【Japan】

For a show involving cosmic fungus and Japana giant tardigrade, Star Trek: Discoveryhas been pretty serious this season.

That's not a bad thing. But Sunday night's episode -- called "Magic to Make the Sanest Man go Mad" -- marked a glorious return to the campy, cheesy version of Star Trek that made other series so much fun.

SEE ALSO: The 'Star Trek: Discovery' episode that changed the universe

This episode had it all: time crystals, a time loop, and a man in a cape. Oh, and plenty of old-school references for diehard Trekkies.

Rainn Wilson, who you might know as Dwight from The Office, holds the episode together. He plays Harcourt Fenton "Harry" Mudd, a con man who features in several episodes of the original 1966-68 Star Trek.

Mudd appeared earlier in Star Trek Discoveryas a Klingon prison cellmate to Capt. Lorca and his new head of security, Ash Tyler. But we didn't really get to see the scheming, chaos-spreading version of Mudd we know and love until now.

In "Magic to Make the Sanest Man go Mad" (a quote from The Iliad, in case you were wondering), Mudd tricks the Discoveryinto beaming a giant space whale into its docking bay. That's where he's hidden his ship, complete with a time crystal modified by a four-dimensional being that lets him start a 30-minute time loop.

If that plot seems strangely familiar, it's because Star Trek: The Next Generationdid something similar in the classic episode "Cause and Effect."

Mashable Top Stories Stay connected with the hottest stories of the day and the latest entertainment news. Sign up for Mashable's Top Stories newsletter By clicking Sign Me Up, you confirm you are 16+ and agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Thanks for signing up!

This time the culprit isn't a neutral distortion in the space-time continuum. It's Mudd, who replays the same scenario over and over, hoping to learn more about the Discovery's spore drive.

The ship explodes each time, and only Paul Stamets (Anthony Rapp), who has transcended time and space by hooking himself into the drive, knows what's going on once the loop begins again.

Even if you haven't watched every episode of every Star Trek franchise, there's still a lot to like here. Trekkies, though, had to be feeling extra excited when Mudd calls Lorca "mon capitan" -- a reference to everyone's favorite wisecracking alien from The Next Generation, Q.

In the original series, Mudd brings Kirk and Spock down to his planet full of android women. That episode ended with the Enterprise crew figuring out how to turn the androids into an army of Mudd's furious estranged wife, Stella.

So it made sense that the Discoveryepisode ends with Mudd reluctancy reunited with Stella. Turns out he had skipped town to the chagrin of her father, Barron Grimes, a powerful arms dealer.

Original image has been replaced. Credit: Mashable

In this appearance Stella wears a purple and red outfit that wouldn't look out of place in the 1960s series, while her father wears a leather suit with cape, and holds a cane.

It was a perfectly cheesy ending to a loopy, exciting episode. The time loop shenanigans provided a respite from the larger compromised-captain-versus-racist-Klingons main plot.

Not that we want to return to the days of transporter accidents, mirror universes or holodecks gone awry, but it's nice to see the cast of Discoveryhave a little fun.

---

Featured Video For You

---

Homemade 'Star Trek' captures space scenes without any effects

---

Original image has been replaced. Credit: Mashable

Topics Star Trek

• Games
• Science
• Social Good
• Shopping
• Digital Culture
• Life
• Entertainment
• Tech

• The internet is talking like Kevin from 'The Office' now
• Reggie Fils
• TCA Awards Nominations 2017: Here's why nominations are a big deal
• Twitch makes exclusive two
• Best robot vacuum deal: Eufy Omni C20 robot vacuum and mop $300 off at Amazon
• Nas, Questlove, and pretty much everyone else in hip
• Akamai's biometric study confirms it: We really, really hate crappy video streaming
• IKEA and Apple will use AR to demo furniture at home before you buy
• NYT Connections Sports Edition hints and answers for April 17: Tips to solve Connections #206
• Google launches job search portal directly through search

• An indie game that aims to preserve an indigenous culture and its mythology
• 'Game of Thrones': Will Jaime be a wight?
• Moscow's facial recognition CCTV network is the biggest example of surveillance society yet
• 'Playboy' founder Hugh Hefner dies at 91
• Hands on with Echo Spot, Amazon's alarm clock killer
• A.R.S.E., the Australian space agency name we could only dream of
• The 'Devil Wears Prada' writer knows you hate Nate
• Debris from Japan's 2011 tsunami sent about 300 species across Pacific
• The DOJ wants to know if you liked this anti
• Amazon Echo and Echo Plus: Hands on with the new Alexa homes

• Philips now allows customers to 3D print replacement parts
• Type ‘Spinner’ into Google for a fidgety surprise
• How I transitioned into the freelance economy–and tripled my income
• 'Bachelor in Paradise' investigation finds no misconduct, show to resume taping
• Waitin’ on the Student Debt Jubilee
• Google launches job search portal directly through search
• You can now make Spotify playlists in your group chat
• Use your phone to order a private toilet with Charmin Van
• NYT Connections hints and answers for April 14: Tips to solve 'Connections' #673.
• OnePlus 5 unveiled: Here's how to watch

• Today's Hurdle hints and answers for April 29, 2025
• OnePlus 5 camera v. iPhone 7 Plus, Google Pixel, and Samsung Galaxy S8
• The NBA off
• KFC home delivery is set to launch in another country
• Best roborock deal: Save $400 on Q5 Pro+ Robot Vacuum and Mop
• Damon Lindelof reportedly returning to HBO for 'Watchmen'
• Elon Musk, world's 8th best CEO, shares how he spends his free time
• Game of Thrones Season 7 video: All the clues you might've missed
• Dyson V8 Plus cordless vacuum: $120 off at Amazon
• Reggie Fils