The galaxy’s greatest con artist is coming to Star Trek: Discovery. Harcourt ‘Harry’ Mudd, the sleazy smuggler that graced a number of episodes of the original Star Trek series is set to appear on Discovery by way of Rainn Wilson.
According to TV Line, Wilson who is best known for his character Dwight on The Office will bring the role of Mudd back to the Star Trek Universe some 44 years after his last appearance in Star Trek: The Animated Series back in 1973. That appearance in animated form followed two live action appearances on the original series, both of which saw Mudd cause considerable headaches for Kirk and the crew.
While I’m sure Wilson will do a fine job as Mudd, it seems a strange choice to bring this character on to the Discovery series. Sure, Mudd and his hijinks are remembered fondly by many Trek fans, but that doesn’t mean he needs to be resurfaced for what I was hoping would be a fresh new take on the Star Trek property. Between this and the casting of Sarek (Spock’s father), it feels as though there’s a fair bit of fan service going into this production. More so, Mudd’s sleazy womanizing ways don’t really seem to gel with Discovery’s promise of social and cultural diversity…. Maybe we’ll be seeing him before he gets his harem of sex slaves?
Star Trek: Discovery is scheduled for release sometime later this year.
