The first season of Star Trek has its share of beloved episodes. From the much-lauded “City on the Edge of Forever” (S01E28) to “Space Seed” (S01E22), which gave the series one of its most iconic villains, there is plenty to appreciate. While the series had yet to hit its stride fully, Season 1 has a hidden gem that is usually overlooked: “A Piece of the Action” (S01E17).
In this episode, the Enterprise visits Sigma Iotia II, a planet last visited by the Starfleet vessel the Horizon, which vanished or was destroyed after its departure. The crew left books behind, including those about mobster culture in 1920s America. By the time Starfleet receives radio signals from the doomed ship, more than 100 years have passed. Kirk and his crew discover that the entire planet has adopted this book as a cultural guideline, and now several gangsters have claimed territories and are constantly battling each other.
What makes this episode such a great early installment?
Some viewers dismiss “A Piece of the Action” as pure Trek comedy, and the episode does have a great comedic vibe—Kirk trying to drive and Spock repeatedly roasting his driving skills, Kirk inventing the card game “Fizzbin,” and Scotty trying to puzzle out the planet’s lingo—these give the actors opportunity to play a little, and they all do a fine job.
However, it’s not just the comedy and guest appearances by fantastic character actors, especially Vic Tayback as Jojo Krako, which makes this episode one of the best Star Trek episodes of Season 1. It is how Kirk uses the planet’s own culture to correct the errors committed by the crew of the Horizon made by leaving the books behind. It’s a “when in Rome” solution that, under other circumstances, could have put the Iotians under the rule of another species.
Setting Star Trek’s pace
“A Piece of the Action” is quite an early episode, but one that sets the pace and tone for the show’s future. The Horizon visited Sigma Iotia II before the Prime Directive, and it would’ve been easy for Kirk to simply leave and claim it is not his responsibility to get the Enterprise crew involved in the gangster wars that dominate the planet.
This is where the show starts to find its footing, especially when it comes to Kirk finding ways around the Prime Directive when it improves the lives of the people he meets, especially when earlier contact harmed them. Episodes like “A Private Little War” (S02E19) and “Patterns of Force” (S02E21) are several later examples of Kirk undoing Federation interference, even when his superiors disagree.
What do you think about “A Piece of the Action?” Is it silly, or does it say more than what’s on the surface? Visit our Facebook page and let us know your thoughts on this interesting early Star Trek episode!