Plot outline

The USS Enterprise

USS Enterprise (NCC-1701)

The USS Enterprise, NCC-1701, is a fictional starship in the Star Trek media franchise. The original Star Trek series depicts her crew's mission "to explore strange new worlds; to seek out new life and new civilizations; to boldly go where no man has gone before" under the command of Captain James...

 receives orders to arrest Federation outlaw Harry Mudd, who is accused of selling fake love crystals. Intercepting Harry on the mining colony of Motherlode, they bring him aboard the Enterprise. Harry explained that he was able to escape the custody of the android planet (where he had been left at the end of I, Mudd) by teaching the androids how to play organized sports. While the entire planet population was cheering on their respective teams at a baseball game, Mudd slipped away.

However, after convincing Nurse Chapel to try and use the love crystals to win the affection of Mr. Spock

Spock

Spock is a fictional character in the Star Trek media franchise. First portrayed by Leonard Nimoy in the original Star Trek series, Spock also appears in the animated Star Trek series, two episodes of Star Trek: The Next Generation, seven of the Star Trek feature films, and numerous Star Trek...

, Mudd abducts her, steals a shuttlecraft, and escapes to a rocky planet. The love crystals, however, have affected Spock, who pursues him to the planet, accompanied by Captain Kirk.

During a struggle some of his love crystals are accidentally broken near an air vent and affect the entire crew of the Enterprise. Many of the crew are too busy staring into each other's eyes to keep one on the transporter. Luckily, the Captain and Spock reach the ground safely. As they materialize, however,Spock stumbles backwards as his boot sinks into the ground, only to be caught by the Captain. The two share an affectionate moment before setting off to find Spock's beloved and her kidnapper.

Using the love crystals, the four are able to escape the planet's hostile natives and return to the Enterprise

Commentary

Roger Carmel is in top form as the inscrutable Harry Mudd who hawkes a love potion to the unsuspecting. Chaos ensues as Nurse Chapel attempts to ensnare the logical and unemotional Mr. Spock. What makes Mudd's Passion such a hoot was its "sophisticated wit and humor"; lines such as the lovehorn McCoy bragging, while wooing a woman, that he had saved the life of virtually every command officer and would save the Enterprise too if it had a heart "make this episode a high point for the often overlooked [Trek] animated series." Unlike other episodes in TAS which were merely content to rehash Star Trek's live-actions elements, Mudd's Passion "expands on the original series, bringing back a familiar character and taking the story in a new direction" while offering plenty of humor and some dangerous situations—particularly for Captain Kirk.