What has been will be again,
what has been done will be done again;
there is nothing new under the sun. –Ecclesiastes 1:9
Nah, this ain’t about religion, it’s about Star Trek and Dragnet. Ok, maybe it is about religion.
Trekkies and even casual Star Trek viewers will remember the Original Series episode “A Piece of the Action” In one scene our dear Captain Kirk uses a strange and complicated fictional card game to befuddle a Depression Era Chicago style gangster and gain the upper hand for an upcoming fight. Here’s the clip from that Star Trek episode:
In September of 1949, NBC Radio aired an episode of Dragnet titled “James Vickers – Cop Killer”. In this episode Sgt. Joe Friday and his partner Sgt. Ben Romero use a similar tactic to break down a suspected murderer. It is more fun to listen to the whole episode but you can skip to the 19:40 mark to get to the game.
Is there a connection? Yes there is. Among the many police officers who submitted story ideas for Dragnet was future “Star Trek” executive producer Gene Roddenberry.