I, Mudd is an episode of Star Trek: The Original Series first broadcast November 3, 1967. It is a second season episode, production #41, and was written by Stephen Kandel and David Gerrold, based on a story by Gene Roddenberry and directed by Marc Daniels .

On stardate 4513.3, the U.S.S. Enterprise, under the command of Captain James T. Kirk, is hijacked by an android who has been posing as Mr. Norman, a recently assigned crewmember. The android seals off engineering and redirects the ship to an unknown planet at Warp 7. The planet is discovered to be populated with other androids built to serve humans.

When the crew arrives at the planet, Captain Kirk discovers Harcourt Fenton Mudd , an outlaw Kirk had run-ins with in the past, is the impromptu "leader" of the androids. Having perviously escaped incarceration for his crimes, Mudd explains that he crashed his ship on the planet, and the androids took him in. He informs that they are very accommodating, but refuse to let him go. During his stay on the world, Mudd acquired 500 android women as servants, including an android version of his wife Stella; although the difference is the robot Stella doesn't constantly nag him, and does what she is told.

The androids tell Kirk they were built by a people from the Andromeda Galaxy, however their creators were destroyed by a supernova, and the robots were left to fend for themselves. They have also been studying Mr. Mudd for an unrevealed purpose. Mr. Spock makes inquires and discovers there are over 200,000 of these androids, and that they may be controlled by some as yet unseen central operator.

Mudd suggests the androids beam up to the Enterprise to fetch the rest of the crew. The crew are rounded up and brought down; Mr. Chekov finds a pampered existence by the service of hundreds of beautiful android women (who are "fully functional" at physical pleasure), not such a bad idea. Even Lt. Uhura is impressed when she finds that she can live immortally here. In the meantime, Mudd secretly plots to escape by taking over the now deserted Enterprise, but is stopped from carrying out his plans by the androids, who will do anything for their master except allow him to leave.

The androids finally reveal their plan: They tell the crew that they believe humans are too destructive and should be kept under control. The androids plan to leave their planet by means of the Enterprise, and will expand outward and take over the galaxy. Not only will they police mankind forever, but will also be loyal servants who will take care of their masters every need.

Spock notices that several models of androids seem to repeat. There are several "Alice" models, several "Oscars", etc., but there seems to be only one android that looks like Mr. Norman. Spock speculates Norman is the central coordinator, and that the crew should concentrate their efforts of escape on him. They manage to tranquilize Mudd, who plays along with the escape plan, and explain to the androids that they must return to the Enterprise in order to revive him. The androids are about to authorize the request, but Lt. Uhura pretends to reveal that this is just a ploy to escape. She claims her motivation at betrayal is the promise to make her immortal.

The crew then engage in a series of illogical and clownishly silly activities in an attempt to confuse and overload the Norman android. When Mudd tells the short circuiting Norman "everything I say is a lie", Norman finally shuts down. Without a controlling leader, the other androids stop and once again obey their master's commands. This allows the crew to go free. Kirk however leaves Mudd behind with his servant androids, but before he leaves, Kirk makes at least 500 copies of Stella, this time they are all programed to nag and annoy Mudd as much as possible.

Mudd is a reoccurring character, first appearing in The Original Series episode Mudd's Women.