50) A Piece of the Action

Put your choppers down, that's no way to treat our special guest for our 50th podcast episode of "Enterprise Incidents!" We excited to be joined by respected entertainment journalist and acclaimed author Ed Gross, who shares his archive interview with "A Piece of the Action" director (and legendary TV producer) James Komack. A hundred years after being visited by an Earth vessel, the Enterprise arrives at the planet Sigma Iotia II, where it discovers a world steeped in chaos and run entirely by gangsters. During their investigation into the cause of this parallel culture, Captain Kirk, Mr. Spock and Dr. McCoy are captured by notorious crime boss Bela Okmyx, who wants a hundred phasers (or "heaters") to knock off the other bosses and take full control. That's when they discover the root of the contamination: a book left behind by the previous ship called "Chicago Mobs of the Twenties." In an effort to clean up their mess and unify the planet, Captain Kirk realizes that the best way to reason with the Iotians is to speak their language, which he attempts to do with often humorous results. "The Trouble with Tribbles" may be the most popular of the comedic "Star Trek" episodes, but "A Piece of the Action" is the bigger fan-favorite, because it's funniest and the coolest of the bunch. It's also the most irresistible, thanks to game performances by William Shatner and Leonard Nimoy, not to mention guest stars Anthony Caruso and Vic Tayback, who are clearly having a ball. As a result, you'd be hard-pressed to find a more fun and gleefully-entertaining episode of "Star Trek" than "A Piece of the Action." In fact, the odds are astronomical -- except at night, on Tuesday. Right? You can support Enterprise Incidents right here (Think of it as a "Tip Jar"): https://anchor.fm/enterpriseincidents  You can follow Enterprise Incidents on social media at: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/EnterpriseIncidents Twitter: @enterincidents Instagram @enterpriseincidents Follow Scott Mantz @moviemantz on Twitter and Instagram Follow Steve Morris @srmorris on Twitter and @srmorris1 on Instagram