UNCUT REACTION - Star Trek The Original Series - S2E17 A Piece of the Action
Added 2022-10-13 17:39:34 +0000 UTCHere is our full uncut reaction to A Piece of the Action
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Comments
Ever since I was a kid I loved this episode. Yeah, it gets pretty silly in the back half, but it's all in good fun. Shatner and Nimoy clearly had a lot of fun filming this episode. Compared to prior "Earth like societies", they at least offer some explanation for how they wound up in this mobster planet situation. And by stating that the interference happened before the prime directive was a thing gave the writers an out to play with the concept. The issue of McCoy's communicator is brushed off a little too easily, but similar situations in later trek series are handled much better. Not much more to say about this one. Just a fun, entertaining episode.
Timothy Nikiforovs
2024-04-19 22:37:08 +0000 UTCYeah, it's funny that Fred thought that 1999 needed more humor, but was opposed to humor on TREK. Unfortunately, for 1999, Fred didn't know the difference between genuine character and story driven humor and tagging on a cheap gag at the end of an episode.
MntrTodd
2022-10-18 20:03:47 +0000 UTCI know there are Spock posters from this. They also released Piece of the Action action figures for the 30th Anniversary This was one of the last episodes written by Gene Coon (that he would take credit for) who wrote some of the better episodes of the series.
Jonathan
2022-10-15 02:06:07 +0000 UTCVariety Magazine said that Quentin Tarantino's Star Trek movie script was based on this episode. The Nerdist YouTube channel has an incredible trailer for a conceivable Tarantino Star Trek film, you guys really need to check it out after watching all of TOS.
PFCoffey
2022-10-14 16:11:25 +0000 UTCThis one does get a bit silly, but Shatner sure seems to be enjoying himself, between the fake card game and the gangster act.
Joe Concepts
2022-10-14 15:56:02 +0000 UTCThe Prime Directive seems to come and go throughout all Star Trek shows depending on the writers. Especially in this series, where they haven't quite nailed down those details. It's much more settled by The Next Generation and is more often a plot point. The general idea is more primitive societies that haven't developed warp speed/space travel can't be interfered with. They have to be allowed to develop normally. I guess Kirk's reasoning here is that the Federation caused all of this and he's trying to correct it.
Joe Concepts
2022-10-14 15:54:06 +0000 UTCKirk is an Iowa farm boy.
Nerd's Gold
2022-10-14 14:52:56 +0000 UTCThere is a comic book sequel of sorts where years later a representative from the Ioatians returned the communicator to Kirk, untouched.
Mark Chrisco
2022-10-14 13:42:48 +0000 UTCIt could’ve led to an equally fun sequel for The Next Generation or Deep Space Nine. The idea was pitched, but never came to be on TV.
Trevacious
2022-10-14 02:05:16 +0000 UTCThe same but in reverse could be said about Fred Freiberger's changes to season 2 of Space: 1999 that went from a serious thought provoking show in season one to having monsters of the week in season 2 and little to no true science with the complete fiction it became. Fred is definitely a serial series killer 😆
Brad Barter
2022-10-14 00:42:31 +0000 UTCThis is probably the last genuine comedic episode of the original series. When Fred Freiberger took over season three, he nixed comedy episodes because he felt STAR TREK shouldn't be a funny show (although a couple of his episodes are unintentionally funny).
MntrTodd
2022-10-13 19:03:28 +0000 UTCAlex: you are not far off. James T. Kirk is from Iowa, although that was largely fan-created and did not make it into Star Trek canon until Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home. The JT Abrams Star Trek movie reboot also plays on this in the early years of Kirk growing up. Overall, I think it is an okay episode. I am not a fan when the episode gets to the point of being silly, like I, Mudd or a few times in this episode.
Collin Freeman
2022-10-13 17:52:42 +0000 UTC
