Mudd's Passion (episode)

Harry Mudd is back, this time swindling miners with a love potion.

Summary

 * "Captain's log, Stardate 4978.5. We are approaching the Arcadian star system on a mission to locate an old friend. The USS Enterprise (NCC-1701) has received orders to arrest a Federation outlaw, on the planet Motherlode, Harry Mudd. He is accused of offering the miners a magical love potion that will make them irresistible to someone of the opposite sex."

Upon the Enterprise's arrival, Captain Kirk tells Mudd he's wanted for fraud, illegal drug manufacturing and swindling. For proof Mudd demonstrates the potion on a woman who Spock discovers to actually be a reptilian illusion. Angered by this the miners begin to attack Mudd, but he is once again rescued by the Enterprise crew, apprehended and incarcerated.

Aboard the ship, Spock requests a medical report from Nurse Chapel. Mudd sees she's enamored of him but he is "a trifle lacking in the warmer emotions." He then proceeds to convince Chapel to try the potion on Spock. When Chapel thinks that the potion doesn't actually work, she becomes bitter and seeks out Mudd. Without warning, the potion begins to take an effect on Spock. He wasn't immune to it, it just took a little longer, and as he hands over his report with her summary appended he says, "Ahh. Nurse Chapel's sweet summary. Dear, lovely, Christine." During a fight between Mudd and Chapel, love crystals are broken near an air vent and permeate throughout the ship. It begins to affect the entire crew. Mudd captures Chapel and escapes to a rocky planet in a stolen shuttlecraft. The love-stricken Spock becomes so enamored with his beloved Nurse Chapel that he will do anything to rescue her. He wants to lead a landing party. He tells Kirk, "Captain, I insist upon going. Christine, I can't stand the thought of any danger to her. The woman I love." Kirk exclaims, "Love, Spock?" Spock replies, "Yes, captain. I want to protect her. Hold her in my arms." Spock seems to be utterly unstoppable.


 * "Captain's log: Supplemental. Harry Mudd has escaped from the Enterprise taking Head Nurse Chapel with him, apparently as a hostage. Meanwhile Mr. Spock is acting very strange."

Spock says, "Come on, hurry. If he's harmed one hair on her pretty head..." Kirk accompanies Spock but they are attacked on the planet by rock creatures. Spock asks Chapel, "Darling. Are you all right?" Chapel questions, "Darling? How wonderful." Unable to transport to the vessel because of the potion's affect on the crew, Kirk asks Spock, "Can't you take your hands off her?" Spock replies, "That's my affair. Jim. No, captain. We're both reacting to the drug. The love potion."

On the ship Doctor McCoy is flirting with a crew woman and says, "Did I ever tell you about the time I saved Captain Kirk's life? Or Spock's? And my dear friend Scotty? And that pretty little Lieutenant Uhura. I've saved just about everybody on this here ship. If the Enterprise had a heart, I'd save her too. Oh, let's talk about your heart, my dear."

When Kirk thinks he can distract the creatures Spock tells him, "That is an outstandingly stupid idea! Ah, I'm sorry. The drug. I simply doubt that we can appeal to their better nature, if they have one." Kirk, though, uses the crystals to make the creatures become docile and loving. Eventually the potion wears off and the crew beams everyone back to the ship, but then the potions after effects cause hatred and animosity among the crew.

Mudd is placed in the brig, where he confesses to other con jobs. When Spock then asks Chapel if he can help her to record Harry Mudd's confession, she adamantly repulses him. Spock comments, "A few moments of love paid for with several hours of hatred. Your potion is scarcely a bargain, Harry." Spock then assures Mudd he will get rehabilitation therapy for his crimes. Mudd laughingly answers, "I just hate to leave you all, all my loved ones."

Memorable Quotes
"The probability of his presence on Motherlode is eight-one percent, plus or minus .53."

"Why can't you just say, 'Mudd's probably there?'"

"I just did, Doctor."
 * - Spock and McCoy

"They'll find you soon enough my little poppet. You'll be safe and I'll be long gone."

"Gone where? The planet's a desert."

"There's always a market for an ingenious man."
 * - Harry Mudd and Nurse Chapel

"Captain, Doctor... I... uh, wish to report a number of strange... emotions."

"What?"

"What?"
 * - Spock, McCoy and Kirk

"You're funny and very attractive for a Human."
 * - Lieutenant M'Ress, to Scotty

"Thanks, Jim, it's good to have a friend like you."

"Strange, that's how I feel about you, too. My dear friend Spock."
 * - Spock and Kirk

"Jim. No, Captain. We're both reacting to the drug. The love potion."

(Surprised) "It worked?"
 * - Spock and Mudd

"I've saved just about everybody on this here ship. If the Enterprise had a heart, I'd save her, too. Now, let's talk about your heart, my dear."
 * - Bones, to a lovely young Lieutenant

"That is an outstandingly stupid idea!"
 * - Spock -

"I've got a hangover to shame all previous hangovers, but I didn't touch a drop of scotch."

"Not so loud, you fool."

"Yeah! Well, all of a sudden, I don't like you much, either!"
 * - Scotty and M'Ress

"May I help you record his confession, Nurse?"

"YOU? You'd be the last person I choose."

"A few moments in love, paid for with several hours of hatred. Your potion is scarcely a bargain, Harry."
 * - Spock and Chapel

Story, Script and Cast

 * This is a sequel to the Star Trek: The Original Series episodes and, both of which also feature the character of Harry Mudd and were written by Stephen Kandel, who additionally wrote the story for an ultimately-undeveloped third Harry Mudd installment for TOS, entitled "Deep Mudd". He found the process of arranging to write this episode for Star Trek: The Animated Series was fairly easy. "Dorothy Fontana just called me for a script," he said. "It was as simple as that." (Captains' Logs: The Unauthorized Complete Trek Voyages, p. 98)
 * This episode's final draft script was submitted on.
 * Along with Mark Lenard (Sarek) and Stanley Adams (Cyrano Jones), Roger C. Carmel (Harry Mudd) is one of only three actors, besides the regulars, to play the same character on both this series and Star Trek: The Original Series.

Reception

 * The unofficial reference book The Trek 25th Anniversary Celebration (p. 47), by James Van Hise, cites this episode – due to Roger C. Carmel reprising the character of Harry Mudd herein – as one of three installments that, collectively, the book regards as "the plus side" of Star Trek: The Animated Series (the other such outings being and ).
 * The editors of Trek magazine collectively scored this episode 3 out of 5 stars (a rating that they termed "good"). (The Best of Trek #1, p. 110)
 * In the book Trek Navigator: The Ultimate Guide to the Entire Trek Saga (p. 150), co-writers Mark A. Altman and Edward Gross both individually rate this episode 3 out of 4 stars (which they also define as "good").

Continuity

 * This episode represents Harry Mudd's final canonical appearance.
 * This is also the last episode to feature the Chapel-Spock relationship previously seen in several TOS episodes, notably and.

Apocrypha

 * An adaptation of "Mudd's Passion" can be found in Star Trek Log 3 by Alan Dean Foster, along with similar short-story adaptations of and . As such, this story is set up by the prose version of "Once Upon a Planet", which ends with the Enterprise set on a course for the Arcadian system, and depicts events after the conclusion of this episode itself, including Kirk delivering Harry Mudd into Starfleet custody, shortly before the adaptation of "The Magicks of Megas-Tu" begins. This sequence of narratives is not, however, in keeping with that of the episodes themselves.
 * Harry Mudd was subsequently featured in various Star Trek video games. Mudd was also considered for appearances in (appearing as a character witness at the trial of James Kirk, echoing Kirk's promise to appear as one for Harry's trial in "Mudd's Women") and during the first season of Star Trek: The Next Generation (however, Roger C. Carmel passed away eleven months before The Next Generation debuted).
 * This episode was the first of three mutually exclusive sequels to "Mudd's Women" and "I, Mudd". The second was J.A. Lawrence's novella "The Business, as Usual, During Altercations", published in Mudd's Angels in . The third was Jerry Oltion's novel Mudd in Your Eye. J.A. Lawrence's introduction to Mudd's Angels (dated ) specifically states that, due to a problem regarding rights and agreements, she was forced to disregard this episode upon writing her novella from that book.

Video and DVD releases

 * UK VHS release (CIC Video): Volume 3, catalog number VHR 2537,


 * As part of the The Animated Series DVD collection

Starring

 * William Shatner as Kirk
 * Leonard Nimoy as Spock
 * And


 * DeForest Kelley as McCoy

Also starring

 * George Takei as Sulu
 * Nichelle Nichols as a Female Ursinoid miner
 * Majel Barrett as
 * Lora
 * Chapel
 * M'Ress
 * James Doohan as
 * Arex
 * a Male Ursinoid miner
 * a Human miner
 * Scott

Guest star

 * Roger C. Carmel as Harcourt Mudd

Background characters

 * Numerous Motherlode miners
 * Uhura
 * Kyle
 * Transporter room attendants
 * Operations division officers

External link


Der Liebeskristall Mudd's Passion Mudd's Passion Il filtro di Mudd (episodio) Mudd's Passion