Star Trek TOS S1 E6 and 7 Review

This review will be another twofer, one is a little bit problematic but was progressive for the 60s, while the other one I feel is underrated and was pretty fun to revisit.

The first of these two is called Mudd's Women. The most significant thing about this episode is it introduces the character of Harcourt Fenton "Harry" Mudd, a conman who would later become a minor recurring foe in the Star Trek universe. The story involves Mudd being rescued from an exploding ship along with three women who are basically mail-order brides who basically get their looks from a beauty drug called the Venus Drug. Seems pretty problematic as a plot, but the execution is a mixed bag. One of the girls does want to be more than just a pretty face, and does show off a couple moments of cleverness, which was appreciated. The theme was also that self confidence is what makes a person truly beautiful, more than makeup or anything else, which is a pretty solid message. But there were way too many 'male gaze' shots and half the plot was the male characters (except Spock, because Vulcan) drooling over these women. So, is it good? Not really. It was trying to be something better, but unfortunately, it was the 60s so the sexism still ended up prevailing in the end. Kind of hurts the final project.

The other episode I liked much better. It is called What Are Little Girls Made Of, and it deals with the Enterprise making contact with a brilliant scientist thought lost named Roger Korby, who also happens to be the fiancé of the ship's nurse, Christine Chapel, played by Star Trek mainstay Majel Barrett. Korby is found on a planet that, at the height of its power, created surprisingly human looking androids, and he has been using these androids for his own gain, including a form of immortality where people can upload their own minds into an android body. Unfortunately, it ends up going south and Korby tries to convince Captain Kirk of his mad ideas. Dr. Korby was a good villain, and he ended up having a very bittersweet ending, but overall the story was quite amazing. Great acting from William Shatner and Majel Barrett, and fantastic themes about the nature of humanity versus machines were the highlights for me.

Next time, the Enterprise encounters and Earth-like planet where all the adults are gone and only children remain. With a setup like that, what could possibly go wrong? Keep an eye open next time for Miri.

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