Rising to fame through the US version off The Office, Rainn Wilson’s ability to lean into the weird and quirky was a perfect fit for paper salesman and beet farmer Dwight Schrute. Taking on the role of the by the book suck up, originally portayed in the UK version by Mackenzie Crook, Wilson’s take on the role was straight faced repressed anger in a beige suit. As time went on, and the US version deviated from the original scripts, Dwight Schrute became one of the most insane characters while still being one of the most popular for his wit, complete lack of charm and near psychotic loyalty to his associates.
Having studied theatre and the arts at the University of Washington, Wilson came from a creative background and would often cite his father, author and painter Robert Wilson, for his passion for the arts; often sharing his fathers works on social media before his passing in 2020. Over the Office’s nine year run, Wilson would earn himself three Emmy nominations and spread his creative wings by writing and directing for the show. Since it’s final episode he’s appeared in both drama leading shows such as the American adaption of Backtrom to appearing alongside Jason Statham in comedy The Meg.
Being a fan of Star Trek since his childhood in the 70’s, when Discovery was announced to bring a new lease of life to the franchise, Wilson chased down his chance to get involved.
“As soon as the writers staff was formed, I begged my agents, ‘Can I just have a general meeting?’ Wilson told StarTrek.com back in 2017 while discussing a meeting with the producers who discussed their visual ideas at the time, “Then, I don’t know, six months later I got a call. ‘How about Harry Mudd?’ I was like, “That’s perfect.”
First appearing in Choose Your Pain, Wilson had the chance to show the darker side of a desperate and imprisoned Harry Mudd who found himself in a Klingon holding cell alongside Lorca and later in the season, in the shows most standalone episode Magic To Make The Sanest Man Go Mad, would follow up with Mudd using time altering technology to get his revenge for Lorca leaving him behind.
Sharing more of his talents with the Star Trek universe, Wilson would return a third and final time for an episode of Short Trek’s focused solely on Harry Mudd’s mischievous adventures. Written by Mike McMahon, the short was directed by Wilson himself and bridge the gap between Mudd’s more sinister side with the mischief of the original performance by Roger C Carmel.
Outside of the acting world, Wilson is a huge advocate for mental health, climate change and the environment and spiritual wellness, all of which he writes about with depth in his book The Bassoon King. Still writing and performing today, Wilson continues to work with non profits and charities including LIDE which he co-founded with his wife.
With Discovery racing to the 32nd Century in it’s third season, it’s uncertain if we’ll see Rainn Wilson’s version of Harry Mudd again on screen. But we can live in hope that with Strange New Worlds continuing for five seasons that Captain Pike might just run into the rogue having jippers on the beach….
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A Fistful of Justice
Although it's one of the worlds most legendary science fiction shows, Star Trek has always dabbled with format and genre's, all dressed up behind deep space adventures. Whether using the holodeck for a touch of fantasy, or diving into the horrors of war through Deep Space Nine's run, the variety of story telling never seems to fit one mould. But out of all the different tales told in the wonderful world of Starfleet, one that always promises to deliver is the court room drama. This month we're diving into the most captivating of Star Trek's courtroom drama's with a Fistful of Justice! AD ASTRA PER ASPERA Strange New Worlds, Season 2 One of the most modern examples of Strar Trek's court room drama saw Pike's own Number One, Una-Chin Reilly, under court martial for a serious breach of Starfleet regulation […]
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