"Star Trek" A Piece of the Action (TV Episode 1968)

Top cast28

Edit

William Shatner

Captain James T. Kirk

Leonard Nimoy

Mr. Spock

DeForest Kelley

Dr. McCoy

Anthony Caruso

Bela

Vic Tayback

Krako
(as Victor Tayback)

Lee Delano

Kalo

James Doohan

Scott

Nichelle Nichols

Uhura

Walter Koenig

Chekov

John Harmon

Tepo

Sheldon Collins

Tough Kid

Dyanne Thorne

First Girl

Sharyn Hillyer

Second Girl

Buddy Garion

Hood

Steven Marlo

Zabo
(as Steve Marlo)

Benjie Bancroft

Iotian Passerby
(uncredited)

Bill Blackburn

Lieutenant Hadley
(uncredited)

John Blower

Crewman Swenson
(uncredited)

Did you know

Edit

Trivia
After filming wrapped the studio received a letter from Anthony Caruso, who played Bela Oxmyx. It was a letter from "Oxmyx" thanking the crew of the Enterprise for creating the "syndicate" and things were proceeding nicely on Sigma Iotia II. As he goes on in the letter, it is now the 1950s and he is sporting a crew-cut. He also mentioned wanting to visit Las Vegas, remarking "It seems like my kind of town."

Goofs
The two thugs are killed in the opening segment are wearing the same suits worn later by two other thugs who are made to give their clothes to Kirk and Spock.

Quotes
Spock: [Gangster accent] I would advise yas to keep dialin', Oxmyx.

Alternate versions
Special Enhanced version Digitally Remastered with new exterior shots and remade opening theme song

Connections
Featured in William Shatner's Star Trek Memories (1995)

Soundtracks
Theme
Music credited to Alexander Courage
Sung by Loulie Jean Norman

Those of us who grew up in the 50s when the "Roaring Twenties" were not so distant, who remember the gangster movies of the 1950s, "The Untouchables", the TV series "The Roaring Twenties" can appreciate this episode a little more. It is a good example of how good writers can take a situation that could be rather grim-think of "Patterns of Force", where there has been a major violation of The Prime Directive -OK, it wasn't in force at the time, but it was situations like this that led to its adoption-and make it funny and effective. Gangsters wearing fancy clothing but can't shake their "dese and dem and doze" accents, people behaving in a certain way, exaggerated mannerisms because they think that's what they're supposed to. And how many people reading this today could drive a manual transmission ?