#like- let me have the blue amoeba husband PLEASE

[cursedstarry]

Niall with our kids in the lake for the 3rd winter in a row wondering why we're not back yet with the milk.

[kinetic-elaboration]

April 30: 2x17 A Piece of the Action

Today’s ep was A Piece of the Action, one of the greatest of all time. Honestly, as far as feel good episodes in particular go, it’s one of my ultimate faves.

Uhura seems to be having a lot of fun listening to Kirk trying to communicate with this alien.

Yes, Kirk, please explain how it took you a hundred years to get back to this alien society.

I actually like this whole back story a lot. If the Horizon met the Iotians 100 years ago, and the planet is on the edge of the galaxy, it must have been one of the earliest contacts between the Federation and another planet. Or did it even pre-date the Federation? I’m too hungry to try to figure out timelines lol but still, the plot kind of relies on it being an early contact: pre-Non-Interference Director, pre-modern communication methods.

Also just really curious about the Horizon in general. What kind of ship was it? What was it doing out there? What was that first contact with the Iotians like? I do not want subsequent “Star Trek” to explain this to me, I just want to speculate.

Woah who is this guy filling in for Spock? He looks like a Spock impersonator.

Kirk just turns Spock and McCoy around: “We’re beaming down now!” Has to take his BFFs on the mission.

The aliens are SOMEWHAT imitative?? This doesn’t look somewhat to me.

“Home was never like this.” Lol well he’s from Iowa so it’s probably missing some corn fields I guess.

This is clearly an open-carry state. Are they imitating Texas?

Spock is truly not bothered by anything at all. He’s so chill.

Heaters.

Baby blue eyes. McCoy looks so offended at that. It’s a compliment, Bones!

This is a great triumvirate ep because you can see their very different reactions to the whole thing, basically on a spectrum of chill (Spock) to alarmed (McCoy)

“I distill it myself.”

Compared to all these suits, the Starfleet uniforms really look like pajamas.

Ah-ha, Spock has found something interesting!

Published in 1992?! I want one.

AOS Kirk would have actually played pool with this alien gangster.

“This is the contamination, Captain.”

These “fancy heaters” lol.

The way the Iotians interact with the Federation aliens is honestly so interesting to me.

Come on, man, Kirk isn’t an arms dealer.

What’s this? It’s a cell phone, obviously.

What would these aliens do with an iphone? It would probably destroy them.

Oh, Scotty, so confused, trying to keep up with the slang.

I like how the secretary looks up like she can see the ship.

I feel like if you looked up “heater” on the Enterprise language banks, it would not be helpful. Imagine Scotty personally making and the beaming down 100 space heaters.

I love that Kirk knows so much random Chicago history. True Midwestern Boy.

Love those old pinball machines in the back of the room.

Lol Kirk trying to subtly get Spock to shut up and stop being truthful. “Don’t mess this up for me, babe.”

Fizzbin is a true classic moment in television. I love how much fun Kirk is having with it. And Spock nodding along like this makes sense to him. Adorable, supportive boyfriend. Also, I feel like fizzbin is a particularly effective strategy for this culture because they are imitative. A chance to learn a new game?? Amazing.

Kirk is so great in this episode.

“Mr. Spock--Mr. Spock? What are you doing on this frequency?” He’s on it because he finally figured out how to work the primitive radio.

I feel like real Chicago gangsters didn’t have “Boss” engraved on plaques next to their front doors.

“I never been arrested my whole life!”

“How’d you get back up there?” Lol. Well at least he remembered Spock was supposed to be a hostage.

“Why would he put a bag on our Captain?”

I realize that it is correct to refer to the gangster aliens as indigenous but it still amuses me.

Kirk is going to save himself while Spock is working on saving him. My boy is so smart!

“Ship’s log. Incredible as it seems, Dr. McCoy and I have been fooled again.”

You can tell Spock is trying super hard not to laugh here. His lips in that very thin line.

Kirk saves the day again!

It’s hilarious to me that in the time Kirk was kidnapped and escaped, Spock and McCoy got all the way up to the Enterprise and then all the way back down.

“I admit logic won’t work here, so let’s go wild with some cosplay instead.”

I love that Kirk canonically cannot drive and I think about this EVERY time he’s forced onto a motorcycle in AOS.

TOS Kirk has never been on a motorcycle in his life. But TOS Sarek definitely does own one.

But CPine would look good in this blue gangster suit.

AOS Kirk can’t drive stick any more than TOS Kirk can but he would be way more confident about thinking he can.

Spock is definitely going to veto Kirk buying an old car.

“I’m calling you a babe.”

Wow but I love Kirk and Spock and their adopted alien son. This kid is smart and bold; he is a good K/S surrogate child. And I definitely appreciate that when he calls for “daddy” two men show up.

I am now going to refer to the Federation exclusively as “the Feds.”

Kirk is having so much fun with this whole thing and I love that for him. “The whole ball of wax.” “Sawbones.” “Spocko.” The exaggerated accent.

And Spock is... just trying his best. I love this nerd. He wants to play but he’s just not got the hang of it.

Scotty and Uhura just hanging out, as they do. She definitely gets what Kirk is doing before Scotty does.

Scotty’s so proud of the term “concrete galoshes.” Well, close but no cigar.

Honestly I really want to know what the cars on Vulcan look like.

Kirk calling Scotty “baby” and “sweetheart.” Confirmed space bi.

Even Spock is getting into it. He even said “You’s.”

I have PTSD from the phrase “run government like a business.”

Spock and Bones are definitely Kirk’s boys.

“Now we have hostages again.” There’s something legit hilarious to me about that line.

“Isn’t that logical?” He hopes he’s pleased his space husband.

Is it really fair to say that the mobs are a criminal organization when, as far as we know or have seen, there is no actual government? Like what laws are they breaking?

Don’t at me about the paternalism of using the Feds’ “cut” to somehow inch the Iotians away from mob governance.

That ending with McCoy and the communicator was great lol. The image of the imitative Iotians taking apart the communicator and just going to town makes me happy.

I’m quite serious when I say I want this ep rebooted with the AOS cast for the costumes alone, as compensation for having to sit through yet another film about Khan.

Also I really love these aliens. They might be among my favorite aliens. I just like how they attach themselves to things they find interesting and then make them the centerpiece of their culture. Like, what were they doing before the gangster thing? Besides farming?

Also I love how they have no problem at all with the aliens showing up in their big ass space ship. They just think ‘oh, maybe they’ll give us stuff, like last time.’ I kinda feel like they weren’t weirded out by the Horizon, either. They know what they’re about.

My new stance on Kirk and cars is that probably, being from Iowa, he can drive, just not stick, but since he’s lived in San Francisco and space his entire adult life, he probably hasn’t driven since he was 18. Thus why he thinks he’s better at this than he is.

Spock has never been behind the wheel of anything, ever, though, in either universe.

Next up is The Immunity Syndrome. The only thing I remember about this is that all the Vulcans on the Intrepid die. And I think it’s the one where Spock flies a little ship into the amoeba and Kirk and McCoy rescue him? In other words, I remember the beginning in and the end, and nothing in the middle. So, should be fun!