automotive sites across the web. When he isn't creating content he enjoys loving on his dog and daily driving his BMW E92 M3.

Star Trek The Original Series S02E17 A Piece Of The Action [1966]

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Quentin Tarantino's 10th Movie Is Wide Open Again, But I Don't Think He Should Do That R-Rated Star Trek Film

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In the latest shocking news in movies, Quentin Tarantino decided he won't be doing The Movie Critic as his final movie after all . It seems the field is now wide open as to what he might do next, including his previously-buzzed Star Trek movie that was discussed years ago. While CinemaBlend's Sean O'Connell and others were thrilled at the thought of it possibly happening, this resident Star Trek fan is not.

We have no idea what Tarantino will do next, but I can most assuredly say I feel like a collaboration with Star Trek is the wrong move. I say this as a fan of both the franchise and the filmmaker: this is like oil and water in that they don't mix, and I think trying to force a hard R-rated Star Trek via his vision, as awesome as many think that sounds, will only end in disappointment for the following reasons.

The Things Quentin Tarantino Is Most Celebrated For Are Discouraged In Star Trek

When I think of the hallmarks of Quentin Tarantino's best movies , what comes to mind on those flicks are heavy swearing and colorful dialogue, lots of bloody violence, and an overall cynical view on humanity and its vices. It's the polar opposite of what Star Trek has been about for the past 60+ years, and given the over-the-top outcry by fans when the franchise dropped its first f-bomb , I can't imagine the response to a Tarantino-directed Star Trek movie would be any different.

While a more mainstream and casual audience won't care what angers dedicated fans, Alex Kurtzman and the powers that be have worked pretty hard since the franchise's revival in 2009 to slowly modernize it to current pop culture norms and standards while still maintaining its humanist ideals and civility. There are some things that are non-negotiable in Star Trek , and I could see copywriters having a fit with Tarantino for some of the dialogue or scenes he'd want to write for Starfleet officers. In the end, I think both sides would have to compromise in a way that disappoints everyone, and we'd end up with Tarantino-helmed Trek film that doesn't feel like either.

His Pitch Sounded Like A Regular Movie That Used Star Trek As A Supporting Element

Alleged details of Quentin Tarantino's Star Trek movie have traveled the internet for years, and we learned he was reportedly trying to pitch something similar to the typical time travel episodes we've seen repeatedly throughout the franchise. This pitch supposedly featured a 1930s-era mob story, set primarily on Earth and inspired by the Original Series episode "A Piece of the Action.

While Star Trek: First Contact spends a lot of time on Earth, it's hard not to hear that elevator pitch and feel like Tarantino wanted to do a standard mob movie, with a twist embedded that there are members of Star Trek 's Starfleet and potentially other alien lifeforms in the mix. It's not a bad idea, but it feels like the franchise is playing second banana to the mob story, which doesn't feel like a way to do a Trek movie. Of course, we only know alleged details, so this is just speculation on my end, and I can confess perhaps Tarantino had it plotted out a different way.

Star Trek Movies Are Tied To The Overall Universe

I think the biggest issue with Quentin Tarantino doing a Star Trek movie is that, as it stands right now, it wouldn't exist as a standalone one-off idea. Even the Kelvin Chris Pine-led films have a link to the Prime timeline used in the shows and previous movies, meaning that Tarantino's movie would be canon just like the shows available with a Paramount+ subscription .

Given those stakes, there could be a lot of restraints put on Tarantino and what he wants to do with a Star Trek movie, which is not the way to get the director's best. As interesting as the premise it sounds, I just don't see the powers-that-be running Trek giving Tarantino a green light to do whatever he wants knowing it could impact the overall health and interest of their franchise once the glow of box office returns fades. But I could be wrong, though, and maybe given all the struggles with making Star Trek 4 happen , there are many interested in just seeing a movie made no matter the consequences.

We still don't know what Quentin Tarantino's next film will be, but a new Star Trek movie is in the works as we speak . CinemaBlend will have updates on both as they come, so continue to stick with us as we await the arrival of upcoming Trek shows and more in the coming years.

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Screen Rant

Star trek: discovery stars eve harlow & elias toufexis break down their villainous romance.

Screen Rant interviews Elias Toufexis and Eve Harlow about joining Star Trek: Discovery and playing season 5's villainous lovers, Moll and L'ak.

Warning: SPOILERS for Star Trek: Discovery Season 5

• Eve Harlow and Elias Toufexis play renegade lovers Moll and L'ak, who are hunting for ancient technology, in Star Trek: Discovery season 5.
• Moll and L'ak race against USS Discovery to find powerful Progenitor technology with the power to create life itself in season 5.
• Harlow and Toufexis discuss Moll and L'ak's love story, challenges with prosthetics, and the dynamic with Commander Rayner in Discovery.

Eve Harlow and Elias Toufexis are renegade lovers Moll and L'ak on the hunt for Star Trek: Discover y season 5's ancient and powerful treasure. Harlow is new to Star Trek while Toufexis guest starred in Star Trek: Discovery season 1, but, together, Moll and L'ak are the main antagonists of Star Trek: Discovery season 5.

Moll, a human, and L'ak, a mysterious alien, are a couple in a race with the USS Discovery to find the technology of the Progenitors , which has the power to create life, itself. Moll and L'ak are also being pursued by Commander Rayner ( Callum Keith Rennie ), the new First Officer of the USS Discovery, who is driven by his animosity towards the former couriers-turned-treasure hunters.

Star Trek: Discovery Season 5 Returning Cast & New Character Guide

Screen Rant spoke to Eve Harlow and Elias Toufexis about Moll and L'ak's Star Trek: Discovery love story, the challenges of L'ak's prosthetics, and how Moll and L'ak really feel about their pursuer, Commander Rayner.

Eve Harlow & Elias Toufexis Compare Their Romance To Star Trek: Discovery Season 5's Other Couples

Screen Rant: I'm loving this season of Discovery and the feedback I've gotten across the board is that this is the best season. Have you guys felt the love and the warm reception for season 5?

Eve Harlow: I stay off the internet because the internet scares me. (laughs) So it's kind of like, 'Okay, you can hear nice things. Yes, tell me nice things.' But the bad stuff I'm like, 'Lalala!' But yeah, that's great to hear. Elias Toufexis: Yeah, [I feel the love.], especially meeting people like you and the fans online. You're always gonna have detractors. it's always gonna happen, but if you can somehow not let them get to you and take in the love... The love is there this season. Everyone's really enjoying it, and I knew they would. I knew when we were shooting this, I'm like, 'This is too much fun. This is too cool.' There's so much cool stuff, so much fun stuff, there's no way people are gonna watch this and dislike it. And I was right. It's too much fun. The first episodes are fantastic all the way through, and then the other half of the season gets even crazier. I'm really happy with the reception.

Moll and L'ak are a love story. Discovery has a lot of couples . There are a lot of love stories going on. Would you say Moll and L'ak are the best couple in Discovery , and what makes them the best?

Elias Toufexis: I’d say they’re the best couple in Star Trek history. Eve Harlow: Obviously, we’re the best because it’s us! Elias Toufexis: I mean, look, they’re the coolest. They’re the coolest couple in Star Trek history, that's for sure. They're smart. They're in love. They're passionate. They know what they want. They do what they need to do to get it. And they don't care who's standing in their way. But they're not inherently evil. They're not inherently villains, really. Yeah, they're the antagonists of the show. But they're doing what they're doing for a reason. And those reasons are explained. And that's one of my favorite things about this season, that they're explained. The reasons are shown why we're doing what we're doing.

Bonnie and Clyde have been referenced a lot for Moll and L'ak, but they might be more like Mickey and Mallory from Natural Born Killers or Pumpkin and Honey Bunny from Pulp Fiction . Did you guys pull inspiration from any of these famous movie criminal couples?

Eve Harlow: 100% But I think that we see these like kinds of characters throughout different kinds of mediums. It was really funny because right before I did this show, there was another show that I did [The Night Agent], and it also had a dynamic of Bonnie and Clyde. I was like, 'I'm going from doing a Bonnie and Clyde on a political thriller to doing Bonnie and Clyde in space. F--- yeah!' So I think you can't help but draw inspiration. 'Oh, yeah, I see this, and I see how this is reflected in what I have'. But then you take it as some amalgamation of everything that you've consumed before, and you make it your own. Elias Toufexis: I'm inclined to toss out Mickey and Mallory. For me, that never played because they're such psychos in that film. Moll and L'ak are not psychos. They're passionate and they're in love. I mean, you could take the coolness of Mickey and Mallory, and you could throw that in there. But in terms of their reasoning for doing what they're doing.... Even Bonnie and Clyde is a little too much. [Moll and L'ak] are justified in what they're doing. I don't know that murdering anybody is ever justified, but their reason for being there is love and freedom. And that's hard to dispute.

Moll's Wig Was Eve's Idea & L'ak's Prosthetics Were A Challenge For Elias

Eve, you just mentioned you were on Netflix's The Night Agent as Ellen, an assassin in love. You wore a lot of wigs on The Night Agent. How does how does Moll's wig compare?

Eve Harlow: Okay, so fun fact: The wigs... That was my idea. Because for The Night Agent, when I got the script, Ellen was obviously an assassin who has different clothing and stuff. And because I wear wigs in my real life, I was like, 'Wait, this totally makes sense for Ellen to have wigs because when someone asks for a description of a person, its height, hair color, right?' It's the easiest thing to change. And so I was like, 'F--- it. I'm gonna pitch it to the producers, see if they're into it.' They were into it. That worked. And when I auditioned for Star Trek, I wore a wig for my audition. It just made sense. It felt sci-fi, it felt edgy, it felt like all of the things that I felt when I read the sides and the character description.

Elias, you and I talked a little bit about the makeup process for L'ak, wearing the head, and the makeup, and everything. How do you feel now that you've seen it on screen and seen how it plays? It looks awesome.

Elias Toufexis: You want to know the truth? This is how messed up being an actor is, like the body dysmorphia of an actor. I'll look at it and be like, 'Oh, it looks so cool.' And then, 'Nope, I look fat in that scene.' Even under the makeup. It makes no sense. It's completely ridiculous because the makeup is the makeup. But you're looking at it like, 'I don't like that shot, I like this shot.' I would only tell that to you, John. But having said that yeah, the process was tough. When it was over, when when the season was done, and I was done, I remember going, 'I don't know that I would do this again because it is very difficult.' I didn't realize how difficult it would be. I remember that first day of sitting there for five and a half hours, and then seeing [me as L'ak], and I'm like, 'This is the coolest thing ever! This is no problem.' And four or five days in, I'm like, 'This is exhausting.' And you don't realize that. You're putting it on for five hours, then you're wearing it for like 12 hours, and then you're trying to get it off. There was a week when we were shooting where I was more L'ak than I was Elias. I would take it off ,go home, sleep five hours, come back, and put it back on. There were times where I'm like, 'Can I just leave it on?' 'No, you can't.' So it was tough. But being removed from it now for over a year, you look at it, and you go, 'Okay, it was worth it because it's so cool.' And the makeup is what I was concerned about. I think I talked to you about this a little bit. What I was concerned about was [my performance] getting through the makeup. That his love for Moll [came through.] That was my big thing. Will you be able to see that he loves Moll through these contacts and the makeup? Yes, you can, and I'm very happy with that. That was my big concern and the fact that you could see the emotion... Because it was tough to get through. I had to be bigger than I normally am on-screen. I'm normally a very quiet, subtle actor. That's how I like to be, and I had pushed through the makeup to get it across. I was worried about being melodramatic, and it worked out. The director, Olatunde [Osunsanmi] was talking to me about it a lot. And he was right. And I'm very happy with how it turned out.

Why Commander Rayner Has A Grudge Against Moll and L'ak

L'ak has his own ship. He's one of the few Star Trek characters who actually owns his own starship. I want to get really nerdy about the ship. What are the cool things it can do? Does it have a name, model, registry number, all that nerdy Star Trek minutia?

Elias Toufexis: I want to give it a name, Eve. We should give it a name. I think he'd call it The Moll. I think he would do something like that. He would call it The Moll or the Malinne or something like that. I mean, again, as a big Star Trek fan, my own ship? Like, come on, it's the coolest thing ever. I love the detachment cells, and then it could spin and the nacelles spin around it, and then giving off the different warp trails and stuff, That kind of stuff is top of the line cool, man. I love that stuff, and I hope there's a million toys and ships and models. I'll buy 'em all.

Callum Keith Rennie's Commander Rayner is another awesome addition to season 5. Rayner really has a bug up his ass - a time bug, as it turns out - about Moll and L'alk. Can you talk a little bit about what his problem is with you? Because it's only been hinted at.

Eve Harlow: Oh, I don't remember what is revealed in what episode. What's a spoiler and what isn't? Because it's all fused together. Elias Toufexis: Callum is great. I've known Callum for years. He's a very famous Canadian actor. Eve Harlow: And I worked with him like over 10 years ago on this TV show he was on. And he remembered, and I hadn't. I was like, 'Oh dang. Hey again, years down the line.' Elias Toufexis: He's a great actor and I love Rayner. What's great about Rayner, for me, is it could be a very one-dimensional character. It could easily even be played one-dimensionally. And Callum is such a wonderful actor that you see layers getting broken down episode by episode. That's what's great about him in terms of his relationship with Moll and L'ak. I don't want to get into too much. I don't know what I'm gonna spoil,. But he definitely does have, as you say, a time bug up his ass. But they don't care about him. I'll tell you that much. They don't.

Elias, you're on the Star Trek convention circuit. We've hung out in Vegas. Eve, are you looking forward to doing Star Trek cons? You're part of Star Trek now. It's going to be part of you forever. There's gonna be Moll and L'ak cosplay.

Eve Harlow: Honestly, I'm excited to see that! That would be fun. When I first got on set, being welcomed on set, it was like, 'Welcome to the family.' So I'm just like, I'm excited to be here!

About Star Trek: Discovery Season 5

The fifth and final season of Star Trek: Discovery finds Captain Burnham and the crew of the USS Discovery uncovering a mystery that will send them on an epic adventure across the galaxy to find an ancient power whose very existence has been deliberately hidden for centuries. But there are others on the hunt as well … dangerous foes who are desperate to claim the prize for themselves and will stop at nothing to get it.

Check out our other Star Trek: Discovery season 5 interviews here:

• Sonequa Martin-Green
• David Ajala and Doug Jones
• Wilson Cruz, Mary Wiseman & Blu del Barrio
• Alex Kurtzman & Michelle Paradise
• Callum Keith Rennie

New episodes of Star Trek: Discovery season 5 stream Thursdays on Paramount+