History Recap / StarTrekS2E17APieceOfTheAction

* TheBadGuyWins: Bela and Krako become Top Boss and Lieutenant ''for the entire planet.'' Spock brings this up at the end of the episode as one of the flaws in Kirk's strategy, but Kirk suggests that the Federation's "cut" from the Iotian syndicate can go towards teaching the natives better ways.

* BrickJoke: Becomes one in Creator/DCComics' ''Comicbook/{{Star Trek|DC Comics}}'': Remember [=McCoy's=] communicator? Bella returns it intact, figuring [=McCoy=] wouldn't like him or the other Iotians messing with it. He also brings in Kirk's "piece of the action," ''several'' briefcases filled with money.

* PlanetOfHats: Check out the page for this trope. This episode is the poster child! The Iotians' "hat" seems to be extreme imitativeness, and in this case they're imitating a book called ''Chicago Mobs of the 20s''. Incidentally, if you look closely, you'll notice the three gangs pictured wear three different kinds of hats. Oxmyx's gang all wear fedoras. Krako's gang all wear boaters. Mirt's gang all wear bowlers.

* BrickJoke: Becomes one in Creator/DCComics' ''Comicbook/{{Star Trek|DC Comics}}'': Remember [=McCoy's=] communicator? Bella returns it intact, figuring [=McCoy=] wouldn't like him or the other Iotians messing with it.

* OhCrap: Bones is troubled by the fact that he's left his communicator with the Iotians. Spock shares his concern, but Kirk shrugs it off as no big deal and studying it will probably help their growth. "Prime Directive, Shrime Directive" basically.

* IWantMyMommy: One of the minor bosses whimpers "Mother" when he's beamed into Okmyx's office.

* TakeAThirdOption: Unable to reverse the cultural contamination that altered the Iotians, and unwilling to provide technology - weapons that Oxmyx or Krako want to finish their GangWar once and for all - Kirk decides to keep the existing power structure in place by imposing the Federation as the [[AlwaysABiggerFish biggest Operation]] taking over the planet's divided Syndicates. With the plan to have the Federation's "piece of the action" paid back into Sigma Iota's development (by future Federation expeditions to the planet) into a more law-abiding peaceful culture.

* BrickJoke: Becomes one in Creator/DCComics' ''Comicbook/{{Star Trek|DC Comics}}'': Remember [=McCoy's=] communicator? Bella returns it intact, figuring [=McCoy=] wouldn't like him messing with it.

* CargoCult: The Iotians use ''Chicago Mobs of the Twenties'' as a means for modelling their entire society, treating it as their Bible. Presumably justified as, after having come into contact with a successful advanced alien culture, they aimed to copy that culture and said book was the best they had available.

* CargoCult: The Iotians using ''Chicago Mobs of the Twenties'' as a means for modelling their entires society, treating it as their Bible. Presumably justified as, after having come into contact with a successful advanced alien culture, they aimed to copy that culture and said book was the best they had available.

* ForgottenPhlebotinum: Who knew that the ship's phasers could be set on stun? This incredibly useful feature had never appeared before and would never be used again across the entire ''franchise''!

-->I would advise youse to keep dialin', Oxmyx.

* AreYouSureYouCanDriveThisThing: Kirk drives one of the 1920s-model automobiles based on his and Spock's vague recollections of how such vehicles work.

* PlanetOfHats: Check out the page for this trope. This episode is the poster child! Incidentally, if you look closely, you'll notice the three gangs pictured wear three different kinds of hats. Oxmyx's gang all wear fedoras. Krako's gang all wear boaters. Mirt's gang all wear bowlers.

* TheBadGuyWins: Bela and Krako become Top Boss and Lieutenant ''for the entire planet.''

* CalvinBall: The card game "fizzbin".

* GivingUpOnLogic:
** Even Mr. Spock (gasp!) gives up logic because he's observed that normal rules do not apply on this planet.
** "I would advise youse to keep dialin', Oxmyx."

* HadTheSillyThingInReverse: Kirk, every time he tries to drive the car.

* IndyPloy: Pretty much all of Kirk's plan to end the Iotian gang war, especially [[CalvinBall fizzbin]].

* NiceJobBreakingItHero: Whoever left that book about the gangsters behind.[[note]]Quite possibly [[Series/StarTrekEnterprise Paul Mayweather]].[[/note]]

* OOCIsSeriousBusiness: See GivingUpOnLogic above.

* PuppetKing: Kirk claims that this is the Federation's M.O.

* RedOniBlueOni: Krako and Oxmyx, respectively. Oxmyx prefers to calmly discuss things with Kirk, while Krako (as mentioned above) has NoIndoorVoice.

* DartBoardOfHate: Krako has one of Okmyx. Of course, he cheats at darts.

!!Tropes:

* HiddenDepths: Despite being a mob boss, Okmyx admits that he doesn't like everyone trying to knock off everyone else.

* WeNeedADistraction: Will this StreetUrchin do? He can even give us a TitleDrop!
* WhatHappenedToTheMouse: The StreetUrchin mentioned above never returns to claim the "piece of the action" that Kirk and Spock promised him.
** His "piece" was the beautiful dramatic act he gave that let Kirk and Spock into the building. As they enter, Kirk says "A piece of the action!" and the kid smiles and runs off.

* IndyPloy: Pretty much all of Kirk's plan to end the Iotian gang war, especially [[AssPull fizzbin]].

* TimeLineAlteringMacGuffin: ''Chicago Mobs of the Twenties'', copyright 1992. (It must have sounded more impressive in January of 1968.)