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A Piece of the Action (TOS episode)
Encyclopedia
"A Piece of the Action" is a second-season episode of Star Trek: The Original Series
first broadcast on January 12, 1968. It was repeated on August 30, 1968, the last episode to air in the 8:30 pm time slot on Friday nights. It is episode #46, production #49, written by David P. Harmon and Gene L. Coon
, and directed by James Komack
.
Overview: The Enterprise
visits a planet with an Earth
-like 1920s gangster culture.
: Unknown; The starship
USS Enterprise, under the command of Captain James T. Kirk
, is exploring space near Sigma Iotia II, where the space vessel Horizon was reported missing nearly 100 years earlier. Upon reaching orbit, the ship receives a message from Bela Oxmyx, who invites the command crew down for a welcoming party.
Mr. Spock and Dr. McCoy are hesitant about interfering with the inhabitants, who are reported to be a pre-nuclear industrialized culture. Kirk points out that any cultural contamination would have started with the Horizons visit, since the Prime Directive
had not yet been established at that time.
The three beam down in the middle of a busy city street, in what appears to be the USA's 1920s era. Most of the people around them are visibly armed with Tommy gun
s. Two men hold the party at gunpoint and order them to remove their weapons and communicators. The men take them to Oxmyx, but as they walk, a car drives by and opens fire, killing one of the men. The other thug, Kalo, fires back as the car drives off, and then orders the landing party to continue as if nothing out of the ordinary has happened.
When the group arrives at Oxmyx's office, Kalo informs him of the drive-by shooting
. Oxmyx orders his men to make a retaliatory hit on the rival gangster Jojo Krako. Spock finds an obviously Terran book, entitled Chicago Mobs of the Twenties, presumably left behind by the crew of the Horizon. This book is now viewed as a holy relic by the Iotians, who have built an entire culture around what they refer to as "The Book".
Oxmyx demands that Kirk supply him with their phaser
s, which he refers to as "heaters". Kirk refuses, so Oxmyx threatens to kill them in eight hours if Kirk does not come clean with the goods. The landing team is led away and Oxmyx picks up a communicator and tells a confused Mr. Scott
what will happen to the captain if he does not comply.
Meanwhile, Kirk butts in on a game of poker
that Oxmyx's thugs are playing. He introduces them to a fictitious (and extremely confusing) card game, "Fizzbin" in order to distract the gangsters so he and Spock can overcome them and escape.
Kirk orders Spock and McCoy to go to the local radio
station and try to contact the Enterprise while he goes after Oxmyx. Spock and McCoy succeed, and are beamed up to the Enterprise but Kirk is captured by Jojo Krako's men. Krako offers Kirk the same deal as Oxmyx: phasers in exchange for a "third of the action". Kirk tries to offer a peaceful solution; Krako rejects it out of hand, and has Kirk locked up until he changes his mind.
Spock and McCoy, aboard the Enterprise, are trying to figure out how to free the captain when Oxmyx contacts them. He offers to help rescue Kirk, and seeing no alternative, Spock agrees. He and McCoy return to the planet only to be captured by Oxmyx. By this point, however, Kirk has managed to escape and heads to Oxmyx's office. Kirk surprises the guards and subdues them, obtaining their weapons and their clothes. Kirk and Spock then disguise themselves as gangsters and head back to Krako's.
They ask a newspaper
boy to arrange for them to enter Krako's headquarters bloodlessly, promising him "a piece of the action". They successfully enter, and hold the rival gangster and his men at gunpoint. Kirk announces that the Federation
is taking over the whole planet. If Krako helps, they will cut him in on a percentage of the action. Kirk informs him that they want one man to lead the Iotian people, with the Federation "pulling the strings". Krako agrees. They then "put the bag" on Krako by having Mr. Scott beam him up to the ship.
Kirk and Spock then make the same demands of Oxmyx. He agrees, even helping to round up all the gang bosses to his office by calling each one on the telephone. (The Enterprise transports them to his office as they answer.) Kirk tells them all that they are going to combine in a single operation with the Federation taking a 40% cut.
Krako's men then attack the building, but they are stunned by the Enterprises phasers. Witnessing this show of force, the mob bosses realize they are at Kirk's mercy. With their full attention, Kirk arranges for Oxmyx to be the "top boss" with Krako as his "lieutenant". He says that the Federation will stop by once every year to collect their cut.
After returning to the Enterprise, Spock is curious to know how Kirk plans to explain to Starfleet
why a ship will need to be sent to Sigma Iotia II every year to collect the Federation's "cut". Kirk explains that the money, while nominally due to the Federation, will actually go into a trust fund to finance the necessary projects to reorient the planet's culture to a civil society. McCoy admits that he has forgotten his communicator down in Oxmyx's office. Kirk jokes that in a few years, the Iotians might figure out
the Federation's technology — and then they may want a "piece of our action."
Beta Antares IV, Spock replied that he is familiar with the inhabitants; Kirk quickly cut him off to prevent his science officer from professing ignorance of the game.
The rules of Fizzbin were intentionally very complex. Each player gets six cards, except for the player on the dealer's right, who gets seven. The second card is turned up, except on Tuesdays. Kirk dealt the henchman two jacks, which are a "half-fizzbin." When the henchman said he needs another jack, Kirk warned that a third jack is a "shralk" and is grounds for disqualification. With two jacks, one wants a king and a deuce, except at night, when one wants a queen and a four.
At this point, Kirk dealt a third jack, but to keep the ruse going, he ignored the disqualification rule he had just made up. He explained that, had a king been dealt instead of a jack, the player would get another card, except when it is dark, in which case he would have to give it back. The top hand is a "royal fizzbin," but the odds of getting one are "astronomical": when Kirk asked Spock what the odds are, Spock truthfully replied that he had never computed them.
Kirk called the last card a "kronk" and then purposely dealt a card such that it fell on the floor. As the henchman being taught reached down, Spock nerve-pinched
him while Kirk and McCoy attacked the other guards, allowing the three to escape.
Star Trek: The Original Series
Star Trek is an American science fiction television series created by Gene Roddenberry, produced by Desilu Productions . Star Trek was telecast on NBC from September 8, 1966, through June 3, 1969...
first broadcast on January 12, 1968. It was repeated on August 30, 1968, the last episode to air in the 8:30 pm time slot on Friday nights. It is episode #46, production #49, written by David P. Harmon and Gene L. Coon
Gene L. Coon
Gene L. Coon was an American screenwriter and television producer. He is best remembered for his work on the original Star Trek series.-Life and career:...
, and directed by James Komack
James Komack
James Komack was an American actor, writer and film producer. Komack was in the original cast of the Broadway musical Damn Yankees and also in the film version; in both productions, he was one of the baseball players who perform the song " Heart"...
.
Overview: The Enterprise
Starship Enterprise
The Enterprise or USS Enterprise is the name of several fictional starships, some of which are the focal point for various television series and films in the Star Trek franchise created by Gene Roddenberry. It is considered a name of legacy in the fleet...
visits a planet with an Earth
Earth
Earth is the third planet from the Sun, and the densest and fifth-largest of the eight planets in the Solar System. It is also the largest of the Solar System's four terrestrial planets...
-like 1920s gangster culture.
Plot
StardateStardate
A stardate is a date in the fictional system of time measurement developed for Star Trek, commonly heard at the beginning of a voiceover log entry such as "Captain's log, stardate 41153.7...
: Unknown; The starship
Starship
A starship or interstellar spacecraft is a theoretical spacecraft designed for traveling between the stars, as opposed to a vehicle designed for orbital spaceflight or interplanetary travel....
USS Enterprise, under the command of Captain James T. Kirk
James T. Kirk
James Tiberius "Jim" Kirk is a character in the Star Trek media franchise. Kirk was first played by William Shatner as the principal lead character in the original Star Trek series. Shatner voiced Kirk in the animated Star Trek series and appeared in the first seven Star Trek movies...
, is exploring space near Sigma Iotia II, where the space vessel Horizon was reported missing nearly 100 years earlier. Upon reaching orbit, the ship receives a message from Bela Oxmyx, who invites the command crew down for a welcoming party.
Mr. Spock and Dr. McCoy are hesitant about interfering with the inhabitants, who are reported to be a pre-nuclear industrialized culture. Kirk points out that any cultural contamination would have started with the Horizons visit, since the Prime Directive
Prime Directive
In the universe of Star Trek, the Prime Directive, Starfleet's General Order #1, is the most prominent guiding principle of the United Federation of Planets...
had not yet been established at that time.
The three beam down in the middle of a busy city street, in what appears to be the USA's 1920s era. Most of the people around them are visibly armed with Tommy gun
Thompson submachine gun
The Thompson is an American submachine gun, invented by John T. Thompson in 1919, that became infamous during the Prohibition era. It was a common sight in the media of the time, being used by both law enforcement officers and criminals...
s. Two men hold the party at gunpoint and order them to remove their weapons and communicators. The men take them to Oxmyx, but as they walk, a car drives by and opens fire, killing one of the men. The other thug, Kalo, fires back as the car drives off, and then orders the landing party to continue as if nothing out of the ordinary has happened.
When the group arrives at Oxmyx's office, Kalo informs him of the drive-by shooting
Drive-by shooting
A drive-by shooting is a form of hit-and-run tactic, a personal attack carried out by an individual or individuals from a moving or momentarily stopped vehicle without use of headlights to avoid being noticed. It often results in bystanders being shot instead of, or as well as, the intended target...
. Oxmyx orders his men to make a retaliatory hit on the rival gangster Jojo Krako. Spock finds an obviously Terran book, entitled Chicago Mobs of the Twenties, presumably left behind by the crew of the Horizon. This book is now viewed as a holy relic by the Iotians, who have built an entire culture around what they refer to as "The Book".
Oxmyx demands that Kirk supply him with their phaser
Weapons of Star Trek
The Star Trek fictional universe contains a very large number of weapons. As with most science fiction franchises, the series focuses primarily on energy weapons...
s, which he refers to as "heaters". Kirk refuses, so Oxmyx threatens to kill them in eight hours if Kirk does not come clean with the goods. The landing team is led away and Oxmyx picks up a communicator and tells a confused Mr. Scott
Montgomery Scott
Montgomery "Scotty" Scott is a Scottish engineer in the Star Trek media franchise. First portrayed by James Doohan in the original Star Trek series, Scotty also appears in the animated Star Trek series, seven Star Trek movies, the Star Trek: The Next Generation episode "Relics", and in numerous...
what will happen to the captain if he does not comply.
Meanwhile, Kirk butts in on a game of poker
Poker
Poker is a family of card games that share betting rules and usually hand rankings. Poker games differ in how the cards are dealt, how hands may be formed, whether the high or low hand wins the pot in a showdown , limits on bet sizes, and how many rounds of betting are allowed.In most modern poker...
that Oxmyx's thugs are playing. He introduces them to a fictitious (and extremely confusing) card game, "Fizzbin" in order to distract the gangsters so he and Spock can overcome them and escape.
Kirk orders Spock and McCoy to go to the local radio
Radio
Radio is the transmission of signals through free space by modulation of electromagnetic waves with frequencies below those of visible light. Electromagnetic radiation travels by means of oscillating electromagnetic fields that pass through the air and the vacuum of space...
station and try to contact the Enterprise while he goes after Oxmyx. Spock and McCoy succeed, and are beamed up to the Enterprise but Kirk is captured by Jojo Krako's men. Krako offers Kirk the same deal as Oxmyx: phasers in exchange for a "third of the action". Kirk tries to offer a peaceful solution; Krako rejects it out of hand, and has Kirk locked up until he changes his mind.
Spock and McCoy, aboard the Enterprise, are trying to figure out how to free the captain when Oxmyx contacts them. He offers to help rescue Kirk, and seeing no alternative, Spock agrees. He and McCoy return to the planet only to be captured by Oxmyx. By this point, however, Kirk has managed to escape and heads to Oxmyx's office. Kirk surprises the guards and subdues them, obtaining their weapons and their clothes. Kirk and Spock then disguise themselves as gangsters and head back to Krako's.
They ask a newspaper
Newspaper
A newspaper is a scheduled publication containing news of current events, informative articles, diverse features and advertising. It usually is printed on relatively inexpensive, low-grade paper such as newsprint. By 2007, there were 6580 daily newspapers in the world selling 395 million copies a...
boy to arrange for them to enter Krako's headquarters bloodlessly, promising him "a piece of the action". They successfully enter, and hold the rival gangster and his men at gunpoint. Kirk announces that the Federation
United Federation of Planets
The United Federation of Planets, also known as "The Federation" is a fictional interplanetary federal republic depicted in the Star Trek television series and motion pictures...
is taking over the whole planet. If Krako helps, they will cut him in on a percentage of the action. Kirk informs him that they want one man to lead the Iotian people, with the Federation "pulling the strings". Krako agrees. They then "put the bag" on Krako by having Mr. Scott beam him up to the ship.
Kirk and Spock then make the same demands of Oxmyx. He agrees, even helping to round up all the gang bosses to his office by calling each one on the telephone. (The Enterprise transports them to his office as they answer.) Kirk tells them all that they are going to combine in a single operation with the Federation taking a 40% cut.
Krako's men then attack the building, but they are stunned by the Enterprises phasers. Witnessing this show of force, the mob bosses realize they are at Kirk's mercy. With their full attention, Kirk arranges for Oxmyx to be the "top boss" with Krako as his "lieutenant". He says that the Federation will stop by once every year to collect their cut.
After returning to the Enterprise, Spock is curious to know how Kirk plans to explain to Starfleet
Starfleet
In the fictional universe of Star Trek, Starfleet or the Federation Starfleet is the deep-space exploratory, peacekeeping and military service maintained by the United Federation of Planets . It is the principal means by which the Federation conducts its exploration, defense, diplomacy and research...
why a ship will need to be sent to Sigma Iotia II every year to collect the Federation's "cut". Kirk explains that the money, while nominally due to the Federation, will actually go into a trust fund to finance the necessary projects to reorient the planet's culture to a civil society. McCoy admits that he has forgotten his communicator down in Oxmyx's office. Kirk jokes that in a few years, the Iotians might figure out
Reverse engineering
Reverse engineering is the process of discovering the technological principles of a device, object, or system through analysis of its structure, function, and operation...
the Federation's technology — and then they may want a "piece of our action."
Fizzbin
Kirk's explanation of the game included a claim that it is played by inhabitants of the planetPlanet
A planet is a celestial body orbiting a star or stellar remnant that is massive enough to be rounded by its own gravity, is not massive enough to cause thermonuclear fusion, and has cleared its neighbouring region of planetesimals.The term planet is ancient, with ties to history, science,...
Beta Antares IV, Spock replied that he is familiar with the inhabitants; Kirk quickly cut him off to prevent his science officer from professing ignorance of the game.
The rules of Fizzbin were intentionally very complex. Each player gets six cards, except for the player on the dealer's right, who gets seven. The second card is turned up, except on Tuesdays. Kirk dealt the henchman two jacks, which are a "half-fizzbin." When the henchman said he needs another jack, Kirk warned that a third jack is a "shralk" and is grounds for disqualification. With two jacks, one wants a king and a deuce, except at night, when one wants a queen and a four.
At this point, Kirk dealt a third jack, but to keep the ruse going, he ignored the disqualification rule he had just made up. He explained that, had a king been dealt instead of a jack, the player would get another card, except when it is dark, in which case he would have to give it back. The top hand is a "royal fizzbin," but the odds of getting one are "astronomical": when Kirk asked Spock what the odds are, Spock truthfully replied that he had never computed them.
Kirk called the last card a "kronk" and then purposely dealt a card such that it fell on the floor. As the henchman being taught reached down, Spock nerve-pinched
Vulcan nerve pinch
In the fictional Star Trek universe, the Vulcan nerve pinch is a technique used mainly by Vulcans to render unconsciousness by pinching a pressure point at the base of the victim’s neck...
him while Kirk and McCoy attacked the other guards, allowing the three to escape.
40th Anniversary remastering
This episode was digitally re-mastered in 2006 and was first aired April 28, 2007 as part of the remastered 40th Anniversary original series. It was preceded a week earlier by the remastered version of "All Our Yesterdays", and followed a week later by the remastered version of "Tomorrow Is Yesterday". Aside from remastered video and audio, and the all-CGI animation of the Enterprise that is standard among the revisions, specific changes to this episode also include:- The planet Sigma Iotia II is given a more Earth-like detail.
- The Enterprise phaser blasts that stun the gangsters fighting in the street have been enhanced.