I, Mudd

Mudd the first is back, the most disgusting, nasty and cheater human being of the entire Galaxy, what a character, extremely amusing and witty guy, he demands to his Android leader brings the Enterprise to his planet were he rules over likes a King more than 200.000 Androids, Captain Kirk and their major Enterprise's crews are friendly invites by Mudd that they shall stand there forever, living like him an idyllic life without ageing, otherwise he will destroy the spaceship, in exchange he will got the Enterprise by yourself, actually he is tired over so pleasant life, one best episode on second season for while, Mudd (Roger C. Carmel) was terrific and naughtily hilarious, worth a look see Mudd once more!!!

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First watch: 2019 / How many: 1 / Source: DVD / Rating: 7.5

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.

The return of Harry Mudd finds him as the presumed ruler of a planet populated by some 207,809 androids, the vestiges of a now extinct extra-galactic civilization. This is one of those intentional comedies from Trek, like the later "A Piece of the Action" and, of course, the popular "The Trouble With Tribbles." The absurdities begin early on in a rather subtle manner. We last saw Mudd a year earlier, in "Mudd's Women." Since then, he'd found himself on the run after pulling one of his scams and, ship damaged, lucked onto this planetoid of obedient android servants. Sometime after that point, the android Norman managed to somehow become a Starfleet officer and came aboard the Enterprise a few days before the episode begins. I suppose nothing is quite beyond an android's formidable abilities if he/it puts a mind to it, meaning an adjustment of computer records or something, but Starfleet and the Enterprise crew seem very blasé about requirements for being on board, as if anyone in a proper uniform can stroll in if they felt like it. No futuristic versions of X-Ray machines, no screening methods like we have at our airports now? All Norman has to do is avoid a medical exam by McCoy for a few days.

Anyway, that's the beginning of Kirk's troubles in this episode. This may be the only original episode to bring back a major guest star for a 2nd go-around. The actor Carmel is as hammy as ever as the scoundrel Mudd, turning out to be a good foil for Kirk, Spock, and all the regulars - sort of an original Trek version of old home week. Mudd seemed out of place in his previous Trek episode but someone got the idea he'd provide decent fun in some calculated amusement - and they were right. And there's more for the regulars to do in this one than is usual: Scotty, Uhura and Chekov get to ham it up a bit almost as much as the main trio. The last act of this episode sort of has to be seen to be believed - the closest we'll ever get to 'Trek on acid' - and it was a bit risky as everyone could have made fools of themselves. Shatner was always even more adept at comedy than drama, so this was a natural for him, but all the others appeared very relaxed in their turns at bizarro behavior. Nimoy as Spock, of course, had to resort to a more dry sense of comic timing, but he also made it work. A very nutty flavor to this one, especially in the 2nd half, and we get to enjoy it. Take note, also, that the Norman android has more than a passing resemblance to Data of 20 years later on the TNG show.

One of my very favorite Star Trek episodes from the original series was this wonderful comic turn for guest star Roger C. Carmel. This was Carmel's second appearance as Harry Mudd, futuristic enterprising con man and he thinks he's found heaven. I think this sequel was better than the one that Carmel did originally, Mudd's Women.

The Enterprise goes into orbit around a planet with only one human life form that of Harry Mudd. The rest of the planet is composed of androids and remember this is before The Next Generation where Data would try to understand the human experience. These androids were built by a long dead humanoid civilization and the only human contact they've had until the Enterprise arrives is Carmel. As they say, he's flawed and even they know that.

What they've collectively decided and it's a collective intelligence just like the Borg is that they should take the Enterprise and go back to Earth to serve man and create an orderly and logical society, one like the Vulcan. But even Spock sees some problems with them taking over.

So Bill Shatner and Leonard Nimoy and the rest join forces with Carmel to defeat the androids. Their use of illogical behavior allows for some outrageous overacting that the cast thoroughly enjoyed because they looked it.

But best in the cast is the Stella Mudd android that Carmel created so he could have the last word. She's played by Kay Elliott who has her career role in this. And you have to see how Shatner and the rest use her for a little final comeuppance for Carmel.

Wonderful comic episode, a real classic.

I, Mudd sees the return of scallywag Harry Mudd (played by Roger C. Carmel), last seen in the pretty awful episode Mudd's Women. Having escaped from prison, Mudd has landed on a planet inhabited by androids who proceed to worship the scoundrel, granting his every wish. However, the androids will not let Mudd leave their planet, for they want to study human behaviour and he is their only specimen. Harry therefore decides to provide the androids with alternative human subjects for their studies: the crew of the Enterprise.

The good news is that I, Mudd isn't as bad as Mudd's Women: it's still one of the show's lesser comedic episodes, but the titular character isn't quite as grating this time around, and the story is a mite more interesting, the androids planning to spread throughout the galaxy and control the human race (which isn't as terrible as it sounds since they want to serve mankind). However, Kirk isn't about to let that happen and devises a crazy plan to discombobulate the androids* and allow his crew to make their escape.

Sure, we've seen this kind of ploy before, Kirk confusing machines so much that they self-destruct or shut down, but it's never been quite so much fun, the Enterprise crew playing the fool in order to unbalance the androids' circuits. It's worth watching purely to see Scotty, Bones, Chekov and Uhura doing some really silly stuff.

6.5/10, rounded up to 7 for IMDb.

*Hard to watch without thinking of Austin Powers when he uses his mojo to cause fembots to self-destruct.