I, Mudd

This episode sees a surprisingly formidable return to the mudd character. When we last saw mudd he was running some weird space wife selling thing I guess which made for some interesting crew dynamics, however Harold was a largely unfunny and unimportant comic relief playing third wheel in an episode named after him. However here mudd drives the plot much more than the previous and traps the enterprise on a planet filled with androids. The pacing is great and the character drama of the enterprise crew attempting to escape as well as mudd's mischievous nature made the episode a thoroughly enjoyable one. The resolution here is a bit corny(plus it was sort of used in 'by any other name') but the concepts brought up are undeniably fascinating and really do the mudd character justice.

Gallivanting around Mudd the First, robots don't need to be too coerced, they're all subservient, devout and permanent, but they won't let their master disperse.

The rogue, scoundrel and fraudster Harry Mudd assists in the hijacking of the Enterprise in order to escape his El Dorado but finds it trickier than anticipated when his public don't let him leave.

A crew member of the Enterprise forcibly takes the starship to a planet where they meet a previous antagonist.

This is an enjoyable episode if you adopt a light-hearted mindset, but if you take your Trek seriously it will probably be a long 50 minutes.

The plot is a light-hearted retread previous stories like 'What Are Little Girls Made Of?' with a reasonably decent level of humour. I fully appreciate that comedy is in the eye of the beholder so if the jokes do not work for you then neither will the episode. I personally found Kirk's banter with Harry Mudd fairly enjoyable and the succession of nagging wife jokes to be somewhat amusing. I thought Spock's dryness complimented Mudd's shenanigans quite well. I also enjoyed seeing U'Hura doing more that her usual Communications Officer role.

The conclusion is probably the silliest resolution to a Star Trek episode that I have seen, but saying that it's been a while since I watched series 3. I hope there was a lot of improvisation going on by the actors that would give it a bit more credit, but without knowing I cannot properly comment. If you really let go of all seriousness here you might find it fun.

All performances are solid, particularly Roger C Carmel, William Shatner and Leonard Nimoy.

"I, Mudd" (Nov. 3, 1967) Old TV Guide synopsis: 'Kirk and company fall prey to their old nemesis Harry Mudd, who is now both ruler and captive of an android civilization.' Roger C. Carmel returns as Harry Mudd (from "Mudd's Women"), now ruling a world of obedient androids seeking to provide for their human captives while taking command of the Enterprise to expand their domain. Spock theorizes that there are several different series of females but only one solitary 'Norman' (Richard Tatro) as their leader, and the solution is not logic but insane, unconventional means such as word games or even an invisible bomb. A treat from start to finish, one of the few genuine comedies to make the regular cast smile in approval. The beautiful twins, Alyce and Rhae Andrece, also played a small role opposite John Carradine's harried pet shop owner in Al Adamson's "Hell's Bloody Devils."

I didn't care much for the first Mudd movie. In this one, the master swindler has escaped prosecution and landed in the lap of a planet run by computers (sound familiar?). He is treated like royalty because the robots want to study him. Unfortunately, they want some better subjects to explore and Harry hands over the Enterprise and its crew. Harry has been allowed to create robots as he wishes, and he produces five hundred slender, sixties looking women, with flashy clothes and big haircuts. There are also well built young men who look like personal trainers at a health club. They are all humorless and cater to everyone's needs. The only thing they cannot have is passage back to the ship. Their ultimate goal is to stock the Enterprise with these androids and go through space, showing everyone that robots are superior to humans. Mudd thinks he is going to go with them and the Starfleet crew has to stay. But they come to realize that Mudd is flawed terribly, and they never had any intention of allowing him to leave. Now he must ally himself with Kirk and the gang. What makes this so much fun is the idiotic (yet charming) way they attempt to thwart the androids. One mistake Harry makes is creating an android version of his nagging wife. He starts her up and she nags him. He then tells her to shut up, which is therapeutic. We find out later that this was a mistake. Of course, once again the crew is forced to outsmart a master computer. This will not be the last time.