Mudd’s Women
The Enterprise is chasing down a ship, and on it are Mudd’s Women (Wikipedia; HD Video). Mudd (alias Leo Walsh) is beamed aboard with three beautiful women moments before their ship is destroyed by an asteroid.
But the Enterprise burnt out all but one of their dilithium crystals chasing “that jackass Walsh,” to borrow Scotty’s phrase. So they set course for Rigel XII to get some more while Mudd’s women beguile the crew of our favorite starship.
The crew can’t figure it out; these women aren’t any more attractive than other women. Spock certainly can’t figure it out; since he’s (according to Mudd) “part Vulcanian,” he’s not subject to their wiles (I believe that this is the first time Spock has been anything other than “half alien”).
Kirk and McCoy ponder, in one of the funniest bits of dialog so far:
Kirk: What are they, Bones?
McCoy: You mean, are they alien illusions, that sort of thing?
Kirk: I asked you first.
McCoy: No, an alien smart enough to pull this would be smart enough to stop my medical scanner from going bleep!
Kirk: I don’t follow you.
McCoy: I don’t either.
Begin Spoilers
It turns out that the girls are taking Venus Drugs, which emphasize whatever attributes they already have. Kirk eventually tricks Eve into taking a placebo and convinces her that all she needed was confidence. Kirk is incorrect in this summation; Eve is much hotter when drugged up.
End Spoilers
Also of note: this is the first appearance of a speaking computer. Majel Barret (who later went on to marry Gene Roddenberry) did the voice of the computer (“Incorrect!”) as well as every Star Trek computer up to and including the recently-released movie.
Grade
A-
