Bread and Circuses (Star Trek: The Original Series) entertainment. In the episode, Captain Kirk and his companions are forced to fight in gladiatorial games on a planet resembling the Roman Empire, but possessing mid-20th century Earth technology. The Federation starship USS "Enterprise" is on routine patrol when it finds wreckage of the SS "Beagle". The "Beagle" was under the command of Captain R. M. Merik (William Smithers), whom Captain Kirk (William Shatner) knew during his academy days. First Officer Spock (Leonard Nimoy) traces the path of debris back to a planet in the previously unexplored system 892. The "Enterprise" picks up a 20th-century-style television news broadcast, reporting in
A Piece of the Action (Star Trek: The Original Series) A Piece of the Action (Star Trek: The Original Series) "A Piece of the Action" is the seventeenth episode of the of the American science fiction television series "", first broadcast on January 12, 1968; its repeat on August 30, 1968, was the last episode to air in the 8:30 pm time slot on Friday nights. It is episode #46, production #49, written by David P. Harmon and Gene L. Coon, and directed by James Komack. In the comedic episode, the "Enterprise" visits a planet with an Earth-like 1920s gangster culture, with Runyonesque dialog and costumes. The Federation starship USS