Mudd's Women (episode)

Template:Realworld

The Enterprise rescues a con man named Harry Mudd who is trafficking in mail-order brides.

Summary

Teaser

The USS Enterprise chases an unregistered starship, a small class J cargo vessel. Fleeing, the ship approaches an asteroid belt with a Schiller Rating of 35. The small ship's peril increases further when its desperate speed causes its engines to overheat.

Act One

As the cargo ship drifts into the asteroid belt, the Enterprise is forced to extend its shields around the ship, and this extreme power expenditure destroys three of the crucial lithium crystal circuits. Scotty manages to beam the ship's master and three lovely women off just before an asteroid destroys it with a dead-center hit.

The ship's master, speaking with a broad Irish brogue, identifies himself as Leo Francis Walsh. He claims he avoided the Enterprise out of fear that it was a hostile vessel. In the transporter room, Scotty and McCoy are immediately transfixed by the three women, as are all the male crew members, as the women saunter through the ship. Walsh, a charismatic figure but clearly a con man, plays up the women's effect in a manner suggestive of a pimp, but notes that Spock, being half-Vulcan, is immune to their charms. Captain Kirk is enraged by the irresponsible actions of Walsh, who explains that the women, Eve McHuron, Magda Kovacs, and Ruth Bonaventure, are not so much crew as cargo.

Act Two

Still insisting his name is Walsh, the captain tries to blame Kirk for the accident. Kirk has him confined to quarters pending a hearing. Meanwhile, all ship's power is being channeled through a single lithium crystal circuit and the crystal has a hairline fracture at its base. The bypass circuits were also burned out in the rescue attempt. Repairs are needed, and that means a visit to the nearest source of crystals, the mining colony on Rigel XII.

File:Tin plated pot.jpg

Mudd's inquiry

Before the ship's hearing, Walsh meets with the women and coaches them on their testimony, advising them not to lie, but mysteriously ordering them not to submit to a medical exam. At the inquiry, Kirk learns that the women are to be wives for settlers on Ophiucus III; each voluntarily left a situation in which her marriage prospects were slim or non-existent. Leo Walsh's real identity, Harcourt Fenton Mudd, also comes out, and his Irish brogue promptly disappears. He has a long history of convictions for smuggling, transport of stolen goods, and purchasing of a space vessel with counterfeit currency, and has been sentenced to psychiatric treatment, which was ineffective. His ship's master's license has also been revoked. Kirk decides to hand Harry Mudd over to legal authorities as soon as possible. Toward the end of the hearing, the final lithium crystal fails and when Mudd overhears Kirk's orders to contact the miners on Rigel XII, he begins to plan how the situation can work to his advantage: the women can work their charms on the "lonely, isolated, overworked, rich lithium miners," and get a much better deal for themselves. Mudd himself dreams of taking over the Enterprise with all his new fortune. Strangely, he delivers this whole speech in front of Vinci and another security guard.

Act Three

Rigel XII remastered — USS *Enterprise* entering orbit of Rigel XII

Using their allure, the women learn about the miners; there are three of them, one for each woman. The mystery of the women deepens when Ruth sets off an alert on McCoy's medical scanner. McCoy wonders whether they're actually as beautiful as they seem, or whether there's something else responsible for their allure. Eve visits Kirk's quarters, claiming she's feeling harassed by the men on board, but is unable to go through with her flirtation, blurting out that Mudd put her up to it. She flees to Mudd's quarters and tells him she's feeling ill, saying "It's time." Magda manages to steal a communicator; Mudd uses it to contact the miners before Kirk, and hammers out a deal. But back in Mudd's quarters, the women begin physically breaking down, turning terribly old and haggard. Just in time, Mudd finds a pillbox he had hidden in his mattress, and gives one pill to each of them, immediately restoring their good looks.

As Eve is turning the crystalline "Venus pill" over in her hand, Spock is examining a burned out lithium crystal. The miners come on board the Enterprise, but when Kirk offers them an equitable price he learns they really want to barter. They want to look at Mudd's women, and maybe trade for them. On top of which, they want Mudd released and the charges dropped. Mudd has Kirk over a barrel as the ship's functions are starting to shut down without the crystals.

Act Four

Rigel XII surface remastered — The inhospitable surface of Rigel XII

Kirk, Spock, and Mudd beam down to the forbidding surface of Rigel XII, where the women are now living it up with Ben Childress and the other miners. Childress keeps Kirk waiting for the crystals, and the miners start fighting over Ruth and Magda. Eve, already conscience-stricken about the deception, runs out into a storm. Childress goes out to find her, and the two go missing as the Enterprise, still without the crystals, begins to run out of energy. Back aboard ship, Kirk snaps at Scotty, but apologizes, and Scotty tells him the ship has five hours of power left.

Childress finds Eve and brings her back to his quarters, and the Enterprise locates them through the heat of a cook stove in his hut; Eve is cooking for Childress. Kirk and Mudd prepare to beam down. Childress and Eve, both prickly characters, begin to warm up to each other as Eve proves more resourceful than Childress expected. But soon Eve's looks begin to fade again. As they start fighting, Kirk and Mudd arrive, and explain about the Venus drug, which Childress had heard of but thought was a legend. He and the other miners are dismayed to learn that Mudd has sold them a bill of goods: the women's natural beauty and allure has been enhanced by the Venus drug. Two of the miners have already married Mudd's women. The chief miner is angry, and Eve berates him for being more interested in the pill than in a real woman. She takes the pill and turns beautiful again. Childress isn't happy because her beauty is a fake, but Kirk reveals that he switched the pill with a placebo. Eve's beauty is the result of her own self-confidence. Childress is happy about this, and asks her to stay and talk. Kirk and Mudd beam back up, and Kirk turns down Mudd's request to let him go.

Log entries

Captain's log, stardate 1328.8. The USS Enterprise is in pursuit of an unidentified vessel.

Captain's log, stardate 1329.1. We've taken aboard from unregistered transport vessel its captain and... and three unusual females. These women have a mysterious magnetic effect on the male members of my crew including myself. Explanation unknown at present!

Captain's log, stardate 1329.2. On board the USS Enterprise, a ship's hearing is being convened against the transport vessel's captain. I'm becoming concerned about the almost hypnotic effect produced by the women.

Captain's log, stardate 1330.1. Position 14 hours out of Rigel XII. We're on auxiliary impulse engines, fuel low, barely sufficient to achieve orbit over the planet. Lithium replacements are now imperative! The effect of Mudd's women on my crew continues to grow, still totally unexplained. Harry Mudd is confined to his quarters under guard.

Captain's log, transporting down to surface of planet Rigel XII to acquire replacement lithium crystals; expect further difficulty from miners.

Captain's log, have transported aboard the Enterprise to implement search with infrared scanners and sensing system. Magnetic storms on the planet's surface are cutting down speed and efficiency of our equipment. Search now in progress for three hours eighteen minutes.

Captain's log, I've expended all but 43 minutes of power; ship's condition critical. Search now in progress seven hours thirty one minutes. Magnetic storms are easing.

Memorable Quotes

"Aye."
"Amen to that, Scotty."

- Scott and McCoy, after Mudd's women walk out of the transporter room

"But men will always be men no matter where they are."

- Mudd, to his ladies

"Is this your crew, captain?"
"Well, no, captain. This is me cargo."

- Kirk and Mudd, on the ladies

Ruth in sickbay — Ruth Bonaventure in sickbay

"Incorrect"

- Lie detector, repeated line during Mudd's interrogation

"Blast that tin-plated pot!"

- Mudd, after the computer contradicts him during the interrogation

"I wonder what makes it do that!"

- McCoy, after Ruth sets off some unusual readings on the biofunction monitor

"I read once that a commander has to act like a paragon of virtue. I never met a paragon."
"Neither have I."

- Eve and Kirk, in his quarters

"You'll find out that ship's captains are already married, girl, to their vessels."

- Mudd to Eve, on Kirk

"Take it. It's not a cheat. It's a miracle for some man who can appreciate it and who needs it."

- Mudd to Eve, on the Venus drug

"Oh! The sound of male ego. You travel halfway across the galaxy, and it's still the same song."

- Eve, to Childress

"Is this the kind of wife you want, Ben? Not someone to help you, not a wife to cook and sew and cry and need, but this kind. Selfish, vain, useless. Is this what you really want?"

- Eve to Childress, after taking the pill

"There's only one kind of woman."
"Or man, for that matter."
"You either believe in yourself, or you don't."

- Kirk and Mudd, after revealing Eve swallowed a fake pill

"Don't you think you could possibly by accident arrange to leave me behind here, on this planet? That would be punishment enough..."
"I can't do that, Harry. But I will appear as a character witness at your trial... if you think that'll help."
"They'll throw away the key..."

- Mudd and Kirk

"Ever try considering the patent medicine business?"
"Why should I work your side of the street?"

- McCoy and Kirk

"The fact that my internal arrangement differs from yours, doctor, pleases me no end."

- Spock to McCoy, on the location of the Vulcan heart

Background Information

Story and Script

The origins of this story can be found in Gene Roddenberry's early 1964 series outline, Star Trek is..., as a story proposal entitled "The Women". That synopsis reads, "Duplicating a page from the 'Old West'; hanky-panky aboard with a cargo of women destined for a far-off colony."
This story was later one of the candidates for Star Trek's second pilot episode. The other candidates were "Where No Man Has Gone Before" (which became the second pilot) and "The Omega Glory" (filmed near the end of the second season). (Inside Star Trek: The Real Story, pp 65-66; The Star Trek Compendium, p 17)
NBC did not choose this episode as the second pilot mostly because they were worried about the central theme of "selling women throughout the galaxy" and the guest stars being "an intergalactic pimp" and "three space hookers". (Inside Star Trek: The Real Story, pp 65-66)
Teleplay writer Stephen Kandel recalled of this episode, "Gene had the idea of using a personal enhancer-allure drug, and I provided the character [of Harry Mudd]. We spent an afternoon talking about it, and out of the conversation evolved the story idea and then, of course, I wrote the story. Gene went over it in great, meticulous and obsessive detail, and then I wrote the script." (Starlog issue #117, p. 44)
In a story memo excerpted in The Making of Star Trek, associate producer Robert H. Justman wrote, "On page 55 we see Benton riding a digging machine toward his cabin. Let's eliminate this device right now."
A lengthy monologue in which Harry Mudd attempted to persuade Uhura into taking the Venus drug was also excluded from the episode. The scene's removal was because it was deemed too wordy and long. (Starlog #127, p. 33)
Roger C. Carmel was extremely disappointed by the deletion of this monologue, later describing it as "wonderful". He explained, "I remember being very disappointed because I felt the monologue was very effective and very much to the point of the show's philosophy." He nevertheless liked this episode, just as much as he liked the second season outing "I, Mudd". (Starlog #127, p. 33)

Cast and Characters

This episode marks the first of three appearances of Roger C. Carmel as Harry Mudd. He reprised the character in TOS: "I, Mudd" and TAS: "Mudd's Passion".
Although Grace Lee Whitney (Yeoman Rand) does not appear in the episode, she was on the set during filming, trying to observe everything and get comfortable with the sets and the mood. (The Longest Trek: My Tour of the Galaxy)
Eddie Paskey appears in green coveralls for the only time in the series, as "Connors" in sickbay.
Although his offense record says that Harry Mudd is 6'1", Roger C. Carmel was actually 6'3". This can be seen in comparison to the other cast members (including 6'1" Nimoy), who were all shorter than him. ^{(citation needed • edit)}

Costumes

The velour uniforms used in this episode had shrunk since they were first used in "The Corbomite Maneuver". According to Bob Justman and Herbert F. Solow's book Inside Star Trek: The Real Story, the velour uniforms shrank every time they were cleaned. The actors' union requirements specified that the costumes had to be cleaned daily.
Despite the introduction of the red operations division tunic in the previous episode, Uhura is seen in a gold command division uniform both here and in "The Corbomite Maneuver".

Makeup

Although Karen Steele and Maggie Thrett were given makeup and facial appliances to make them appear ugly as the Venus drug wore off in Harry Mudd's quarters, Susan Denberg appears not to have been similarly made up; her hair was simply disheveled.

Sets and Props

Kirk's quarters have a window in this episode and a few others to follow. These may not be his normal quarters because Spock directs the turbolift to take him, Mudd and the women to Deck 12. The window will disappear in subsequent episodes. Kirk's quarters are later situated on Deck 5.
The quarters used by Mudd and his ladies is the set for Kirk's quarters, with all of the furnishings removed.
This marks the first appearance of the sound stage cyclorama used for different planets throughout the series, which was lighted with different colored filters, to give an appearance of many unique-colored atmospheres. Associate producer Robert Justman came up with this idea after realizing that reusing the same cloudy background from the two pilots, over and over again, would result in all planets looking the same. [1] Justman personally decided the backdrop colors for each episode. Problems often arise when the colored gels either faded or burned up after a short while in front of a hot light, and the burning gels made an unbearable odor on the set. (Inside Star Trek: The Real Story, p 117) The backdrop lighting used in this episode for Rigel XII, with tornadic streaks in it, was also utilized in "The Enemy Within".
The elliptical shaped playing cards on which Eve plays solitaire in Ben Childress' home, can be seen in the Enterprise recreation room in later episodes ("Charlie X", "The Conscience of the King").

Production

Harlan Ellison visited the set during the filming of "Mudd's Women". [2]
Alexander Courage composed the music for this episode's trailer, one of only two times music was written specifically for a preview. His sultry trombone music was so appropriate, it was used in the actual episode as the women stroll through the corridors, while the rest of the score was written by Fred Steiner. Courage composed the soundtrack for the preview of "The Man Trap", which he scored, likely as his first assignment for the new series, as that episode was the first one aired. ^{(citation needed • edit)}
Jerry Finnerman was encouraged to be creative in choosing dramatic lighting and camera angles. Bob Justman recalled that he said to Finnerman, "We're all in outer space, Jerry, and we're in color. NBC claims to be the first full-color network, so let's prove it for them. When you light the sets, throw wild colors in – magenta, red, green, any color you can find – especially behind the actors when they're in a close shot. Be dramatic. In fact, go overboard. Backlight the women and make them more beautiful. Take some chances. Nobody can tell you that's not the way the future will look. How can they? They ain't been there yet." Bob Justman was very pleased with the final results in this episode. He stated, "Guest stars Karen Steele, Maggie Thrett and Susan Denberg, good-looking in real life, looked even more radiantly lovely and ravishing as they worked their magic upon Captain Kirk and crew – after Jerry worked his magic upon the three actresses." (Inside Star Trek: The Real Story, p 113)
The production of this episode went a day over schedule. According to Bob Justman and Herbert Solow, this was due to the intricate camera setups used by director Harvey Hart, which had good results but were too time-consuming. Hart also made things difficult for the editors by "camera cutting" the show, leaving few choices of shot available. Due to these factors, Hart was not invited back to the show. (Inside Star Trek: The Real Story, p 203)

Continuity

Mudd says to Spock, "You're part Vulcanian, aren't you?" Mudd was somehow able to distinguish this in Spock, apparently on sight. It is possible that, in the early days of TOS, Spock was meant to look more Human than most full-blooded "Vulcanians," which would explain Mudd's ability to recognize his hybrid status on sight. In later episodes, and throughout the films and later series, Spock is considered to look like any full-blooded Vulcan.
This and TOS: "Where No Man Has Gone Before" are the only episodes where the crystals that power the Enterprise's engines are called "lithium". Throughout the rest of the series, the crystals are called "dilithium."
Spock's description of the crystals as "beautiful" is a rare expression of his aesthetic sense. Later, in "Assignment: Earth", he refers to Isis the cat as a "lovely animal."
This episode's final scene aboard the bridge is the series' first suggestion that Vulcans have a different arrangement of internal organs than Humans. Specifically, McCoy places the Vulcan heart at roughly the place of the Human spleen. This is later made more explicit in TOS: "The Omega Glory".
At one point, Scotty refers to the Enterprise as weighing "almost a million gross tons". In the Star Trek Star Fleet Technical Manual, author Franz Joseph establishes the weight of a Constitution-class starship as 190,000 tons – just as Gene Roddenberry did in his very first proposal for the series, Star Trek is....

Reception

Upon its initial airing, this episode was generally well received. Stephen Kendal later noted, "We got a lot of favorable response." (Starlog issue #117, p. 44) Roger C. Carmel likewise said about the episode, "It was a pretty big success and they got a lot of positive reaction from it." (Starlog #127, p. 33)
Regarding the script, Herb Solow commented, "It was very well written, it was fun, and it featured three beautiful women-hookers selling their bodies throughout the galaxy. It later became a standout and much-loved episode in the series." (Inside Star Trek: The Real Story, pp. 65-66)
However, in A Star Trek Catalog, editor Gerry Turnbull criticizes the episode as "uneven," noting that it "swings wildly between tragedy and comedy".
Author Paula M. Block pointed to this episode as one of the most prominent examples of sexism in The Original Series, criticizing the "How to Marry a Millionaire mindset" shown. She commented, "Take Eve, the most rational of the three women. After spending most of her life cleaning up after a bunch of unappreciative male siblings, all she wants is the opportunity to connect with a good man. Even after learning that she doesn't need the Venus drug to appear desirable, Eve can't foresee a future that doesn't involve snaring a man. The thought of serving aboard a starship never occurs to her – except perhaps as the captain's wife. So she consigns herself to life on barren Rigel XII, cleaning up for another unappreciative male (miner Ben Childress) and listening to the winds blow day and night." (Star Trek: The Original Series 365, pp. 039, 126)

Production timeline

"The Women" story concept appears in Star Trek is...: 11 March 1964
Plot outline by Gene Roddenberry: 7 July 1964
Revised plot outline by Gene Roddenberry: 23 July 1964
First draft: 23 May 1966
Final draft by Stephen Kandel: 26 May 1966 [3]
Revised final draft: 31 May 1966
Filmed: 3 June 1966 – 13 June 1966
Score recording: 7 September 1966
Original airdate: 13 October 1966
Rerun airdate: 4 May 1967
First UK airdate: 9 August 1969

Video and DVD releases

Original US Betamax/VHS release: 28 February 1985
Original UK VHS release (two-episode tapes, CIC Video): Volume 3, catalog number VHR 2244, release date unknown
US VHS release: 15 April 1994
UK re-release (three-episode tapes, CIC Video): Volume 1.2, 8 July 1996
Original US DVD release (single-disc): Volume 2, 17 August 1999
As part of the TOS Season 1 DVD collection
As part of the TOS Season 1 HD DVD collection
As part of the TOS Season 1 Blu-ray collection

Links and references

Featuring

And

Uncredited co-stars

Stand-ins

William Blackburn as the stand-in for DeForest Kelley
Frank da Vinci as the stand-in for Leonard Nimoy
Eddie Paskey as the stand-in for William Shatner

References

asteroid; asteroid belt; bypass circuit; converter assembly; cook stove; captain's log, USS Enterprise (NCC-1701), 2266; deflector shield; desktop monitor; distress signal; double jack; drug; earpiece; Earth; USS Enterprise (NCC-1701) library computer; flight plan; gelatin; Halium experimental station; Human philosophy; hypnotism; infrared scanner; J class starship; lithium crystal; lithium crystal circuit; magnetism; magnetic storm; master; Master's License; mile; Milky Way Galaxy; miner; mineral; mining; Ophiucus III; patent; pelagic planet; police record; pound; registration beam; Rigel system; Rigel XII; Saturnius harem girl; sea rancher; Schiller Rating; sensing system; sensor probe; solitaire; starship; subspace communication; subspace radio marriage; ton; transporter; unnamed asteroid belts; unnamed Class J starships; Venus drug; viewer; Vulcanian; Walsh, Leo

Timeline

2263
2266: Enterprise pursues Mudd's craft

External link

Template:NCwiki

Previous episode produced: "The Corbomite Maneuver"	Star Trek: The Original Series Season 1	Next episode produced: "The Enemy Within"
Previous episode aired: "The Enemy Within"	Star Trek: The Original Series Season 1	Next episode aired: "What Are Little Girls Made Of?"
Previous remastered episode aired: "Obsession"	TOS Remastered	Next remastered episode aired: "Assignment: Earth"