Harcourt Fenton Mudd is back, doing what he does best…

There were a few negative comments about Harry Mudd’s appearance in the first season of Discovery – was this really the same man who would go on to plague Jim Kirk in the original series a mere decade later? Rainn Wilson’s performance had some of the black humour of the character as portrayed by Roger C. Carmel, but the circumstances in which he found himself were distinctly darker in nature than he would appear later and unsurprisingly it was a more downbeat exercise.

This wonderfully enjoyable Short Trek, however, fills the gap between the two very well. If you only know the character from Discovery, then you’ll see a very different side to him; if you know the rascal of old, then it’s a great return to form. It’s the sort of story that they’d have had to do in animated form back in the day – for reasons I have no intention of spoiling here – but Wilson (who’s also behind the camera for this outing) has great fun.

Verdict: Is it an appetite-whetter for a return in series 2? Who knows. Actually, who cares – it’s just great to see Harry back in action. 9/10

Paul Simpson