The Escape Artist (episode)

Warning! This page contains information regarding Star Trek: Short Treks, and thus may contain spoilers.

Con artist and thief Harry Mudd, in chains and at the mercy of a bounty hunter, tries every trick at his disposal to keep from being turned over to the authorities.

Summary Edit

A Tellarite bounty hunter, Tevrin Krit, purchases prisoner Harcourt Fenton Mudd from a female bounty hunter before she beams away and departs. Mudd pleads his innocence, only to have Krit bring up the United Federation of Planets' charges against him—and reward for his capture.

Mudd continues to plead for his freedom, recalling a variety of similar instances he has found himself in—with Klingons, Orions, and other aliens.

Mudd's pleas unsuccessful, Krit approaches the Federation starship USS De Milo and requests to have the two beamed aboard.

It is revealed that this Mudd is one of many androids that the actual Mudd, having been in disguise as the female bounty hunter, has sold to various bounty hunters. Back on his ship, the real Mudd prepares to sell another android, continuing this scheme.

Memorable quotes Edit

"Your enemies will be positively green with envy… greenER… so to speak."

—Harry Mudd, to the Orion guard

"If I had any money, I'd be sipping jippers on a beach somewhere!"

—Harry Mudd, multiple times

Background information Edit

• The episode's title, synopsis, and airdate were announced on 20 September 2018. [1]

• One of the Mudd androids collected aboard the De Milo is wearing a similar blue jacket with gold epaulettes to the one he would wear in TOS: "I, Mudd".
• This is the third Tellarite Harry Judge has played. He had previously played the Tellarite Admiral Gorch and his mirror counterpart in several episodes of Star Trek: Discovery.
• Regarding whether the audience had ever seen the real Mudd, Mudd actor and short director Rainn Wilson told SyFy.com: "I think we’ve been seeing the real Harry Mudd throughout. We certainly see him at the end of this episode. But I think it would be fun to have future episodes where you don’t know if you’re seeing Mudd or a duplicate Mudd running around the universe. That would be really interesting." [2]
• The accusation of "penetrating a space whale" appears to place the events of the short after DIS: "Magic to Make the Sanest Man Go Mad" (assuming that unlike the time crystal trick, Mudd had not used the gormagander gambit before) An Andorian space helmet identical to the one used by Mudd in that episode is also present on his ship.
• This episode marks the first mention of latinum chronologically (excluding time traveling Ferengi), and the only time it is seen used by the Federation internally: a Tellarite bounty hunter hoping to receive a bounty in latinum from a Starfleet ship.

Links and references Edit

Starring Edit

• Rainn Wilson as Harcourt Fenton Mudd / Harcourt Fenton Mudd (android)
• Harry Judge as Tevrin Krit
• Barbara Mamabolo as bounty hunter
• Jonathan Watton as Federation officer
• Dan Abramovici as guard
• Myrthin Stagg as new guard

Uncredited co-starsEdit

• Unknown performers as:
  • De Milo crewman
  • De Milo transporter operator
  • Klingon bounty hunter

References Edit

android; bat'leth; bounty hunter; camera; code of conduct; cruiser; cudgel; D-756; disintegration beam; DNA; De Milo, USS; duke; durf; Federation credit; gormagander; homicide; homunculus; jipper; The Kiss; kitchen implement; latinum; lavatory; lime; moon; Mona Lisa; mopping; Mudd's ship; Nataraja; Orion; Orion language; overkill; pig; regicide; replicant; resistance; scanner; smuggling; space whale; Starfleet; targ; Tartus IV; tax; Tellarite; Tellarite merchant ship; Tevrin Krit's sister; Tevrin Krit's son; treasure ship; United Federation of Planets

External links Edit

• "The Escape Artist" at StarTrek.com, the official Star Trek website
• "The Escape Artist" at IMDb