Star Trek: Season 1, Episode Six “Mudd’s Women”

Original Air Date: October 13, 1966
Stardate: 1329.8 (2266)
Writer: Stephen Kandel and Gene Roddenberry
Director: Harvey Hart

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

In “Mudd’s Women” we find the USS Enterprise chasing an unregistered Class J cargo ship which ventures into a dangerous asteroid belt (with a “three-five Schiller rating”). The engines suddenly begin to overheat. A distress signal is received from the cargo ship so Kirk decides to extend the Enterprise’s deflector shields in order to beam aboard anyone from the cargo ship –a risky act which unfortunately expends several valuable “Lithium” crystals (by the time this episode was made, dilithium crystals had not yet been established). Just moments before the rogue cargo ship collides with an asteroid and explodes, Scotty manages to beam the crew aboard –one man and three women.

This strange man is none other than a comical but shifty piratical Irishman named “Leo Francis Walsh” and he arrives with three attractive women. The crewmen are immediately entranced by the women, even though Walsh is quite obviously a pirate-smuggler and a con-man (he calls the three women his “cargo” rather than his crew). The women are named: Eve McHuron (Karen Steele) from a farm planet filled with automated machines, Magda Kovacs (Playboy model Susan Denberg) who comes from the “Halium experimental station,” and Ruth Bonaventure (Maggie Thrett) hailing from a pelagic planet full of sea ranches. Each of them is in search of a good husband.

Due to the blown out Lithium crystals the Enterprise heads for Rigel XII, a nearby mining colony to reload its supply (Rigel XII is located two standard days away). Meanwhile a trial is convened for “Leo Francis Walsh” at which point it is determined that each of the three women indeed voluntarily left their former lives in order to find husbands for themselves on Ophiucus III (though we were strongly led to believe they were intergalactic prostitutes, until “Walsh” claims his employment merely consists of securing wives for men on remote and lonely planets). The truth-telling computer reveals that “Leo Francis Walsh” is actually a notorious criminal named Harcourt “Harry” Fenton Mudd. He was once convicted of a number of crimes –smuggling (sentence suspended), robbery (transportation of stolen goods), forgery (purchasing a space vessel with counterfeit currency) and he was sentenced to psychiatric treatment but the results of the treatment were unclear (“effectiveness disputed”). When Mudd learns that the Enterprise is headed toward Rigel XII, a remote outpost with three lonely miners, he devises a plot to scam the “lonely, isolated, overworked, rich lithium miners” and hopefully secure his own freedom.

To complicate matters, we soon learn that Mudd has also been drugging the women, making them appear younger and more attractive, however the elixir “Venus pill” they have been ingesting only lasts a handful of hours before the women are quickly transformed back into old hags. Thus their hypnotic effects on the crew only lasts for a short time. But Mudd quickly enacts his escape plan. He steals a communicator device and contacts the miners on Rigel XII informing them of the women who are en route to their station. In doing so, Mudd orchestrates a barter: his own freedom in exchange for the women as well as the Lithium crystals for Captain Kirk. But when they arrive, Kirk refuses the deal.

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

Kirk, Spock, Mudd, and the trio of women all beam down to Rigel XII while the Enterprise runs desperately low on fuel (it remains in orbit on auxiliary power but time is limited). Eve strikes up a romance with one of the miners (Ben Childress). But when a fight breaks out between two of the miners, Eve goes running out into a dangerous magnetic sand storm, and they quickly start behaving like an old married couple, bantering and arguing. She cooks for him and he finds her useful (especially when she suggests he clean his cooking pans by hanging them out in the storm where the sand can blast them). But soon her good looks fade without the Venus pills and they quarrel. In fury over the situation, she takes another “Venus pill” and is transformed back into a beautiful young woman again, but Kirk and Mudd reveal this particular pill was merely a placebo. Her beauty is therefore true and without trickery. In return, Kirk is given the crystals he needs and Eve decides to remain on Rigel XII with Childress. Mudd asks to stay behind, as well, but Kirk denies his request. Instead he coyly offers to be a character witness at Mudd’s impending trial. Now wide-eyed and worried, Mudd replies: “They’ll throw away the key…” Kirk leads Mudd back to the Enterprise as the episode ends on a whimsical note. Spock aptly dubs it a “most annoying, emotional episode.”

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

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My Thoughts on “Mudd’s Women”

This is not the last time we will see Harry Mudd in the Star Trek series. Channeling classic pirate stories as well as “wagon train” westerns about coyotes matching wives for western settlers, Harry Mudd’s introduction into the series presents a silly, comical figure who is always frivolously skirting justice, a lovable scoundrel, even if he is still a loathsome trafficker of ill-repute. This episode has justifiably drawn the ire of many fans as it plays on any number of tired stereotypes about women –and even Kirk can hardly maintain his elevated moral status as a “paragon of virtue”– however, thankfully the Enterprise has a crew member like Spock who is mostly immune to the siren’s song of attractive women.

“Mudd’s Women” shows us that despite the optimistic project of seeking out new worlds and boldly going where no man has gone before, the future is still rife with seedy, contemptible men like Harry Mudd. Sometimes humanity is its own worst enemy and there will always be people ready exploit situations for their own private gain. Even in the sleazy corners of the cosmos, the Enterprise nevertheless strives to stand as an arbiter of justice.

And there are a few odd contradictions and questions for me with this episode, such as: Why would Ruth willfully enter sickbay to seduce Dr. McCoy if she knows she must avoid a health exam? Why not try to encounter the doctor elsewhere on the ship? And what about Ben Childress’s hut on Rigel XII? Why does all of his furniture seem to be made of wood when Riel XII is a dusty planet devoid of trees? At least there is a happy little moral to this story about confidence and beauty being more than just skin deep and so on.

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Credits:

• Directed by: Harvey Hart
  • Director Harvey Hart (1928-1989) was a Canadian director and producer who began his career as an actor. known for having a meticulous and artistic eye. He was loved by cinematographers, but despised by producers like Robert Justman. Because his production was late and over budget on this episode, he was not invited back to direct another Star Trek episode. He died in 1989 of a heart attack.
• Written by: Stephen Kandel
  • Stephen Kandel (1927-2023) grew up in Pennsylvania and served in the U.S. Army during World War II. He was stabbed in the chest during his service (luckily he made a full recovery). After graduating from Dartmouth College, he wrote scripts for various television shows like Sea Hunt, MacGyver, Mission: Impossible, Batman, Wonder Woman, and others. He died at his home on October 21, 2023, at the age of 96. He had four children.
• Music by: Alexander “Sandy” Courage (episode score by Fred Steiner)
• Cinematography by: Ernest Haller
• Cast:
  • Roger C. Carmel…..Harcourt Fention “Harry” Mudd (early in the episode he tried to claim his name was “Leo Walsh”)
    • Roger C. Carmel (1932-1986) was a television actor known for his roles in shows like I Spy, Batman, Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea, The Man from U.N.C.L.E., The Dick Van Dyke Show, The Alfred Hitchock Hour, and his lead role in The Mothers-in-Law. He appeared in two episodes of TOS (“Mudd’s Women” and “I, Mudd“). In his later career, he was a voice actor who performed in Transformers, The Beranstein Bears, Johnny Quest, DuckTales, and as Smokey the Bear. He was found dead in his Hollywood apartment in 1986 of a cardiac issue. He did not have children. Interestingly enough, he and George Takei realized they had a mutual acquaintance. They remained friends for the rest of Carmel’s life.
  • Karen Steele…..Eve McHuron
    • Karen Steele (1931-1988) was a former model and cover girl. She was raised on the Hawaiian Islands where she suffered a serious leg injury on coral in the ocean. At the time her leg was very nearly amputated, but a doctor from Hong Kong was flown in and after some twenty surgeries, her leg was saved. She later appeared in television shows like Perry Mason, Rawhide, Get Smart, Maverick, and others. She played the lead role of Virgina in the movie Marty (1955) and as Mrs. Lane in the movie Ride Lonesome (1959). She eventually turned to television commercials for financial support. In later life, she settled in Golden Valley, Arizona, and married a psychiatrist. She died at the age of 56 due to cancer. She did not have children.
  • Susan Denberg…..Magda Kovacs
    • Susan Denberg (1944-present) was born in Germany (now Poland) and raised in Austria before emigrating to the United States. She appeared in “Mudd’s Women” two months after revealing herself as Miss August in the 1966 Playboy centerfold. She later starred in the Hammer horror film Frankenstein Created Women (1967) opposite Peter Cushing before fleeing Hollywood and returning to Austria for a non-show-business life. There were many false reports that she died of suicide in the 1960s. After returning to Austria, she admitted to falling into a life of alcoholism and drugs. After the birth of her first child, she danced as a topless waitress in Vienna to pay the bills. She later retired from nude dancing in 1976 after the birth of her second child.
  • Maggie Thrett…..Ruth Bonaventure
    • Maggie Thrett (1946-2022) began her career in off-Broadway performances. She appeared in television shows like The Wild Wild West and I Dream of Jeannie. She was married to Canadian actor Donnelly Rhodes from 1975 to 1977. She died in New Hyde Park, New York, on December 18, 2022, at the age of 76. She had no children.
  • Gene Dynarski…..Ben Childress, a miner on Rigel XII
    • Eugene “Gene” Dynarski (1933-2020) appeared in two Steven Spielberg films, Duel and Close Encounters of the Third Kind, as well as the computer game Command & Conquer: Red Alert. He appeared in two TOS episodes (“Mudd’s Women” and “The Mark of Gideon“) as well as the TNG episode “11001001.” He also appeared in episodes of Seinfeld, The Monkees, The Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea, and Boy Meets World among other shows. His final role was in The X-Files episode “Patience.” He died on February 27, 2020, in Studio City, Los Angeles at the age of 86.
  • John Kowal…..Herm Gossett, a miner on Rigel XII
    • John Kowal (1927-2003) was born in Missouri and served as a first lieutenant in the US Army during the Korean War. He appeared in shows like Bewitched, Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea, The Fugitive, Bonanza, and I Spy. He died in 2003 at the age of 75.
  • Seamon Glass…..Benton, a miner on Rigel XII
    • Seamon Glass (1925-2016) appeared in shows like Perry Mason and he had a minor uncredited role in the film Spartacus (1960).
  • Jim Goodwin…..Helmsman “Johnny” Farrell
    • Jim Goodwin (1929-1980) was a personal friend of Star Trek associate producer and story editor John D.F. Black who secured him the role. He appeared in three first season episodes (“Mudd’s Women,” “The Enemy Within,” and “Miri“). The character Farrell was written out of episodes “The Naked Time” and “Charlie X.” Goodwin left show in August 1966 when Black also left. Jim Goodwin appeared in episodes of many shows like Perry Mason, The Virginian, Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea, The Fugitive, and Little House on the Prairie, among others.
  • Jerry Foxworth…..Guard
  • Majel Barrett…..voice of the Enterprise Computer (uncredited)
    • Majel Barrett (1932-2008) was Gene Roddenberry’s mistress and later his wife (post-1969). She has often been called “the First Lady of Star Trek.” There is apparently some controversy over whether NBC executives fired her after “The Cage” out of pure sexist bias against featuring a high-ranking female officer on the Enterprise or if they simply felt she was not the right person for the job (along with almost all the remaining cast from “The Cage” except for Leonard Nimoy). Apparently, Gene Roddenberry was the one who spread the story that NBC executives were sexist against her, whereas numerous other accounts suggest the network was focused on simply being family-friendly and did not want Gene’s mistress portrayed onscreen in order to avoid scandal. She would later return as Nurse Chapel when the Original Series was given the green light. She also voiced the ship’s computer.
  • Eddie Paskey…..Connors (uncredited)
    • Eddie Paskey (1939-2021) appeared in television shows like The Dick Van Dyke Show, Mission: Impossible, The Wild Wild West, and others. For Star Trek, he appeared in some sixty episodes of TOS, sometimes as a stand-in for William Shatner and a hand double for James Doohan, but most frequently as the recurring background character of Lt. Leslie. He appeared in most of the episodes from the first two seasons, but back pain and cluster headaches from an old injury led to him leaving the show in the third season. His first appearance on Star Trek was on “Where No Man Has Gone Before” (as a “crewman”). Paskey often amusingly credited the longevity of his character to his sense of caution, he was on the set most of the time and knew the script well, thus he made sure to always be elsewhere when an episode called for someone to die. After retiring from acting, he and his wife later ran a car-detailing business in Santa Ana, California. In 2004, Paskey appeared in the pilot episode of the fan-produced internet series Star Trek: New Voyages “Come What May.” This time, he portrayed Admiral Leslie, the father of Lieutenant Leslie. He died in 2021.
  • Frank da Vinci…..Vinci (uncredited)
    • Frank “Buddy” da Vinci (1933-2013) was Leonard Nimoy’s stand-in. After Star Trek was cancelled, da Vinci continued to be Nimoy’s stand-in for two seasons of Mission: Impossible. He also worked as a stand-in and double for Anthony Perkins in Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho (his silhouette can be seen in the famous shower scene). He was a Chicago-born former male model and stuntman. His life-long partner was actor and dancer George B. Ellsworth. When he left acting in the 1970s, he and Ellsworth owned and operated two gay night clubs in Los Angeles together. He passed away due to renal failure in 2013 at the age of 80. When he died, a scholarship was established at Pepperdine University: the “Frank James ‘Buddy’ da Vinci and George B. Ellsworth Scholarship” which which is awarded to people who serve the mental and physical health of the LGBT community.
  • Ron Veto…..Starfleet Officer (uncredited)

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Star Trek Trivia:

• This is the first episode which lists the Enterprise’s power source: “lithium crystals.” However, in every later episode and all future iterations of Star Trek, the power source is henceforth identified as “dilithium crystals.” The other episode that references “lithium crystals” is “Where No Man Has Gone Before.”
• “Mudd’s Women” was one of three scripts in contention to be the second pilot episode for Star Trek on NBC. The other scripts were: “The Omega Glory” and “Where No Man Has Gone Before.”
• Apparently, Gene Roddenberry came up with the character name of Harry Mudd after driving past Harvey Mudd College on the outskirts of Los Angeles.
• This was one of the first scripts handed to script editor John D.F. Black (Gene Roddenberry was busy working on rewrites for “The Corbomite Maneuver“). Roddenberry’s initial script “The Women” had been sent to editor Jack Guss who criticized the story stating it was beneath the scope of the show. Guss’s relationship with Star Trek was then abruptly terminated.
• Susan Denberg appeared in this episode as “Magda Kovacs” two months after revealing herself as Miss August in the 1966 Playboy centerfold.
• Yeoman Rand was initially written as a character in this script but she was later written out of the script to allow for better interplay between Kirk and Eve.
• Eddie Paskey’s character wears green coveralls for his only time in the series in this episode.
• In all, some 20 women tried out for the roles of “Mudd’s Women.”:
• In this episode we learn that Spock’s biological “internal arrangement” differs from human biology.
• In Harry Mudd’s Starfleet criminal record, he is described as being 6′ 1″ tall, 240 pounds with brown hair and a fair complexion. His future police record-code is “X731248.” Kirk charges him with “galaxy travel without a flight plan, without an identification beam, and failure to answer a starship signal, thus effecting a menace to navigation… you’re also charged with operation of a vessel without a master’s license.” His master’s license was revoked on Stardate 1116.4.
• This is the first of three appearances of Roger C. Carmel as Harry Mudd (two episodes of TOS “Mudd’s Women” and I, Mudd” as well as an episode of TAS). Rainn Wilson later performed the role in Star Trek: Discovery and Star Trek: Short Treks.
• There are elliptical-shaped playing cards with which Eve plays solitaire in Ben Childress’ home on Rigel XII. These can be seen in the Enterprise recreation room in “Charlie X” and “The Conscience of the King.“
• The origins of this story can be found in Gene Roddenberry’s early 1964 series outline, Star Trek is…, as a proposed story entitled “The Women.” The synopsis reads, “Duplicating a page from the ‘Old West’; hanky-panky aboard with a cargo of women destined for a far-off colony.”
• You may notice that the velour uniforms used in this episode have shrunk bit since they were first used in “The Corbomite Maneuver.” According to associate producer Robert H. Justman and described in Herbert F. Solow’s book Inside Star Trek: The Real Story, the velour uniforms actually shrank every time they were cleaned. The union requirements specified that the costumes had to be cleaned daily.
• Spock shows his rare flair for aesthetics in this episode when he comments on a lithium rock as “beautiful.” Geologists have noted that the burned “lithium crystal” is actually a rock of quartz with iridescent hematite.
• There was apparently a lengthy monologue originally scripted for this episode in which Harry Mudd tries to persuade Uhura to take the Venus drug. However, it was cut from the episode much to Roger C. Carmel’s dismay.
• Uhura can be seen wearing gold in this episode unlike her typical red uniform.
• There is a window in Kirk’s quarters in this episode (his quarters are located on Deck 12).
• At one point, Harry Mudd comments that Spock is “part-Vulcanian” rather than “Vulcan.”
• Director Harvey Hart went a day over schedule and used a “camera cutting” technique making it difficult on the editors. For these reasons Hart was not invited back to direct another episode.
• Harlan Ellison visited the set during this episode while writing the teleplay for “The City on the Edge of Forever,” which is widely regarded as one of the greatest Star Trek episodes.