I, Mudd

Episode: TOS Season 2 Episode 8
Air Date: November 3rd, 1967

The second episode with Harry Mudd. This episode was completely ridiculous, I loved it. It started very different then it ended though.

The beginning started where McCoy commented on a new crew member not being quite right. Spock disagreed saying he was the most logical crew member he met so far, and that led to some choice words being said to each other. It turns out McCoy was right. The new crew member is an android and hijacks the ship bringing it to an uncharted planet. When they are forced to beam down they find Harry Mudd leading a world of androids.

Turns out Harry was captured by the androids so they study him. They treat him as a ruler since the androids need to serve but he grows bored. So he convinces the androids to bring the Enterprise so they have a whole ship full of people to study and then they can let Harry go. All goes according to plan except the androids realize Harry is a flawed individual and force him to stay too.

The interactions between Kirk and Harry in this episode, while cheesy, were pretty funny. Almost like Kirk is enjoying making fun of Harry.

This is where things get ridiculous. Kirk realizes that the best chance they have at defeating the androids is to use their flaws against them. In the case of androids, logic is their flaw. The crew start doing really odd things like pretending to shoot Scotty with finger guns and using logic bombs like saying someone is a liar and that person then says "I'm a liar". This causes the androids to all start shutting down.

In the end, Kirk decides to leave Harry Mudd on the planet with the androids, and even convince the androids to make 500 androids that are a direct copy of his nagging wife.

"There's something wrong about a man who never smiles, and whose conversation never varies from the routine of the job, and who won't talk about his background." - McCoy
"I see." - Spock

"Spock... I mean, that it's, uh... it's odd for a non-Vulcan. Um... the ears make all the difference." - McCoy

"Scotty! Scotty's dead! He had to much happiness. But now he's happier, he's dead. And we'll miss him." - Kirk

"Harcourt Fenton Mudd what have you been up to. Have you been drinking again you miserable soot. Going out all night and giving me a silly story" - Stella