Two episodes stand out in my mind as the very best--THE BALANCE OF TERROR is best for dramatic reasons and this one because it's so very, very funny--even funnier by the wonderful I, MUDD. However, I am warning you that if you think too much, you might think this episode is a bit dumb--since it is definitely a case of self-parody.
The landing party visits a planet that had previously been visited by an Earth ship before the Prime Directive was enforced (the Prime Directive is a rule of non-interference in planetary affairs). Unfortunately, the planet has been drastically changed due to this contact. The previous ship left a lot of books, but inexplicably, instead of using the books on crop production, etc., the inhabitants looked on a book of the history of gangsters as their new Bible!! So, men, women AND kids all look and act like characters from an old Warner Brothers gangster flick!!! At first, Kirk, McCoy and Spock are at a loss at what to do when they are taken prisoner and threatened with death unless they provide one of the "bosses" with weapons so he can conquer the planet!!! However, in a very funny twist, after Kirk is ready to give up using reason and logic, he hits on the idea of "if you can't beam 'em, join 'em" and proceeds to act like a gangland boss himself and tells the bosses that the Federation is "takin' over" and they want a big "piece of the action". Seeing Kirk and Spock parading about as gangsters is quite a hoot--something not to be missed unless you have no sense of humor!!!
The landing party visits a planet that had previously been visited by an Earth ship before the Prime Directive was enforced (the Prime Directive is a rule of non-interference in planetary affairs). Unfortunately, the planet has been drastically changed due to this contact. The previous ship left a lot of books, but inexplicably, instead of using the books on crop production, etc., the inhabitants looked on a book of the history of gangsters as their new Bible!! So, men, women AND kids all look and act like characters from an old Warner Brothers gangster flick!!! At first, Kirk, McCoy and Spock are at a loss at what to do when they are taken prisoner and threatened with death unless they provide one of the "bosses" with weapons so he can conquer the planet!!! However, in a very funny twist, after Kirk is ready to give up using reason and logic, he hits on the idea of "if you can't beam 'em, join 'em" and proceeds to act like a gangland boss himself and tells the bosses that the Federation is "takin' over" and they want a big "piece of the action". Seeing Kirk and Spock parading about as gangsters is quite a hoot--something not to be missed unless you have no sense of humor!!!