Television Review: A Piece of the Action (Star Trek, S2X20, 1968)

A Piece of the Action (S02E20)

Airdate: January 12th 1968

Written by: David P. Harmon & Gene L. Coon
Directed by: James Komack

Running Time: 50 minutes

The old adage that necessity is the mother of invention holds particular resonance for the latter stages of Star Trek: The Original Series. Confronted with relentless network demands to slash budgets, the show’s creative team faced a Herculean challenge. The solution lay in ingenuity—recycling materials from films and television shows with little connection to Gene Roddenberry’s utopian vision of the future. This resourcefulness risked undermining the suspension of disbelief, yet when executed deftly, it produced episodes that transcended frugality to become inventive in their own right. Among these efforts, episode A Piece of the Action stands out as a particularly entertaining and surprisingly effective example.

The episode’s plot centres on the USS Enterprise’s mission to Sigma Iotia II, a planet last visited a century earlier by the Federation vessel USS Horizon. Contacted via primitive radio by the enigmatic Bella Okmyx (Anthony Caruso), who claims possession of vital information, Captain Kirk (William Shatner), Spock (Leonard Nimoy), and Dr. McCoy (DeForest Kelley) beam down expecting to find a society in the throes of an early industrial revolution. Instead, they are met with a surreal sight: a world that mirrors 1920s Chicago, complete with gangsters clad in pinstripe suits wielding Tommy guns and a societal structure dominated by warring Prohibition-era factions. Okmyx, revealed as a rival gang boss, seeks Federation weaponry—referred to as “heaters”—to overpower his chief adversary, Jojo Krako (Vic Tayback). When Kirk’s away team is taken hostage, the captain must navigate this chaotic underworld to secure his crew’s freedom and dismantle the cycle of violence, using diplomacy to enlighten the planet’s leaders on the futility of their ways.

The concept of transposing Star Trek’s crew into a 1920s gangland setting was not new to Roddenberry, who had long harboured the idea. However, it was the show’s financial constraints that cemented its production. By the time the episode was greenlit, the series was filmed at Desilu Productions, a studio renowned for its association with The Untouchables, a popular period crime drama set in 1930s Chicago. This overlap allowed the production team to exploit existing sets, costumes, and props, reducing costs significantly. Earlier experiments with period settings, such as the time-travel episode The City on the Edge of Forever, had already demonstrated the feasibility of such approaches, paving the way for A Piece of the Action to lean heavily into its Chicago aesthetic without compromising narrative cohesion.

The script, co-written by David P. Harmon and Gene L. Coon, offers a novel twist on the anachronism. Rather than employing time travel, the writers posit that the Iotians’ culture was irrevocably shaped by a book left behind by the USS Horizon, detailing Earth’s infamous 1920s gangsters. This artifact, treated as a sacred text, became the foundation for their society, with its inhabitants zealously emulating the violence, fashion, and argot of the era. Their ability to reverse-engineer human technology—evidenced by their automobiles, radio or omnipresent Tommy guns—adds a layer of absurdity to the scenario. The result is a satirical cargo cult, wherein an alien race reconstructs a distorted version of Earth’s past, oblivious to its historical context. This premise cleverly sidesteps the logistical challenges of time travel while critiquing the dangers of cultural contamination, a recurring theme in Star Trek.

The script’s potential to explore the Prime Directive and the ethical implications of technological interference is undeniable. The Iotians’ blind adherence to a corrupted ideal raises questions about cultural appropriation and the responsibility of advanced civilizations toward less developed societies. Yet, rather than delve into these philosophical quandaries, Harmon and Coon opt for a humorous tone, transforming Sigma Iotia II into a farcical parody of 1920s Chicago. The episode revels in its absurdity, with characters spouting Damon Runyon-esque dialogue, women, one of them being played by Dyanne Thorne, future star of Ilsa, She Wolf of the SS, sporting gun holsters with flapper dresses, and entire scenes punctuated by bursts of gunfire that verge on slapstick.

While this comedic approach risks trivializing the episode’s thematic depth, it also serves as its greatest strength. The performances, particularly Shatner’s, thrive in this exaggerated milieu. Kirk’s rapid assimilation of the gangsters’ jargon—complete with a cigar-chomping swagger and a knack for “talking the talk”—showcases Shatner’s flair for theatricality, allowing him to ham it up with unapologetic glee. The Enterprise crew’s interactions with the Iotians are peppered with genuinely funny moments, from Spock’s deadpan observations to McCoy’s exasperation at the absurdity of their predicament. However, the lack of genuine stakes undermines the narrative tension. With Kirk possessing the technological and intellectual superiority of the 23rd century, the threat posed by the gangsters never feels credible, rendering the conflict more farce than drama.

A Piece of the Action is ultimately a product of its circumstances—entertaining, irreverent, and unapologetically campy. While it lacks the gravitas of Star Trek’s more iconic episodes, such as Mirror, Mirror, it succeeds as a lighthearted romp that leverages its budgetary limitations into creative strengths. The episode’s willingness to embrace its own silliness, combined with the cast’s charismatic performances, ensures its enduring appeal as a guilty pleasure. It is a testament to the resourcefulness of the show’s creators, who, when faced with adversity, transformed constraints into opportunities for innovation. Its influence endures, inspiring later series like Deep Space Nine and even Quentin Tarantino’s unmade Star Trek film pitch.

RATING: 6/10 (++)

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