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Picard's Watcher Is the Successor to a TOS Character's Legacy

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WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Star Trek: Picard Season 2, Episode 5, "Fly Me to the Moon," streaming now on Paramount+.

With Star Trek: Picard Season 2 leaving Jean-Luc Picard and his crew scrambling to restore the timeline after it was tampered with by the omnipotent Q , La Sirena traveled back to Los Angeles 2024. Learning that a mysterious figure known as the Watcher was their best hope for preserving human history, Picard sought them out, with the Guinan of this time period facilitating their meeting. And upon introducing himself to the Watcher, Picard learns they hold a similar role to forgotten Star Trek: The Original Series character Gary Seven, continuing the show's trend of being inspired by -- and celebrating -- Star Trek history .

Meeting with the Watcher after they guide Picard to a portal through the use of a series of temporary host bodies, Picard is surprised when the enigmatic figure takes on the form of Picard's Romulan friend Laris from the 25th century. The Watcher explains that they are in charge of ensuring the natural flow of Earth's history progresses as planned, with time-travelers like Picard being held under intense suspicion for intruding in on the timeline. Picard observes that this makes the Watcher hold a similar role to Gary Seven, aware of his 20th century encounter with Captain James T. Kirk and his crew on their own time-travel mission.

RELATED: Star Trek: Rod Roddenberry Honors His Mother Majel Barrett's Legacy

Gary Seven was introduced in the TOS Season 2 finale "Assignment: Earth," which saw the crew of the USS Enterprise travel back to 1968 for historical research of the time period. Gary Seven's arrival on the 20th century Earth is intercepted by the Enterprise , with him eventually identified with a human traveling back from the 24th century. Gary Seven is assigned to ensure the flow of history progresses as planned on Earth after his two predecessors are killed in a traffic accident. Raised on a faraway planet in his time, Gary Seven works for that planet's unseen time-keeping agency along with feline companion Isis and human assistant Roberta Lincoln, from a New York City office loaded with advanced tech.

Gary Seven and his supporting characters were intended to star in their own spinoff series from Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry, with "Assignment: Earth" serving as a backdoor pilot episode. However, the network passed on picking up the pilot for a full series order, leaving the TOS episode as their sole on-screen appearance. Gary Seven, Roberta and Isis would show up in tie-in Star Trek novels and comic books expanding on their backstory and mission, but the official canonicity of all this ancillary material remains in question.

RELATED: Star Trek's Anson Mount Is 'Very Happy' With First Episodes of Strange New Worlds

The Watcher that Picard encounters in 2024 does not dispute his comparison of them to Gary Seven, suggesting they may be carrying out the same role in safeguarding human history. This suggests that Gary Seven and his associates have left, for reasons unknown, in the 60 years since they encountered Kirk and Spock in Manhattan. This also raises the question of why the Watcher was unable to stop Q's tampering in the first place, before Picard and his friends arrived from the resulting divergent timeline.

The Watcher agrees to help Picard and his friends stop Q from altering history, though more of her capabilities and any other links to Gary Seven remain a mystery. The Watcher has identified Picard's ancestor Renee as Q's target, leaving La Sirena's crew to scramble to protect her from the omnipotent ne'er-do-well's mischief. And now with someone holding the same temporal safeguarding role as Gary Seven on their side, Picard may finally have the edge in ensuring galactic history proceeds as it's supposed to.

Created by Akiva Goldsman, Michael Chabon, Kirsten Beyer and Alex Kurtzman, Star Trek: Picard releases new episodes Thursdays on Paramount+.

KEEP READING: What Happened Between Star Trek: The Motion Picture and Wrath of Khan?

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• Memory Beta pages needing citation
• Memory Beta articles sourced from short stories
• Time travellers
• 1932 births
• Humans (20th century)
• Humans (21st century)
• View history
• 1.1 Assignment: Earth
• 1.2 Assignment: Eternity
• 1.3 Eugenics Wars
• 1.4 Future events
• 2 Physical health and description
• 3.1 Connections
• 3.2 Background
• 3.3.1 Appearances
• 3.4 External link

Biography [ ]

Howell was called in by the Aegis five days after his 35th birthday by a man . He given his the assignment of protecting Earth and to safeguard its history. He was given the name Gary Seven and partnered up with Isis . ( TOS - Year Five - Weaker Than Man comic : " Issue 17 ")

Assignment: Earth [ ]

Seven took on many assignments for Aegis. In 1206 , he was an advisor and friend to Genghis Khan about conquering the world. In 1588 , he helped the British defeat the Spanish Armada. In 1914 , Seven stood by as Gavrilo Princip carried out his assassination of Archduke Ferdinand. ( TOS - Year Five - Weaker Than Man comic : " Issue 17 ")

Seven was sent back to Earth in 1968 to complete the work of Agent 201 and Agent 347 , who were killed in an automobile accident. Before reaching Earth, his transporter beam was intercepted by the USS Enterprise , who were orbiting Earth on a research mission. Seven managed to escape to the agents's New York City apartment .

With assistance from his aides Roberta Lincoln and Isis , and in spite of hindrance from Captain James T. Kirk , Seven managed to stop mankind from launching into a nuclear war. ( TOS episode : " Assignment: Earth ")

Upon returning to headquarters however, Seven furiously confronted Isis about her earlier falsehood, having seen the incontrovertible evidence that 201 and 347 had already completed their mission prior to their demise. Isis noted that the mission had been necessary to introduce Seven to Kirk before informing of Aegis' true agenda: to freeze the societal development of the Milky Way galaxy by making the consonant Tholian Assembly the sole power. ( TOS - Year Five - Weaker Than Man comic : " Issue 17 ")

Assignment: Eternity [ ]

One of the many assassination attempts on the life of Mao Tse-Tung was averted at the Great Wall of China by Seven and Lincoln. ( TOS novel : Assignment: Eternity )

The two agents were responsible for preventing Professor Tepesch from brainwashing John F. Kennedy and Jacqueline Kennedy , as well as apprehending the Watergate burglars in Washington, DC . ( TOS novel : Assignment: Eternity )

They also aided a pair of British intelligence operatives in defeating cybernauts . ( TOS novel : Assignment: Eternity )

Seven and Lincoln watched the television footage of Neil Armstrong stepping onto Luna on 20 July , 1969 , which Seven helped enable.( TOS novel : Assignment: Eternity )

In 1969 , Seven once shared a "joint" of cannabis with Jimi Hendrix at the Woodstock music festival. ( TOS novel : Assignment: Eternity ; TOS - Year Five - Weaker Than Man comic : " Issue 17 ")

In the 1970s , the incident at the Three Mile Island nuclear facility was lessened by their intervention, as was an incident that involved the crashing to Earth of Skylab . ( TOS novel : Assignment: Eternity )

They joined Carl Kolchak [ citation needed ] in 1974 in gaining possession of plans by the Pentagon to build an android called Questor . ( TOS novel : Assignment: Eternity )

In 1989, Seven and Lincoln prevented an alien incident from causing a planetwide panic as a unknown extraterrestrial landed in the USSR, as reported by TASS. TASS also reported that the USSR lost 20-30 Hind-24 gunship/assault helicopters fighting the lone UFO. [ citation needed ]

On stardate 6021.4 in 2269 , Seven created a wormhole that brought the Enterprise from Federation space into Romulan space. Seven ended up stuck on a planet used as the base of operations for Agent 146 (a.k.a. Septos ) with James T. Kirk , Hikaru Sulu and Pavel Chekov and without other assistance. Later, assistance was found in the form of Seven's associate, the tiger-like, rhinoceros-like Osiris . ( TOS novel : Assignment: Eternity )

Romulan agent Commander Dellas killed Septos, and then Osiris, before Seven could stop her. When Dellas later attempted to kill Spock at the Khitomer Conference in 2293 , Seven sent her into the past with his servo. Seven told Kirk he knew Dellas as she was the only Romulan who covered her face at the Conference. ( TOS novel : Assignment: Eternity )

Seven later returned the Enterprise to Federation space. ( TOS novel : Assignment: Eternity )

Eugenics Wars [ ]

Seven once assisted the scientists later dramatized in the 1973 film The Andromeda Strain.

On 13 March , 1974 , Seven discovered that nearly six Russian geneticists and biochemists had gone missing since 1973 .

The next day, Seven hired a "today only" secretary to cover Lincoln's duties. This woman was called Allison and was not privy to the true work done by the agents.

By 18 May , Seven had infiltrated Sarina Kaur 's Chrysalis Project , but gotten caught and locked in an animal cage. When Kaur activated Seven's servo, Lincoln answered the hail, blowing both their covers. Later that day, Seven escaped the cage and destroyed Chrysalis. Kaur refused to leave and so died with her project.

On 19 May , Seven took Khan Noonien Singh to his new foster parents, Prabhot Singh and Sharan Singh .

On 1 November , 1984 , Seven took Khan away from the riots caused by Indira Gandhi 's assassination, after which Khan told Seven he owed Seven a debt. Seven returned Khan back to India two days later, but recruited Khan for a mission on 2 December of that year to the Da Vinci Research Base in Antarctica to visit Wilson Evergreen . Evergreen resented the visit and attacked Khan, who stabbed him to death in response. After Evergreen got up unharmed (being Akharin , aka Flint ), he was told by Seven that his research had been modified by his sponsors to create, and not close, holes in the ozone layer .

On 10 October , 1986 , Seven and Khan infiltrated Vladimir Lenin 's tomb in Moscow , but Seven was captured by the guards. Khan then rescued him, repaying his debt. That evening, Lincoln mentioned Seven's friend, Robert McCall .

After Khan began his visions of world domination on 4 December , 1984 , Seven encrypted the collected and encrypted data on Chrysalis held by the Beta 5 computer , though this later proved futile. In the 1990s , through Roberta Lincoln, Seven had advanced technical data funneled to Project F at Area 51 in order for them to complete the creation of the DY-100 transport. This was partly because Seven intended to use the craft as a means of sending the last remnants of humanity to a new world in case he failed to stop World War III. Furthermore, he was heavily involved in the shadowy conflict of the Eugenics Wars that was being waged by the various genetically engineered supermen from the Chrysalis Project which included Khan Noonien Singh. He used information and intelligence sent to him by Isis, who was disguised as Khan's advisor Ament, to force the various supermen to fight against one another, thus destroying each one of them in turn except for Khan himself. With Khan the last survivor and the world against him, Singh intended to use his Morning Star satellite weapon to destroy the Earth's ozone layer and exterminate the entire human race as a result. However, Seven had Roberta Lincoln steal the DY-100 prototype and used it to exile Khan and his followers from the planet in exchange for the deactivation of Morning Star. Though Khan agreed and had his followers board the SS Botany Bay , Joaquin Weiss , his bodyguard , resisted and threw a dagger at Roberta Lincoln. However, Isis turned to her human form and jumped in the way of the blade, thus sacrificing her life for Lincoln. This left Gary Seven greatly saddened and bitter, as he believed that he should have left all the genetically engineered children of Chrysalis to die with the project instead of saving them. Though Khan offered the life of Joaquin, Seven refused to take another being's life and instead allowed Khan to depart the planet. This saw the end of the Eugenics Wars in the year 1996 . ( TOS novel : The Rise and Fall of Khan Noonien Singh, Volume 2 )

Afterwards, Roberta Lincoln asked if they had unleashed Khan on the Universe, to which Seven replied that the cosmos had survived things far worse than Khan Noonien Singh. He later informed his protégé that he was leaving and intended for her to be his replacement to guard the planet Earth. At the time, a mist of purple light unveiled a tomcat that Gary Seven revealed was Roberta's partner, Ramses . He later departed the planet in order to get time to mourn the death of Isis, whom he believed deserved better than the grim death she had received. ( TOS - The Eugenics Wars novel : The Rise and Fall of Khan Noonien Singh, Volume 2 )

Future events [ ]

On 11 September , 2001 , Seven prevented Shaun Christopher from boarding one of the planes which crashed into the World Trade Center in New York City . As a result, Christopher survived to command the first manned mission to Saturn aboard USS Lewis & Clark in 2020 , a pivotal event in the history of human space travel. ( TOS short story : " Assignment: One ")

Seven later used his time-travel abilities to visit the 23rd century . He journeyed to the starship Enterprise over the planet Sycorax on stardate 7004.2 where he gave his own opinion about the UFP 's debate over the entry of the genetically engineered inhabitants of the Paragon Colony . Seven explained to James T. Kirk the dangers of genetically enhanced beings and his belief that it was not DNA that decided a person's values but their teachings and morals. Afterwards, he once more departed into a purple mist for parts unknown. His words had a great impact on Captain Kirk, who decided that the Paragon Colony would not be admitted into the Federation but instead face a quarantine, and that they would gain protection but would otherwise be isolated from the rest of the Federation. ( TOS - The Eugenics Wars novel : The Rise and Fall of Khan Noonien Singh, Volume 2 )

Back in the 21st century, Seven and Isis were secretly aboard the T'Plana-Hath during Earth's first contact with the Vulcans. Seven and Mestral witnessed the launch of Friendship One from the control center in New York City in the year 2067. ( TOS - Year Five - Weaker Than Man comic : " Issue 17 "; TNG novel : Hearts and Minds )

In 2270 , Seven and Isis had begun manipulating the Tholians , providing them with the technology necessary to overcome the United Federation of Planets . ( TOS - Year Five - The Wine-Dark Deep comics : " Issue 7 ", " Issue 8 ")

After the Enterprise had left I'Qos , Seven beamed aboard, sabotaging the ship to force an evacuation as he confronted Kirk. Though Kirk proved the better fighter, Seven pulled out a hidden blaster to force his surrender. Before Seven could force Kirk to crash the vessel, Spock managed to beam aboard, the two managing to force Seven to retreat. ( TOS - Year Five - The Wine-Dark Deep comics : " Issue 11 ", " Issue 12 ")

Continuing to sow chaos across the Federation, Seven manipulated Harry Mudd , the Originalist front runner for presidency , to drop out of the race and suggested that Renei , far more passionate about the cause's xenophobia, run in his stead. ( TOS - Year Five - Weaker Than Man comics : " Issue 14 ", " Issue 15 ")

Isis was later sent to unleash a plague on Proxima Centauri only to be killed by Hikaru Sulu and Pavel Chekov , her absence having a detrimental affect on Seven's sanity. After the Enterprise had stumbled onto a Tholian stasis tower on Vulcan , Spock was sent back in time and changed Vulcan history. With the trap not ready to be sprung, Seven beamed aboard the Enterprise and advised the crew what to do, though swearing that he would his revenge. ( TOS - Year Five - Experienced in Loss comic : " Issue 21 ")

Following the completion of the Enterprise 's five-year mission , the Tholians begun their invasion. Seeing potential in Spock, Seven abducted him and showed him the chaos that the Federation would cause over the next nine centuries. Unconvinced by Seven's dogma, Spock beamed away and reported his coordinates to Kirk. When the captain arrived, Seven realized that Isis had kept him in line with Aegis' rules and he could end Kirk's legacy by killing him in the past. ( TOS - Year Five - Experienced in Loss comics : " Issue 22 ", " Issue 23 ")

Using his servo , Seven travelled back to Kirk first taking command of the Enterprise only to be met by the Kirk of 2270. Stunned, Seven travelled ever further back to key moments in Kirk's life only for Kirk to always beat him there. At wit's end, Seven travelled to the USS Kelvin in 2233 where Kirk was again waiting for him. After the two briefly came to blows, they found common ground in the sense of purpose they derived from their respective missions. When Seven agreed to stand down, Kirk brought him to the moment of their confrontation in 2270. At Kirk's advice, Seven approached the younger Kirk and gave the captain his servo , telling him exactly what to do. In the aftermath, Seven surrendered himself to Starfleet Medical in the hopes that they could undo his body's forced homeostasis and allow him to live a normal, human life. Though he was held in stasis at the time of the Presidential election, Leonard McCoy was confident that Seven would be living a normal life on Earth within a year's time. ( TOS - Year Five - Experienced in Loss comic : " Issue 24 ")

Physical health and description [ ]

Having a textbook intelligence quotient of almost 200, Seven was at the peak of human , non- augmented performance. He was able to tolerate and resist a Vulcan nerve pinch . ( TOS episode : " Assignment: Earth ")

Seven was the result of genetic engineering and augmentation by the Aegis . ( TOS - The Eugenics Wars novel : The Eugenics Wars: The Rise and Fall of Khan Noonien Singh, Volume 1 )

Seven stated that many Vulcanoids were recruited from across the galaxy into his organization. ( TOS novel : Assignment: Eternity )

Even in later years, his vitals matched those taken more than twenty years earlier, by Doctor McCoy . Fluent in many domestic and extra-terrestrial dialects, Gary was able to comprehend and reply (in English mostly) to Isis , and later Osiris .

Appendices [ ]

Connections [ ], background [ ].

The writers of his episodic appearance showed Gary Seven's knowledge of extraterrestrial events, as evident when he recognizes Spock as a Vulcan , stating aloud that Humans and Vulcans have yet to meet, in 1968 . Later sources established that Gary's Aegis masters extend their operations throughout time , meaning that their time travelers would have foreknowledge of the eventual first contact at Bozeman , Montana in the 21st century .

Appearances and references [ ]

Appearances [ ], external link [ ].

• Gary Seven article at Memory Alpha , the wiki for canon Star Trek .
• 1 Cheronian
• 2 Ferengi Rules of Acquisition
• 3 Eclipse class

In 1968, at the end of the second season of Star Trek the Original Series, Gene Roddenberry, seeing the writing on the wall when the show was about to be canceled (before the famed letter writing campaign that brought it back for a third season) wrote an episode finale called Assignment: Earth that he hoped would be a spin off for a new series of the same name. It was ingeniously centered around a character that the crew of the Enterprise comes in contact with who is essentially James Bond from outer space.

The character, played by Robert Lansing, was called Gary Seven. (It took me years to see the correlation with 007 -- I know...it really it did. I wonder if it was subconscious on Roddenberry's part. Surely not. It seems too obvious now.) At any rate, Seven was a human whose ancestors had been plucked from Earth thousands of years ago, brought to another planet to train for generations until this time in Earth history. The product of all this training was Supervisor 194 -- codename Gary Seven. And as he said, he was here at "the most critical time in Earth's history." He was here to help us poor dumb humans from blowing ourselves up and such.

Mr. Seven had a black cat named Isis, his companion,we find out is more than she seems. Also, In her first TV appearance, a young Teri Garr as his, 60's youth point of view, nice to look at, bit of a comedic foil, assistant. And a whole arsenal of gadgets and devices that the Star Trek episode cleverly displays within the confines of a single episode. In fact the episode cleverly and efficiently introduces all the key players and premise of this new show while leaving the viewer wanting the answers to many more intriguing unanswered questions.

Among these gadgets was a powerful computer with artificial intelligence known as the Beta5 computer (voiced by Barbara Babcock -- who also did the growls and meows for Isis the cat). There was a little green cube that was a tie in device to this computer when he was away from it that seems to be the worlds first PDA or Blackberry. A far out hidden wall safe bank vault served as his transporter device to go carry out missions. And I think the coolest device of all -- a Servo. The Servo looked like a silver fountain pen but was really a catch all device for anything he might need in any given circumstance. James Bond had Q to make and introduce the latest gadget to him that he ironically just happened to have a use for in every James Bond movie. The servo, we see in the Star Trek episode is a weapon that can be set on a groovy neutralizing effect that sedated victims. It could do all variations in between and up to a setting of kill. It was also demonstrated to be a lock pick and it was inferred to be a remote control for other devices too. In the recent Star Trek novels that have utilized the Gary Seven character it is extrapolated (and really a logical progression/assumption) that it was also a communication device, a flashlight, and it activated Seven's transporter to retrieve him when the mission was done. It was a major cool spy gadget. I want one when Master Replicas comes out with it.

This show was primed perfectly for the 60's. It was the height of the fascination with all things Bond; with gadgets and gadgetry. Admittedly and unapologetically there was a certain amount of chauvinism, style and sensibility that I think would have worked to make this show unique just in this time period. Also in the 60's the imagination of things to come and the understanding of technology (or lack of knowledge of what was possible) of the times that could have really made this show unique. I really think this show would have worked best in the 60's. Although if Paramount wants to update it I hope they consider doing it in a retro 60's type of way.

Now we come to why this site exist.

Late one night in Feb (05) I was up at 3:00 in the morning. It was the middle of the work week, I was beat and still couldn't sleep. I got up as to not wake the woman with my stirrings and went in and sat at the computer. I typed Gary Seven into Google for whatever reason. I noticed lot's of references and sites discussing the character. I had long thought, along with my brothers and friends what a cool episode that was and what a cool show it could have been had it been picked up. As I sat there sleepy eyed at 3:00 in the morning I thought all the things outlined above. The 60's was really the only time it could have been done right,...sensibilities of the time...all things Bond...cool gadgets...and then it hit me like a bolt of lightning.

"What a cool theme song it would have had!"

That really was the impetus. Having kind of been a student of TV themes and movie music...I thought "Wow." "Who would have written it?" "Dave Grusin (Baretta, theme)?" "John Williams (Lost in Space, Time Tunnel, themes and killer incidental music...check out those old Lost in Space sometime)?" "Stu Phillips (The Monkees, incidental music, Battlestar Galactica theme)?" "Gerry Goldsmith(Twilight Zone, incidental music)?" "Elmer Bernstein (Magnificent 7, Ghostbusters)?" I knew that given the times and the subject matter it would have been super cool. Let's face it...the theme song and opening credits of some shows have elevated TV shows in the minds of viewers and vaulted them to legendary cult status. A mediocre show can be made fun and faddish by a good opening theme. A good show is made a classic by a great opening theme. I'm convinced that's why I watched some shows as a kid that I hated like Cagney and Lacey. I wanted to hear Ernie Watts multiple sax lines of that show's theme. It's always to me, about the theme song.

I would have watched The Incredible Hulk anyway because I was a Marvel Comics fan and a fan of Bill Bixby, however it just wouldn't have been the same show without Joe Harnell's sad piano theme called "The Lonely Man" at the end of each show.

This to me this is crucial. The music.

For the next few days I was consumed by this notion of a theme song for a show that never was. Ideas just came popping through my head all day at work. "What would this song have sounded like?" I decided, "I'll write one myself."

For the next three days I wrote one theme song a day. I actually have four versions but settled on just two. The first was more of an espionage "Man From Uncle", "Mission Impossible" style theme. Seven was slick looking, to the point; a cool customer in a suit and tie. I tried to write something appropriate to that approach to the show. That cold war feel. This version's credits would have been very straight forward, with pictures of armies and bombs, explosions, action sequences with perhaps some of the above mentioned soldiers, and of course all the gizmos Seven has at his disposal.

Then I thought, since it was apparent to me they were trying to sell Lansing's as a cool looking playboy type towards the end of the Assignment: Earth episode with his groovy red turtle neck and white sweater then I'd write another theme that was more jazzy or playboyish. In this version the opening credits might show Seven and Roberta in a casino (for some reason if you're a spy you have to go to a casino at least once) with a rolling roulette wheel and drinks flowing, maybe show Teri Garr on the slope of a ski resort, more action sequences and again scenes of all the gizmos Seven has at his disposal.

These are my two approaches to a theme as they might have sounded with the show going in two slightly different directions. In each case I tried to write something that sounded appropriate of the genre and something that might come out of 1968.

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Star Trek: The Original Series

“Assignment: Earth”

Air date: 3/29/1968 Teleplay by Art Wallace Story by Gene Roddenberry and Art Wallace Directed by Marc Daniels

Review by Jamahl Epsicokhan

Review Text

The Enterprise travels back in time to Earth, 1968, to witness a historic nuclear crisis unfold. But once there, they encounter the mysterious Gary Seven (Robert Lansing) beaming in from another planet, and Kirk must decide whether his presence is a proper aspect of history or an alien threat. Meanwhile, Mr. Seven escapes his holding cell and begins conducting his undercover operation on Earth, centering on the scheduled launch of a nuclear device into orbit.

The time-travel motivation is dubious (why in the world would Starfleet risk timeline contamination to research history?), but the story has some good ideas. Unfortunately, the execution is off-kilter, with so much cross-cutting and off-pacing that the show turns choppy. Also, the episode comes across like the spin-off pilot show that it was intended as; at times it's more interested in providing a backdrop to a series that would never come to be than it is in making its story the priority.

Robert Lansing is on target as Mr. Seven, but Teri Garr is too annoying and unfunny as his secretary. The plot is reasonably good, but the bottom line is that I felt more like I was watching a good marketing ploy than I was watching good science fiction.

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73 comments on this post.

Yours is the first source that I have ever read (seen) that speaks of Assignment: Earth as being a Pilot for a spin-off. Where in Trekdom is this substantiated? I actually liked the episode - and Ms. Garr's quirky playing of her out-of-sorts character I thought proved effective in showing her total confusion with all the high-tech stuff that was flashing in front of her. PLUS - shes was supposedly just filling in for a friend at that job - wasn't she?

^ Re: "Assignment: Earth" as a pilot: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Assignment_Earth

I remember watching Assignment:Earth when it first aired; I was 7 years old. It was all anyone could talk about in school the next day. Gary Seven seemed like the coolest guy ever. So maybe my love of the episode is tinted by some boyish nostalgia.

1. Assignment: Earth is listed as a potential pilot in David Gerrold's "The World Of Star Trek", from 1973. I'm pretty sure it's received wisdom. 2. Since we're listing 'favorite middle-tier episodes', I want to put my two cents in for "Metamorphosis". While justly not considered among the series' very best, I have always been deeply moved by 1) the Companion's indelible passion for Cochrane, 2) the analysis of love provided by Kirk/Spock/McCoy, and 3) Cochrane's surprisingly parochial response to the Companion's affection for him. Is it because he's centuries old? Regardless of the reason, it adds the perfect left-field touch to what I consider the most achingly romantic episode TOS ever did.

Personally, I thought this episode was godawful. The Enterprise just intentionally flies back in time to 1968 just to observe stuff? Seriously? They're serious with that? And best of all, it all happens off camera, before the episode even starts. Not even Voyager at its worst would do this. Stargate might. But the worst is that Kirk and Spock stand around a room waiting for permission to grab a communicator to beam over to Seven's secret base, so they can stop him, but in the end just let him do what he wants, because "it's for a good reason." Yeah I'm sure detonating a nuclear weapon over another country can only have POSITIVE consequences for history, and sure enough the episode insults the viewer enough to pretend that's indeed what happens as a result, and they all smile and wink at the camera as they drop this incredibly morally questionable act and end the second season (and almost the entire show) with it.

Simon Hawkin

I have just watched the episode for the first time. And the last time. What utter BS on all levels, from the awful acting to the pompous idiotism of the script. If the second season ended with this I am not surprised the original series was cancelled prematurely -- I am just glad it did not do the whole Star Trek in.

Oh, this episode isn't that bad. Clearly, the creators were trying to set up "Assignment: Earth" as its own show, but if you get past that conceit, this episode works OK, not great. There are FAR worse episodes of TOS. This middle-of-the=pack fair.

Absolute bottom-of-the-barrel, the nadir of TOS. It's the worst episode of the original Star Trek because it ISN'T an episode of Star Trek at all; Gary Seven is the prime mover of events from beginning to end, while Kirk and Spock are reduced to standing around like idiots who can do little more than hope everything works out. As for the real stars of this ep, Seven's a smug prick and Roberta's an insufferable airhead. And all of this happens under the "Star Trek" title because "oh hey, by the way, we time-traveled back to 1968." From this, through the idea that there were orbital nuke platforms in '68 (which would have been a surprise to everyone in the viewing audience) and that Seven's purposefully detonating one in the lower atmosphere would save the Earth rather than trigger World War III, right up to the Enterprise's history tapes spoiling the entire spin-off series before it can even get started with the revelation that everything that just happened was supposed to happen all along and Seven and Roberta are destined to succeed in all of their missions, the episode treats its audience like complete morons. The worst the third season had to offer still beats "Assignment: Earth", and the third season featured a whinny-ing Kirk being ridden around the room by a midget.

Actually, orbiting nuclear platforms were indeed a concern of the mid-1960s. Check out the beginning of the space sequence of "2001: A Space Odyssey" (released Summer 1968) - it looks like everyone has militarized space!

The episode was intended as a pilot for a spin off series (Assignment:Earth). The most interesting thing for me is that Gary Seven is like an American Doctor Who! He travels in time, has a companion, and even a sonic screwdriver! Maybe Gene Roddenberry was inspired by the famous British sci fi series. Who knows?

DutchStudent82

While in general an enjoyable episode, I HAVE to point out : -There WAS no time travel possible in kirk's era.. time travel was only possible in the 27th century, and only became mainstream in the 29th. -the technolony kirk supposingly uses to time travel, is not even remotely fitting technobabble, even in 1970's fysics had improved way beyong this kind of unfitting crap. So I may be a critic looking back on a show that was aired over a decade before I was born.. but still I am glad they became more professional (though not enough) in later star trek series.

-I THOUGHT this episode seemed like an attempt at a spinoff. Jammer mentioning it in his review made it all makes sense. Would have been a silly but probably entertaining show if it had actually gotten picked up by the network. -Roberta came to work like she'd done it many times. . . so why is she surprised to meet her boss? They didn't explain that at all. . . was she just . . . like. . .a temp showing up to work somewhere she'd never been before? Weird. -The cat clearly had a human making the "meow" sounds for it the entire episode. This made me laugh more times than it probably was meant to. When the cat attacked a red shirt in the transporter room I started cracking up. "RREEEEEEOOOOWWWWW!" Those poor redshirts always get the short end of the stick. -The time travel: It was indeed silly to have the enterprise travel back in time for historical research. That said, I must disagree with DutchStudent here: Time travel in the 23rd century was "nearly routine.The Enterprise had traveled in time before using a "slingshot around the sun" technique, back in "Tomorrow is Yesterday" (season 1). And they did the same thing again in Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home. I'd say two TOS episodes and a movie make it canon: Starfleet personnel could travel in time if they wanted to. There was some "temporal prime directive" background on this in later episodes of Deep Space 9 and Voyager.

It's that time again. Ratings for the season, where my ratings are distinct from Jammer's (with the difference in parentheses). Amok Time: 4 (+1) The Apple: 1 (-1) Catspaw: 1.5 (-1) I, Mudd: 2.5 (-.5) (a little distance made this drop a little) Journey to Babel: 3.5 (+.5) Friday's Child: 1.5 (-.5) Wolf in the Fold: 2.5 (-.5) The Gamesters of Triskelion: 1.5 (+.5) Return to Tomorrow: 3 (+.5) Patterns of Force: 2 (-.5) The Omega Glory: 0.5 (-.5) Bread and Circuses: 2 (-.5) Assignment: Earth: 2 (-.5) Season overall: Season two is definitely a step down from season one; the first season was bursting with invention, running in many directions at once, occasionally stumbling but almost always in an interesting way. There is a shagginess to this season, especially as it gets closer to the end. It's nothing compared to what season three will bring, and season two, unlike season three, has a number of remarkable highlights, breaking new ground: Amok Time, Mirror Mirror, The Doomsday Machine, Journey to Babel, and The Trouble with Tribbles are very obviously *essential* TOS, in terms of both quality and in terms of what people think of when they think of the show and in terms of laying the groundwork for these characters' histories (and the movies and spinoffs), with Obsession, A Piece of the Action, and The Ultimate Computer not far behind. There are other fine episodes, as well as some episodes with some successful elements in an overall story that doesn't gel. There is also a real sense of repetition. I actually liked both Return to Tomorrow and By Any Other Name -- but they are very similar to each other, and I feel as if combining the best episodes of each into one could have led to one classic rather than two good episodes with a lot of Venn overlaps. There was no reason to have A Piece of the Action, Patterns of Force, The Omega Glory, and Bread and Circuses so close to each other -- especially when only one of them (A Piece of the Action) was actually successful, and there successful as a lighthearted romp with serious subtext. The Deadly Years' moving moments about the nature of aging and obsolescence ultimately fail to buoy the episode from its various significant problems -- so I feel as if a little more time spent on that fear of obsolescence in The Ultimate Computer could have "covered" those themes admirably. Obsession and The Immunity Syndrome are both very good episodes, but they suffer a bit from being so close to The Doomsday Machine (for different reasons). The Ultimate Computer is a somewhat new take on the evil computer regular theme of TOS, but it's still a little familiar, and The Changeling and I, Mudd feel redundant in the wake of season one's various man vs. machine plots. There are only so many stories to tell, and I don't begrudge a certain amount of repetition of themes -- that is to be expected, and even encouraged to a degree, if the series is going to establish and reestablish a firm POV. In the case of something like Obsession, I think it's worth being glad the series returned to familiar themes and plot elements from The Doomsday Machine, since the result was so successful. But the problem comes when so many of the episodes feel halfhearted and lazily or incompetently put together, and I get the impression that the reason for this is a lack of anything new to say in these episodes. And this is to say nothing of the cynicism of "Assignment: Earth" as the season finale. I don't think it's a bad episode exactly, and as just a random episode of TOS it's...well, below average, I think, but okay. As a season finale and possible *series* finale, it's really disappointing. Roddenberry didn't particularly think that Trek would be renewed, so he used the last chance to spend with these characters to do a backdoor pilot? Classy! I wouldn't really have minded this earlier in the season, or even as second-last episode, but really. It adds to the feeling that even in season two, the creative forces were losing things to say. Which, again, makes it weird that there are so many absolute gems this season! This season seems to me like a good argument for the cable channel model of shorter seasons. It's possible that if they were given 13 eps instead of 26, they would have just produced a season of The Apple, Catspaw, Friday's Child, The Gamesters of Triskelion, The Omega Glory etc. But I prefer to think that they would have given a season of Amok Time, Mirror Mirror, The Doomsday Machine, Journey to Babel, The Trouble with Tribbles, etc. Combining the ideas from Return to Tomorrow and By Any Other Name into one mega-classic instead of two decent episodes. That type of thing. All that said, I'm very glad to have season two of TOS. It's rough and rocky, and especially toward the end there is a pervasive sameness, but its highs are very high and essential, and its middling episodes still have a lot to offer.

Along those lines, my ideal lineup for a shorter, tighter season two: 1. Amok Time 2. Mirror, Mirror 3. The Doomsday Machine 4. Metamorphosis 5. Journey to Babel 6. Obsession 7. The Trouble with Tribbles 8. A Piece of the Action 9. The Immunity Syndrome 10. A Private Little War - with heavy rewrites 11. Return to Tomorrow with some ideas from By Any Other Name 12. one other "parallel Earth society" episode -- maybe mostly based on Patterns of Force but with some heavy rewrites. The Spock/McCoy material from Bread and Circuses can go here. 13. The Ultimate Computer Obviously any season of standalone episodes can be improved by just chucking out the worst episodes, but I think the big gap between the best and the worst of season two makes it an ideal candidate for some rejiggering.

As it happens, William B, I've been pondering a similar experiment for all of ST:Voyager. Throwing out all the episodes that don't advance the overall plot, theme, or characters, the entire series can be boiled down to approx. 26 episodes of essential material (though some are two-parters), plus an equal number of runners-up. The "essential episodes" experiment could also be done for DS9, though it had a lot more ongoing threads. However, I never contemplated the "cable channel model" for TOS because of its minimal continuity. It was always an anthology, not a novel.

@Grumpy, agreed on the anthology format of TOS. With an anthology, then, the big qualities you're looking for are consistency of quality and novelty over the course of the different episodes, making sure the "important themes" the series returns to (which form the bedrock of the...I'm going to say "thematic continuity" between episodes) as well as the character development that does occur, to the extent that TOS does explore characters, particularly with the Big Three. A cable channel model for an anthology brings the advantage that the anthology can just be less meandering and more forceful in the episodes that remain. I think a similar case can be made for trimming down, say, The Twilight Zone, which I watched all the way through a few years ago whose hit to miss ratio is probably around that of TOS -- it's a true anthology series. All that said, it's hard for writers, producers, actors etc. to know which episodes are going to be hits and which misses while making them. So, it's not as if reducing the number of episodes will mean that the episodes that get tossed are going to be the bad ones. With DS9 and Voyager (and TNG), there's actually a similar problem, if you want to emphasize continuity and character/plot development: it is not obvious, on a first pass, which elements of a story are going to be important and which are going to be dropped. To take TNG as an example, if you want to be a strict adherent to continuity as the guideline, then "Lonely Among Us" can't be discarded because it's the start of Data's Sherlock Holmes fascination; this could easily have been a recurring subplot that was binned, but instead it became a pretty essential facet of Data's character. I'm not sure what point I'm making, except that it's much easier to do this type of thing with the benefit of hindsight and the whole series before us than it would have been for the writers at the time. To elaborate on my choices, I do enjoy "The Changeling," "I, Mudd," and "Wolf in the Fold" enough that I probably would keep them on if I were really limiting myself just to "episodes I think are worth rewatching," rather than picking a (somewhat arbitrary) 13, which is chosen as half of 26 (and is a standard, though by no means the only, choice for cable shows, i.e. Mad Men mostly did 13-episode seasons before the split final season). I'd be curious which episodes you peg as essential and runner-up for Voyager. Maybe on one of the Voyager pages (Endgame?).

Whatever point you're making, William B, I get it. Even anthologies can center on a theme, though obviously in the case of TOS (and Twilight Zone, which I've recently watched, as well) the theme emerged without conscious design. Roddenberry didn't set out, as far as I know, to make a show that consistently illustrated how, for instance, humans are not ready for paradise (or, in Rod Serling's case, how you can't go home again). But toss out stories that don't service that through-line, you've got a coherent package of episodes. With Voyager, though, the premise was clear from the get-go (though Elliott might still disagree about what constitutes a "premise"). Therefore, it's immediately obvious which episodes are germane and which are time-fillers, put into production because there were no other ideas for scripts that week. It's not a matter of retroactively recognizing quality or serendipity of execution, or capitalizing on unforeseen potential. Voyager (more so than DS9) had a story from the beginning, which becomes more evident when 5/7 of its episodes are stripped away. I'm tempted to post my list, but I don't know where. It would be lengthy and deserves much debate (as I am not uniquely qualified as curator). I considered "Eye of the Needle," since that's what inspired the list, but I dunno.

This episode was just awful, a preposterous and silly plot from beginning to end. The cavalier attitude towards time travel to do historical research was beyond ridiculous.

I enjoyed season two, but one thing that hurt it was that they had to many parallel earth. Not only that, but these parallel earth episodes were aired to close together. Ironically this is what Gene Roddenberry wanted to do with Trek is time parallel earth stories that mirrored problem of the present or past. I love that fact that Scotty and Uhura got a lot more to do this season. Chekov was a great addition to the cast and I'm glad he didn't turn into boy wonder the wiz kid. I feel bad for George Takei who lost out on a lot of great moment for his Sulu character due to filming the Green Beret. It's pretty obvious a lot of great moments that he could have had went to Scotty and Chekov. Takei likes to blame Shatner for his shortcoming on Trek, but he obviously lost out on a chunk of good material because of Green Beret. Top 5 episodes. Amok Time Doomsday Machine Mirror, Mirror, The Trouble With Tribbles. Journey to Babel Honorable mention goes out to Obsession.

Not sure there's much sense in criticising this episode for breaking Time Travel continuity rules, when they weren't established yet... It's not the best episode of TOS but still fun in its way, I thought.

Good episode, although Gary Seven telling his office computer in the first act that he's on a mission to prevent earth's nuclear holocaust lets the cat out of the bag (pun intended) a bit too early, robbing the episode of some tension. To give us more investment in the Enterprise crew's pursuit, it might have been better to let us keep guessing up to the end whether he was friend or foe. Nevertheless, this show is still a tightly-paced time travel yarn with contemporary overtones in classic Trek fashion, setting the tone for this type of episode on future Trek series -- I would give it 3 out of 4 stars. The young Teri Garr, a delightful actress with great comic timing, adds a sassy and fresh voice to the male-dominated cast that makes the show a bit more fun to follow than usual. Her body language even in simple scenes, as when she tries to get around a pedestrian on the sidewalk, is pretty amusing. And although she's not always integral to the main plot, her charismatic screen presence allows us a sympathetic then-contemporary viewpoint on the proceedings which makes them a bit more accessible. Robert Lansing's Gary Seven oozes 1960s cool, adding to the Cold War espionage vibe of the story, and I liked his gadgets. The cat Isis (phrasing?) is pretty cool too. Overall, lots of interesting stuff here, including the orbiting nuclear weapons plot point that still feels somewhat relevant today. Unfortunately, once Mr. Seven starts crawling around the nuclear warhead and our heroes follow him, the pace of the episode stalls out. Considering that Gary Seven might have explained his mission to Roberta (Garr) and our heroes sooner, all the double-crosses between the lot of them in the last act felt a bit frustrating, as one had the impression it might have been avoided. Having said that, the pro-disarmament plot of Mister Seven traveling back in time to destroy US warheads in the interest of preventing earth's self-destruction is a nice idea, fitting with Star Trek's idealism. The time paradox dialogue at the end doesn't really make sense, but I do appreciate the humanitarian optimism of this one. Not really sure why some people here dislike it so much; "Assignment: Earth" is not great or perfect by any means, but it's an entertaining hour with some nice ideas, and that's pretty much all I ask from an episode of Trek.

Now it makes sense to me that "Assignment: Earth" was some kind of pilot for another show - Kirk/Spock aren't close to being the main character(s) and as a TOS episode it comes across as kind of odd. I was getting a bit bored with all the footage of the rocket launch/control center. Have to also say that the plot is a bit ridiculous - like the Enterprise can just go back in time to whenever no problem. And then the final resolution, Kirk/Spock just have to trust Gary Seven that he intends to detonate the nuclear warhead at the right altitude - since they cannot in time. Not much to it. It is noteworthy for a young Teri Garr (Tootsie) - her character was sort of ok but makes sense that it's part of a pilot. I want to know: was the black cat the same as the one in "Catspaw"? Not a really strong episode but not awful as some other commenters have said. I'd give it 2 stars out of 4.

@Stubb, Wholeheartedly agree with you re. "Metamorphosis" - nobody will consider this episode one of the TOS classics or among its very best, but it is one of my favorites. It is the best sci-fi love story I've ever seen. George Duning's terrific soundtrack is perfect for making it a very moving story.

RandomThoughts

Hello Everyone! @Rahul Yep, it was a pilot for another show. And what you wrote got me to thinking... I read recently that the original series never broke the top 50 in ratings, and of course we know NBC tried to cancel it after each of its first two years. Now, taking all of that into consideration, why in the world were they using it as step-stone for a new show? If they did not believe many people were watching, how was this going to help the new one get off the ground? That just seems weird to me... Have a Great Day Everyone... RT

Anyone have an idea why the lady was disguised as a cat?

When Roddenberry has big input, the result is usually a terrible script. Here he realizes that Star Trek is about to be cancelled and so turns an episode into a secret (and awful) pilot for another show. Real classy Gene. I think we can basically pretend that this is not really a Star Trek episode.

Good idea for a series. Poor storytelling. If AE had been on the air and lasted into the early 70s it could have been really good. Oh well.

Shakespeare's "The Comedy of Errors" had nothing on this one!

Am going to watch this episode in the coming days but must point something out: this is now the fourth episode in which the crew visit 20th Century earth (or recreation thereof), and the fifth of which the crew visit Earth's history if you count the Adonias episode, THIS SEASON. And these are the pre-Braga days! My overriding impression of TOS from my youth was the lack of creativity in the setting. They were on the edge of the Final Frontier and yet it seems like even the crew of DS9 did more exploring! The precedent for repetition was set by TOS. Brannon Braga is a one-trick pony (I heard there is no explanation of "one-trick pony" in the dictionary, it simply says "See Braga, Brannon"). But to be honest, the more I revisit TOS, the more I realise the man revered by generations, Gene Roddenberry, was like a 60s version of Braga. It's all redshirts dying, a single female character introduced who happens to be a major babe, close-ups on Shatner's face with light across his eyes and trips to old Earth. It's ironic that the ones which avoid these cliches happen to be the absolute shining stars of the series. For example, the mind-f*** episode with Scotty being possessed. Fair enough, this also borrowed straight from Earth's past, but it took the Ripper idea and brought it forward to other worlds and other species. TOS created a living, breathing universe that we rarely see in TNG, VOY or ENT, which all focus on one ship and one crew with no consequences for 99% of their actions. It's easy to see why TOS was so popular/influential. But it's also easy to see why it was canned after the shortest run of any live action Trek. If it had shown more creativity in its storylines and explored that optimistic future more, it might have run for longer.

I remember watching the rerun of this episode as a kid and I felt at the time that it was the most memorable episode of Star Trek. I watch it today and still think it is a really cool episode just from the idea of a person that they don't know is a human or an alien, the tech he uses, his cat, etc etc. Also the time travel is great. I don't see why this is not one of the best episodes of Star Trek (though I'm just throwing that out there... I'm not exactly that well versed as you guys about all the episodes).

Even if Kirk and Spock play second-fiddle to some new characters, chasing after them and generally watching what's going on, I think this episode manages some suspense, originality and fun. It's a wonky, entertaining ride. I mean, c'mon, Seven (Seven?) can speak cat and his cat is actually a very attractive woman (alien?) and some people don't find that at all fun? I revisited this one to prepare a bit for reading Assignment: Eternity.

Aside from the pilot for a spinoff series stuff, it seems pretty obvious to me that the goal of this episode was to use Apollo launch footage to profit. This was 1968. That was a big deal. I'm surprised nobody mentioned that.

Love this episode and as usual am surprised at the bad reviews, I grew up with star trek so I guess my opinion is biased by the sweet memories I have.Gary seven was so cool and Im guessing the cat was some type of bond reference.Of course there is plenty of goofs, ,seven can fight of a whole group of people and is even immune to spocks neck pinch but is knocked out by a metal cigarette case that roberta clunks him with, but then again they got somethings right, spock said there will be an important assassination and there were two, MLK and RFK.My only real complaint is the going back in time to witness something, I guess they didnt have any books or video on past events, a much better idea IMHO is that the enterprise is near earth and when they accidentally intercept gary sevens beam it drags the enterprise back in time with him.

Good episode. The story held my interest and I liked both our guest stars - their characters and performances. The cat was intriguing. One of my favorites for the series. Didn't really care for the fact that the Enterprise is shown as easily traveling through time, at will and for no compelling purpose, but it's won't be the first, and definitely not the last, time we'll see the franchise play fast and loose with this sort of thing. I especially liked that our "alien of the week" was refreshingly honest and non-hostile.

Sarjenka's Brother

M5 computer from "Ultimate Computer" is put back into use for Gary Seven. OK episode.

Goodness, I had no idea what I was getting into when I watched this. So, I agree with all the criticisms (shoehorned pilot for other show, etc., etc.) but it wasn't all bad. I think the one thing they got right was the dramatic tension for the episode. The show framed Gary Seven as the villain of the episode with an obviously nefarious agenda, although it mentioned the possibility he could be doing his assignment for the greater good. I think the direction worked in a way that made us forget he was possibly doing "the right thing" - which, in turn, made for an interesting reversal in the end. I suppose the problem with all this is, it's hard to relate to Gary Seven when you're being told by all the scripting, visual, and music cues that he's a bad guy. it would be like if they were using DS9 as a pilot for Edington and a Maquis show (who's rooting for that guy?). Anyway, I'm still trying to figure out what that cat that turns into a woman was all about. It looks like a template for a Sailor Moon character. :3

Sleeper Agent

Great guest appearances, nice props and an interesting intrigue; but as many have mentioned, it drops the ball half way in and has a hard time recovering from what turns into a boring mess. On another note: from what I can remember NSA's existence wasn't officially admitted until the 80s (?), thus making this episode (one of) the first soft disclosure of the organisation? And yeah, what was that woman/cat all about? Her name being Isis certainly is interesting.

I'm a sucker for anything in the orbit of TOS. I would have been all in for a season 4 even if it was twice as bad as season 3. So it pains me to speak ill of an episode of which there are only 79. But try as I might, I can't bring myself to say anything positive about Assignment: Earth. In my mind, this should not even be viewed as a ST episode, but rather a pilot for another show that guest-starred the crew of the Enterprise. That's exactly the vibe I get whenever I watch it, which is why I can't even bring myself to review it. (Even though I kinda just did.) Shame on Gene for unofficially concluding season 2 at episode 25.

There's a website dedicated to the stillborn series: https://www.assignmentearth.ca

Hotel bastardos

Execrable pisspoor backdoor pilot. Christ, imagine if the show had gotten cancelled on that wretched note... Thank fuck that utterly charmless twat Gary seven and that pathetic dizzy bint were mercifully left stillborn in the miserable graveyard of failed pilot shows. Dangleberry should've been ashamed of himself for trying to chance it with that wet fart of a concept.... Oh, and I ain't a cat person which made matters worse...0 stars.

Assignment: Earth is the culmination of the central theme of Season 2, the exploration of late-1960’s society. Star Trek finally shows its hand, what it has been building up to all year, starting with Mirror, Mirror, and through all the alternate Earth episodes, and now this: an examination of the central pressing issue for real life 1960’s Earth. https://youtu.be/-DhkY6d9uqQ Season 1 had a more personal touch because the theme of the season was Man. Or rather man with increasing powers, up to and including the power of the gods. Whether we had gods as teenagers (Charlie X) or men and women as gods (Where no Man has Gone Before) or man & paradise (This Side of Paradise) or enhanced man (Space Seed), the point of Season 1 was to explore man, especially how man would react to being placed at all levels of power and pleasure up to and including ultimate power and total bliss. Season 2 was more impersonal by design. So many episodes were thought-experiments that put a slight spin on society - an alternate Earth almost like our own planet, but just different enough to accentuate a particular aspect of society - some aspect the show wanted to explore or highlight for the audience (like public manipulation through television in Bread and Circuses, or the cruelty of a purely intellectual elite in Triskelion). Assignment: Earth also gives us vivid insight into the mindframe of the 1960’s audience. In that way, it is a model for Star Trek: Voyager episodes like "11:59" and "Future’s End," both of which did a good job exploring the mindset of the 1990’s. Assignment: Earth's 1960’s audience was obviously a nervous lot - neurotic about all sorts of events transpiring around them. If we have Climate Change today, they had nuclear holocaust to worry about back then. And in all that upheaval, who was there to protect them? Not God. Maybe it gave the audience comfort to think that Kirk and Spock - or Gary Seven - was up there looking down at us - looking out for them, like an Angel. ROBERTA: Mister Seven, I want to believe you. I do. I know this world needs help. That's why some of my generation are kind of crazy and rebels, you know. We wonder if we're going to be alive when we're thirty. What were they so worried about? SPOCK: Current Earth crises would fill a tape bank, Captain. There will be an important assassination today… 5 days after this episode aired, Martin Luther King was killed. He was 39. I wonder what the theme of Season 3 will be? https://youtu.be/8A_3jqiix0Q

A very uneven episode that is redeemed by Teri Garr’s portrayal of Roberta Lincoln, a refreshingly different female role in TOS. I agree with Jammer - not only is it questionable WHY Starfleet would be interfering with history, it’s barely explained HOW they were able to time travel. There were many good moments, most of them supplied by Miss Garr’s ability to convey naivety, kooky disbelief, and resourceful intelligence, all at the same time. The cat was also an interesting addition, especially when briefly adopting human form at the end. But the geopolitical angle of the 60s was heavy handed and obvious, and not something that escapist sci-fi should have been involved with except in a ‘parallel’ type of story, e.g. a similar scenario set on a different world, as a metaphorical parable. But I recognise that setting it on Earth was a budget-saving exercise. Not a bad way to end Series 2, entertaining to watch. But “could have done better “. I’d give it 3 stars... just about. I just wish they’d found a role for Roberta Lincoln on the Enterprise.

It's on TV right now... and it's pretty damn awful. The regular cast are reduced to guests in their own show! I suppose the story involving Gary 7 could be interesting except for the crucial fact that I DON'T CARE.

Alhough I reemember seeing it I had completely forgotten the plot. Not fantastic but thanks to the reference in Picard I gota reason. The slightly outdated potrait of a secretary was amusing and entertaining.

A couple of commentators seem to think Seven was also a time traveller but he made it very clear at the beginning of the episode when he argues that he is a Twentieth Century man and the Enterprise crew have no right to interfere with his mission. He and others, such as the couple who were supposed to have got on with destroying the rocket but died in a car crash, were descendants of human beings taken from Earth six thousand years before and specially bred and trained to carry out missions on Earth to help ensure its survival. That is all in Seven's dialogue with Roberta. To answer the point about why didn't the secretary know Seven, her employers were the couple who died. She'd never met him before. This is one of my least favourite episodes. The ditsy secretary is just irritating to me. The normal cast are reduced to hanging around, at a loss what to do or prisoners in the case of Kirk and Spock. It is fairly boring. I did wonder when I rewatched it recently if the same cat was used for Catspaw. I imagine the cat/woman mystery would have continued in the projected series and that Isis was one of the aliens despite having the name of an Ancient Egyptian goddess. Anyway for me, this really is a pilot for a show that wasn't picked up that the ST crew were unfortunate enough to be forced to appear in.

Something I forgot to mention is I think the woman provided the voice for the computer also did the Companion's voice in Metamorphosis

This particular episode was a little far out for me. Below average rating. Barbara Babcock did the voice work of the computer. She had an active role in a couple of the other shows. And, April Tatro was the cat girl at the end of the show.

This is indeed a pilot to potentially introduce another series that never blasted off (a small pun there..very small...I digress) However, it s also the most insidious idea for a Star Trek episode ever in the history of all mankind! (besides Spock's Brain)...but still the idea aside - it is still very watchable and likable. Any time travel episode is a good one when it comes to Trek. I dig it! Besides, I like the kitty... by that I mean Teri Garr, of course.

Assignment: Earth is, well, adequate. It’s inoffensive and fairly well executed, has some ok moments and some good tension. It’s also a cynical exercise in television marketing, made brutally ironic given that it follows right on the heels of Bread and Circuses, a show that lambasts such cynicism in TV. The fact that this back-door pilot also doubles as the season 2 finale really calls into question Gene Roddenberry’s creative ethics. Other than this not *really* being a Star Trek episode, its main failure is the initial setup. Time travel is already problematic enough without it being treated like a lark, engaged in for seemingly low stakes research. That premise feels so half baked that it compounds the sense that this whole outing is just a callous failure of integrity. 2/4 inexplicable, shapeshifting catwomen. As far as season 2 goes, overall it’s a pretty good grouping of episodes, although I’d say season 1 had a steadier hand. Season 2 has some dizzying highs such as Amok Time, Doomsday Machine, or Journey to Babel, but also had some ‘yikes’ moments such as The Apple, Catspaw, or The Omega Glory. It’s a bit more of a rollercoaster than season 1 in my opinion. My top 5: 1- Doomsday Machine 2- Amok Time 3- Mirror, Mirror 4- Journey to Babel 5- Obsession Bottom 5: 5- Gamesters of Treskelion 4- The Apple 3- Wolf in the Fold 2- Catspaw 1- The Omega Glory Note: in this situation Assignment: Earth is not measured as it’s not really a Star Trek episode and thus is both the worst and best episode of the unpicked up show: Assignment: Whatever. Or whatever.

Michael Miller

Fun and edge of your seat thrilling episode, but the plot was very weird and could have been better. 1st of all, what is this casual crap that the enterprise used "Light speed break away factor" to move back in time? Did they do another cold anti-matter implosion engine start from the Naked Time or something, or one of those stupid slingshot around the sun?? The 1st one was barely tested and the 2nd made no sense as if you are already going at warp speed how does the tiny bit of extra speed from whipping around a star going to slingshot you anywhere? That's not how general relativity works anyway even if the concept was remotely valid, and it isn't. 2nd, what was the purpose of the cat-woman alien? She served no purpose in the entire episode, other than attacking and distracting security guards by acting like a mean cat LOL. 3rd, The 1000 light year transport thing. Since when can transporter beams travel faster than light. If it's energy of some kind how does it exceed the speed of light? I know you're gonna say that the aliens were way more advanced, but even in normal star trek episodes they sometimes make it seem like transporters can beam people faster than light, such as a few million kilometers being in "transporter range", to keep it somewhat in normal physics range they should have kept it to 100,000 miles or half a million miles to be more believable, even if transports had to take a few more seconds to be realistic. It isn't through subspace obviously as subspace transporting was addressed and rejected in TNG. 4th, the ridiculous advanced alien technology 1920s style controls! Like why is there a steering wheel on the secret transporter room that opens automatically anyway? How the fuck is that operated by a grand total of 8 BUTTONS??? You're seriously telling me the secretary who had no clue what any of this was, just happened to exactly lock on to the guy's position and beam him back by randomly fiddling with a few dials, yeah...RIGHT. So a 9 year old could have disrupted his mission. Or the "survo" that could perform dozens of random functions by hitting 3 buttons. How does it lock a purely mechanical door btw? 5. The secretary herself. Was she an agent as well or just a random earthling hired by one of the agents? They kept bouncing back and forth on this. First it seemed like they knew each other, then she seemed clueless, then she knows how to operate the transporter but is shocked seeing people beamed in and out, which is it?? Huge plot question that was never resolved. 6. The whole thing with the guy crawling on the rocket gantry. How was he planning to get out of there in time if he wasn't accidentally beamed out? By jumping off? The launch was seconds later and he would have been incinerated or knocked clear off the thing. 7. I don't know much about nuclear physics, but wouldn't the detonation ultimately release lethal radiation over the countries it blew up over? Does the atmosphere need to transmit it, or would that not matter anyway as 104 miles is above the space line, serious question.

Truly horrendous episode. 0 stars.

I don't hate this episode at all, even though it's insultingly not the show we've been watching all this time (I always thought the backdoor pilot thing was obvious, as the device was used in a lot of shows back then). The premise was interesting. Gary Seven is cool, Isis is cool, Teri Garr was appealing. The whole thing felt more like Irwin Allen than Roddenberry. Had it gone to series, I would have watched it. It probably would have been kind of Austin Powers-ish. The most annoying thing about this episode is the ridiculous (if understandable given the era) use of a Saturn V with the full Apollo lunar payload to represent fairly modest nuclear delivery system. Even as a kid ten years later I always thought that was weird as Walter Cronkite etc had explained the whole thing to everyone by then. Use of stock footage was a poor excuse.

Proud Capitalist Pig

1968 turned out to be such an eventful and important year that there’s a whole book written about it (by Mark Kurlansky -- you should read it). We were neck-deep into the Cold War. The Space Program was in full operation. There were two different assassinations on American soil. It was one of the most significant presidential election years in history for the United States. And television, while still technically in relative infancy, was quickly becoming the loudest soapbox commentator on our cultural life (and also the opiate of the masses, but that’s another discussion). Obviously, we’re all here on this discussion board because one of those key shows was Star Trek. In “Assignment: Earth,” Spock delivers the key line, “There will be an important assassination today, an equally dangerous government coup in Asia, and, this could be highly critical, the launching of an orbital nuclear warhead platform by the United States countering a similar launch by other powers.” (That describes Star Trek’s times pretty accurately, I’d say.) Now, they know the year is 1968. But the episode conveniently (and smartly) leaves the exact date unrevealed. But here’s the thing. Martin Luther King, Jr. was assassinated on April 4, 1968, and Bobby Kennedy on June 6. The “dangerous government coup in Asia” that Spock mentions could be interpreted as the Iraqi coup on July 17. “Assignment: Earth” was broadcast on--get this--March 29. Yikes. Star Trek may have been a hammy science fiction show, but it had its finger on the zeitgeist pulse so presciently that its episode “Assignment: Earth” predicted a horrible assassination, a government overthrow, and international nuclear tensions in the very year it was written (as a matter of fact, Jesus H. God, they were off by less than a week in terms of the King assassination). I concede that if that’s not relevant television, I don’t know what is. So I’ll say this for Star Trek: It may only show us paper moons sailing over cardboard seas, and mere canvas skies hanging over muslin trees… but it created legions of fans who subscribe to that refrain, “It wouldn’t be make-believe if you believed in me.” This particular episode “Assignment: Earth,” a fitting close-out to a very eclectic and interesting season of television, captures the essence of what has made this allegorical space opera endure for so long. “Assignment: Earth” as an episode of Star Trek deals heavily with time travel. That’s a smart move, because such stories are tricky. We’re invested in seeing Kirk and Seven succeed in stopping an existential crisis on Earth, but there’s the added concern about just how much they’re able to do, or even supposed to, in terms of interfering in the first place. Yes, Seven could be telling the truth about being a benevolent time traveler looking out for history, but he could also be a lying charlatan. For those complaining about Kirk and Spock being “powerless” and watching things happen, I’d advise that you go back and rewatch the episode, paying attention this time. Kirk is simply *unsure* about whether or not he really should be committing any actions at all, because that’s the caveat about time travel. For a while there’s really nothing he *can* do except to watch things unfold and then step in if it turns out Seven is an interloper. I liked Robert Lansing’s portrayal as Seven very much, but Teri Garr (!) was no slouch here either. She gave Lincoln a winning sense of humor, and I fell right in love with her klutzy but patriotic foundation. Garr would have nicely matched Lansing in her own right. And plus, yeah, she looked great. Lansing and Garr can absolutely carry an episode. Speaking of which, some of you above don’t like that the Enterprise crew is “barely in” this episode. I didn’t think that at all. The balance here is actually fine. Seven appears on the Enterprise in the teaser. The stakes of what we’re about to see are explained pretty effectively in the first act. So rather than The Seven Show, it’s more of a back-and-forth between Seven’s efforts and the efforts of Our Usual Heroes. The two threads have to have an equal value of importance in this case because this episode is a backdoor pilot, granted, but since the story is so engaging and the performances are pitch-perfect, so what?! Isis the Cat was such a hoot. I too cracked up at the obviously voice-overed “meows” emanating from her (one of the meows is even designed to sound like “uh-oh!”) Sambo delivered a fine performance. But really, Star Trek--as @Rahul points out, there are other cat colors besides black (but I kid). And as a cat dad myself, I can appreciate how Seven dotes on Isis. About that “backdoor pilot” thing… One of the best such pilots was the All in the Family episode “Maude,” which Norman Lear created so that Bea Arthur could get her own series. Archie Bunker is only seen in the very beginning and then at the very end, but it’s still one of the best episodes they did because *it’s so entertaining.* Backdoor pilots can be damn engaging and turn out to be absolute gems. The Simpsons, after all, started as a backdoor pilot--so there you go. Not for nothing, but I’d watch “Assignment: Earth,” the series. It’s too bad that it wasn’t picked up, as it seems to me that they would have had a pretty engaging, versatile hit on their hands. Maybe the U.S. government stepped in and refused to let it be picked up as a series, for they feared that it hit too close to home and would end up almost revealing a lot of true dirty secrets about this country and what its leaders actually know (but I kid). "Assignment: Earth" may have been a bit of a different spin on Star Trek, but I'd say it captured the spirit of it pretty well. Speak Freely: Lincoln -- “Not even the CIA could do all this.” My Grade: A

SEASON 2 TOP FIVE: 5th Place -- The Doomsday Machine 4th Place --. The Ultimate Computer 3rd Place -- Assignment: Earth 2nd Place -- Mirror, Mirror 1st Place -- The Immunity Syndrome SEASON 2 BOTTOM FIVE: 22. Return to Tomorrow 23. The Apple 24. Friday’s Child 25. The Gamesters of Triskelion 26. The Omega Glory

I don't think anything could keep Journey to Babel from being on my top 5 list of S2, but I kinda like that you had to guts to put Assignment: Earth on yours.

@Peter G. A LOT of folks seem to hate this one, yes. But I loved it. I'm clamoring for "Assignment: Earth," The Series. Hell, it can easily be updated / rebooted for modern television. A guy from the distant future getting into all kinds of international shenanigans while trying to make sure that he both succeeds in saving the planet and protects his cover -- maybe fighting a shadowy cabal that wants to create a new timeline for their own nefarious ends (with plants in each of Earth's most powerful governments), and accompanied by a hot sidekick and shapeshifting cat? I'd watch that! "Journey to Babel" was a competent outing, but it didn't impress me. The best part of that episode, for sure, was the Spock-Sarek struggle and the corresponding Kirk-Spock friendship showcase. It also had some good dialogue. High marks for that. But Jane Wyatt's performance got in the way, the murder mystery was woefully half-baked, and too much emphasis was placed on the Convening of Funny Foreheads. It got a B- from me.

The fact that this episode's premise was appropriated for Picard Season 2 forever taints its memory. To quote Martok in similar circumstances, "it is a grave dishonor" (to the episode)

@ PCP, "A guy from the distant future getting into all kinds of international shenanigans while trying to make sure that he both succeeds in saving the planet and protects his cover" Yes, if only we had been treated to a Star Trek series involving time travel agents from the future working with people from the past, and maybe even a temporal cold war. That would have been GREAT.

Wait was Gary 7 even from the future? I didn't think so...

@Jason R Maybe I misinterpreted a line or two? He seemed to have foreknowledge that the imminent rocket launch would have apocalyptic repercussions for Earth unless he stopped it. I inferred from this that he's a time traveler.

@Peter G - "Yes, if only we had been treated to a Star Trek series involving time travel agents from the future working with people from the past, and maybe even a temporal cold war." You sure have a way with words, my friend. "Temporal Cold War." Love it! What are the chances that something like that is going on *right now*? (We, of course, wouldn't know about it).

@ PCP, At the risk of committing the sacrilege of explaining a joke, you have seen ST:ENT, right?

"Maybe I misinterpreted a line or two? He seemed to have foreknowledge that the imminent rocket launch would have apocalyptic repercussions for Earth unless he stopped it. I inferred from this that he's a time traveler." It's unclear as I recall but my impression was Gary 7 and other humans were removed from Earth by some group (maybe the cat woman's people?) and trained from childhood as "agents" to effect changes on their home planet. It may be the aliens have foreknowledge of the future (which is heavily implied I guess) but I don't think Gary 7 or the other agents are actual time travellers.

@Jason R I thought about it some more and read the episode transcript, and yes, your take is correct. It's the foreknowledge Seven has that's most beguiling about this. But for alien influences, all possibilities apply! Thanks. Still a great concept. @Peter G I am working my way through all of Star Trek by airdate order, so no, I have not seen anything past Assingment: Earth except for the flowing exceptions, which I will address more fully when each comes up in my list: STAR TREK II -- Saw bits of it as a kid, but not the complete movie. STAR TREK IV -- Same as II STAR TREK GENERATIONS -- Saw on opening night with the Trekkie girl I was dating at the time. STAR TREK FIRST CONTACT -- Saw in the theater because "lets destroy some cyborg AI zombies" spoke to my inner spirit lord. STAR TREK the 2009 reboot STAR TREK INTO DARKNESS STAR TREK BEYOND Saw in all the theater with my family 1-2 sporadic Next Generation episodes, which I will review when they come up in my list Saw a scene or two of STAR TREK DISCOVERY and/or PRODIGY when my sons were watching but left the room so as not to be spoiled. So no... I wouldn't get a STAR TREK: ENTERPRISE joke, hahaha. (If indeed that's what you mean by ST:ENT). Always good to hear from you!

Ah ok, enjoy the watchthrough!!

@Peter G. Thanks! So far I'm enjoying the journey. I wouldn't call myself a fan yet but I'm open to all possibilities, and @Jammer, I'm *already* a fan of this site and thank you so much for it! This weekend I'll be pulling the family together to watch "Spock's Brain." My sons can't wait. Apparently, it's so bad that it's a hilarious hoot. But I'll give it the benefit of the doubt.

"This weekend I'll be pulling the family together to watch "Spock's Brain." My sons can't wait. Apparently, it's so bad that it's a hilarious hoot. But I'll give it the benefit of the doubt." Seriously, try to forget its reputation when you watch it. I don't think it's justified.

Just watching this episode and Gary 7 confirms he is a human from the 20th century, so he is not a time traveller. But he recognizes Spock and clearly knows something about the 23rd century so as to state that his alien benefactors are unknown even in the future. So his alien benefactors are clearly time travellers or have some kind of awareness outside of time similar to the Organians who seemed to know the future or possibly the Traveller who also claimed to be from another time (sort of).

Yesterday, Feb. 16, 2024, the New York Times reported that Russia is developing an orbital nuclear warhead that , when deployed, will be able to destroy weather and communication satellites that are currently in orbit around the Earth. It will be the first nuclear weapon in space. Talk about life imitating art! I hope there is a Gary Seven on the way to save us from ourselves.

Yeah, not that I would ever question the New York Times but https://www.reuters.com/technology/space/russia-seen-highly-unlikely-put-nuclear-warhead-space-2024-02-15/ It is somewhat self explanatory. Putting an actual nuclear warhead outside of the borders of Russian Federation is a bad idea. Putting a nuclear warhead into space would be so extremely risky because of radiation alone. How would one even hit more than a very low number of strategically important satellites? I would assume that for example the US spreads out it's vital communication satellites as to make hitting enough to limit their counterstrike capabilities near impossible. They also certainly have backup systems. Most importantly, if you want to use a nuclear weapon to destroy satellites, then Russia could just use a ballistic missile, or a regular missile. Oh and then there is this. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=prlIhY3e04k

@Booming: Appreciate the information you provided about space and current weapons - thank you. I was more just pointing out how amazing it is that a science fiction series in the late 1960’s could envision equipment and issues that actually materialize (no pun intended) over 50 years later. Kind of like “The Ultimate Computer” and our current AI debates. I will turn age 70 later this year. Star Trek, in all its many adaptations, has accompanied me on my life journey since I was 13 and I still enjoy its relevance.

@Lorene That sounds nice. I'm happy that it inspired you in a joyful way for so many years. :)

Eastwest101

Views very much like Roddenberry smoked a few cones and watched a bit of James Bond and Dr Who for inspiration to do a back-door pilot. As Jammer says the premise is beyond stupid, the script risible, the pacing choppy, the stock footage lazy and boring etc and yet despite all its obvious flaws this is the most cold war/disaster movie and eerily prescient attempt at addressing the issues of militarization of space & mutually assured destruction/nuclear armageddon, computerization and even some counter-culture and hippie themes thrown in. Some of the early stuff in the episode was pretty good and entertaining once I had picked myself up off the floor about the utterly stupid premise but as Jammer says - once Seven was on the gantry the entire episode derailed itself so much that all it needed was the Fonz to literally jump the shark and it would have been perfect.... Did anyone else get a giggle out of Colonel Seven's exposition dump recalcitrant and snippy computer? The line about having the planet around for us to live on was a highlight for me. Its difficult to believe that this came out the same year as Stanley Kubrick's 2001: A Space Oddessey, that film immediately made Roddenberry and his crew of whacky juvenile writers pretty much demoralized, dated, stale and redundant overnight and looking like Gunsmoke with a couple of lizard suits/model spaceships and mini-skirts, they must have been so close to giving up even starting Season 3..... This had so much potential, and failed so spectacularly in logic/execution and a too convenient poorly signaled resolution, that its almost impossible to judge, I don't even know if it is an episode of Star Trek or not, but I can see why the episode has so many varied opinions. I bet this is a regular feature in many screenwriting courses as an example on what not to do.

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Published Jun 3, 2024

Time Agent Provocateur: The Greatest Hits of Crewman Daniels

The man with a plan to save all the entire timeline is back. Or maybe he never left?

This article contains story details and plot points for Star Trek: Discovery's series finale, "Life, Itself."

StarTrek.com

As much as serious Star Trek fans might worry about keeping the intricacies of the various chronologies well-ordered in our brains, there are characters within Star Trek striving to do the exact same thing. While Trek has given us our fair share of time agents — from Gary Seven in The Original Series , to Captain Braxton in Voyager , and even recently, La'An Noonien-Singh in Strange New Worlds — there is another, undercover temporally-concerned individual who had a big impact on all of Star Trek . We're talking about Agent Daniels, who first appeared in the Star Trek: Enterprise episode " Cold Front ," way back in 2001.

And now, sneakily, Agent Daniels is back . When Captain Michael Burnham completes her mission in the Discovery series finale, " Life, Itself ," she decides it's time to get some answers from the mysterious Kovich, as played cryptically, and charmingly by legendary director David Cronenberg, starting with Discovery 's third season. When Burnham deduces that Kovich is a "codename," she reintroduces herself, which prompts Kovich to reveal that his real name, yes, is Daniels, and that he'd served on the Enterprise and "other places."

"Life, Itself"

But just how many "other places" has Kovich/Daniels really been? While we may not know the full breadth of the timey-wimey adventures of Daniels, we are aware of his greatest hits to date. Here are the essential Daniels moments, all of which have kept the Star Trek timeline intact. Mostly.  

Daniels Saves the Day… and Then Dies?

"Cold Front"

From the very start of Enterprise , Captain Archer had hints that the villainous Suliban were just one part of a paradoxical Temporal Cold War . But, it wasn't until Episode 11, "Cold Front," that we learned that there were some future-tense allies in this conflict. When Silik sneaks aboard the Enterprise , Daniels reveals himself to Archer as being an agent from the 31st Century, sent back in time to prevent enemy forces from messing with the 22nd Century. Although this is the first appearance of Daniels in any Star Trek episode, ever, Matt Winston's performance convinces us that he's sort of been there all along; an innocuous crewmember that Archer might not notice.

And so, when Daniels reveals to his captain that he has a lot more information about the larger conflict, a seemingly meek character is transformed into a formidable one. That said, Daniels does get zapped, seemingly, to death in this episode, which makes his ability to keep popping up all the more interesting.

Daniels Takes Archer Back to the Beginning

"Shockwave, Part I"

In the Enterprise Season 1 finale, " Shockwave, Part I ," the crew, briefly, believe they are responsible for destroying an entire colony due to a random shuttle plasma accident. This disaster threatens to shut down the entire mission of the NX-01, and Archer, Trip, and everyone involved are understandably depressed. But, just as Archer climbs into bed to cuddle with his dog and feel sorry for himself, he wakes up in his old apartment on Earth, 10 months prior, and exactly one day before his mission began.

As Archer walks around shirtless, trying to figure out what’s going on, Daniels appears, explaining to Archer that nothing about the disaster on Paraagan II was his fault. Turns out, the Temporal Cold War is heating up, and somebody is trying to change the past to frame Starfleet and Enterprise . Daniels is here to help Archer set the record straight. Though, strangely, he doesn't offer to help Archer find his shirt.

Daniels Recruits Archer and T'Pol

"Carpenter Street"

Throughout Enterprise , we learn that Daniels is from the 31st Century, and that his organization deals with a lot of complex rules. He alludes to the "temporal accords," from time to time, which is something his future self, Kovich, has mentioned on Discovery, too. But, in the third-season episode, "Carpenter Street," Daniels can't get involved with the timeline changes directly, and so, he recruits Archer to do some time travel dirty work for him.

In this gritty time travel episode, T'Pol and Archer have to go back to Chicago in the year 2004, and prevent Xindi from using human blood to create a biological weapon in the future. With Daniels as their temporary boss, "Carpenter Street" remains the closest thing a Star Trek episode has done that feels like The Terminator — a shadowy battle in the present to prevent a worse future.

But, in addition to the new revelation that Kovich and Daniels are one in the same, "Carpenter Street" has also influenced contemporary Star Trek shows in other ways. In Picard Season 2, La Sirena 's mission to fix the timeline is similar in tone and style to "Carpenter Street," even if the specifics differ. And, in the Strange New Worlds Season 2 episode, " Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow ," La’An is recruited to fix the timeline in a way that's not entirely dissimilar to what Daniels does with Archer and T'Pol.

A Glimpse at the Enterprise -J

"Azati Prime"

In the Season 3 episode, " Azati Prime ," Daniels once again whisks Archer to a different time period, but this time, to prove a point. In this episode, Daniels wants to convince Archer that figuring out some kind of truce with the Xindi is likely the best route to victory. Why? Well, turns out in the 26th Century, the Xindi are members of the Federation, and some of them even serve in Starfleet.

To make this point very clear, Daniels brings Archer to the deck of the Enterprise -J, a 26th Century incarnation of the beloved ship, that plays a huge part in the Battle of Procyon V. But, If Archer doesn't make nice with the Xindi in the 22nd Century, then the Enterprise -J can't do its thing in the 26th. While this one-and-only glimpse of the Enterprise -J was a wonderful Easter egg for fans when the episode aired in 2004, it also connects to the recent Kovich reveal on Discovery .

In "Life, Itself," when Kovich says he served on the U.S.S. Enterprise , he could have been referring to the Enterprise -J, since the NX-01 Enterprise wasn't initially given the prefix of "U.S.S." Then again, if Kovich survived dying in the 22nd Century, lived in the 31st Century, and settled into the 32nd Century as "Dr. Kovich," then who knows — maybe there are several other Enterprise he's lived on.

Kovich Explains the Multiverse

"Terra Firma, Part 1"

Now that we know that Kovich is Daniels, so much of what he's done — and elucidated — on Discovery makes a lot more sense. In Enterprise , we were made aware that time travel was common in the 31st Century. But, in Discovery , in the 32nd Century, time travel has been outlawed, by the "Temporal Accords." Surely Daniels was behind making this happen, since he probably got sick of all the time paradoxes earlier in his career, which constantly required him to grab Captain Archer in the middle of the night.

In the Discovery Season 3 episode " Terra Firma, Part 1 ," Kovich says to Dr. Culber, "Consider yourself lucky to have skipped the Temporal Wars. Amongst the many horrible things we discovered when weaponizing time — temporal travel can make you pretty sick."

What this ends up meaning is that some time travel within the same reality is okay, but if you time travel and cross parallel dimensions, like Georgoiu did, the results can be fatal. Because we now know that Kovich was Daniels all along, it makes sense that he would have all sorts of knowledge that spanned the era of The Original Series, The Next Generation , and even, the Kelvin Universe. But, as Discovery concludes, what remains so interesting about Kovich is that in a world in which time travel is outlawed, he seems like the last of an extinct breed, the last of the Star Trek time lords, at the edge of the universe.

"Red Directive"

Luckily though, just like everyone else in the Star Trek family, Kovich (or Daniels) is never really on his own. And so, when he recruits Burnham to help with those pesky " Red Directives ," it seems he's carrying on the same tradition he started back in the 22nd Century, when he enlisted the help of the first captain of the Enterprise .

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Ryan Britt is the author of the nonfiction books Phasers on Stun! How the Making and Remaking of Star Trek Changed the World (2022), The Spice Must Flow: The Journey of Dune from Cult Novels to Visionary Sci-Fi Movies (2023), and the essay collection Luke Skywalker Can’t Read (2015). He is a longtime contributor to Star Trek.com and his writing regularly appears with Inverse, Den of Geek!, Esquire and elsewhere. He lives in Portland, Maine with his family.

Star Trek: Discovery Seasons 1-4 are streaming exclusively on Paramount+ in the U.S., the UK, Canada, Switzerland, South Korea, Latin America, Germany, France, Italy, Australia and Austria. Seasons 2 and 3 also are available on the Pluto TV “Star Trek” channel in Switzerland, Germany and Austria. The series streams on Super Drama in Japan, TVNZ in New Zealand, and SkyShowtime in Spain, Portugal, Poland, The Nordics, The Netherlands, and Central and Eastern Europe and also airs on Cosmote TV in Greece. The series is distributed by Paramount Global Content Distribution.

The ‘Star Trek’ Spin-Off That Never Was – ‘Assignment: Earth’

By the end of Star Trek ‘s second season, it looked as though the show would be canceled. Word spread among cast and crew in the summer of 1967, as episodes continued to be filmed. Low ratings and network disputes with show creator Gene Roddenberry over how the program should be run had given NBC reason to pull the plug.

In all likelihood, the cancellation would have happened had it not been for the work of Bjo and John Trimble, two dedicated Star Trek fans who organized a letter-writing campaign of fans around the country. The enormous volume of mail convinced NBC to give Star Trek one more season.

Before the campaign took off in earnest, however, Roddenberry was already looking for other opportunities. He cared for Star Trek , but the reality of the time did not seem to show any real future for the series. Near the end of 1967, Roddenberry began work on “Assignment: Earth,” a brand new television series. It had many sci-fi elements, but was totally unconnected to Star Trek .

“Assignment: Earth” focused on Gary Seven, a super-skilled Doctor Who-esque traveler of sorts, who went into Earth’s present day to ensure history followed its proper course. He is joined by Roberta, a secretary, who learns about his mission and follows him along on his adventures. Seven is also accompanied by a shape-shifting cat (a humorous foil to his serious-toned character), along with Beta 5, a super-advanced computer who acts as a kind of advisor. They fight against the Omegans, an evil alien race attempting to undermine Earth via time travel, just as Gary Seven would attempt to set things right. Roddenberry pitched the series as a combination of spy-adventure and science fiction.

Gary Seven actor Robert Lansing describes the character background in a 1989 interview with Starlog Magazine , quoted on an Assignment: Earth fan website , The Complete “Assignment: Earth.”

“Gene was a good friend, but I was a New York snob actor, out to Hollywood. Many folks in my self-perceived position didn’t do Star Trek because it was considered a kid’s show, or a young show at any rate. Gene said, ‘I’m writing this for you and we can play with it. It might be a series.’ He said, ‘Well, you don’t have to, but just do this one thing for me.’ So, I did. It was a damn good script and a lot of fun. “What Gene had done, was to go to futurists and scientists and ask them what advanced societies out in space might do towards more primitive societies like ours. One of the futurists said that they would probably kidnap children from various planets, take them to their superior civilization, raise them, teach and enlighten them, and then put them back as adults to lead their worlds in more peaceful ways. That was the idea behind Gary Seven.”

On its own as a script pitch, “Assignment: Earth” failed to gain any traction. Instead, Roddenberry adapted it into a Star Trek episode, aired as the Season 2 finale. It had become a backdoor pilot, an attempt by a currently running show to launch a new series. The idea of the Omegans was dropped. Gary Seven was no longer stopping aliens, and he had to save mankind from itself: war, greed, corruption, and so on.

The “Assignment: Earth” fan website has a copy of the original pitch, dated from December 1967, used to sell NBC on the idea, now revised as an episode of Star Trek . Roddenberry gives a description that emphasized the modernity of the concept.

“‘Assignment: Earth’ is the Star Trek spin-off pilot of a new show, ‘Assignment: Earth,’ a totally new today concept which can be described as ‘Science Fiction 1968!’ Laid against 1968 backgrounds and stories, but without losing the excitement and imagineering which identified futuristic Star Trek .”

The Star Trek episode “Assignment: Earth” tries to balance screentime for the regular crew against the needs of promoting the new show idea. Kirk and crew inadvertently intercept Gary Seven beaming to Earth. Seven and Kirk tussle throughout the episode, as Kirk attempts to learn of Seven’s true nature, and Seven attempts to accomplish his mission of destroying a space-orbit-bound nuclear warhead.

In a review of the episode, The A.V. Club ‘s Zach Handlen criticizes the disconnected nature of the story from a traditional Star Trek episode.

“Kirk and Spock and the rest are reduced to cameos on their own show… Maybe ‘Assignment: Earth’ could’ve been a decent series; but it’s terrible Star Trek . ” “At least we get some quality time with Teri Garr [who portrayed Roberta]… a pleasure to watch as always. She’s just kind of sweet and friendly, and while I can’t imagine wanting to tune in to her and Seven’s adventures every week, I do feel kind of bad that the show wasn’t picked up, for her sake. But hey, things turned out okay for her in the end, at least.”

If “Assignment: Earth” had been picked up as a series, it might have opened using the following narration, according to documents on the fan site.

“In the hands of this one man… could rest the future of all mankind. His name…Gary Seven… born in the year 2319 A.D. The only survivor of Earth’s attempt to send a man back through time to today. Assignment…fight an enemy who is already here, trying to destroy us. If he fails…there’ll be no tomorrow!”

In this case, there was no tomorrow. The characters of Gary Seven and Roberta have survived in Star Trek books and comics, but no TV series was ever made.

Star Trek would continue for one more season before being cancelled. Reruns, movies, and new TV shows would ensure a future for the franchise. “Assignment: Earth” is a unique footnote to that storied history.

[Featured Image by CBS]

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• View history

Isis was a shapeshifter who accompanied Supervisor Gary Seven from his secret base to Earth on a 20th century mission.

Isis was involved in the 1968 sabotage and detonation of a nuclear missile in the atmosphere just 104 miles above the surface of central Eurasia . This near-calamity made the rival governments cease, at least for a time, the deployment of nuclear weapons in orbit , and rethink their old strategy of " balance of power ".

Though she was seemingly Seven's pet cat , Isis was more than she appeared to be: she communicated with him telepathically , and understood his spoken words . She accompanied Seven wherever he went, and watched out for him. Isis was also able to take Human form. In both forms, she wore the same collar around her neck . ( TOS : " Assignment: Earth ")

Appendices [ ]

Background information [ ].

Isis in her cat form was portrayed by three cats, one of whom was named Sambo . [1] Her purrs were provided by Barbara Babcock , who received no credit for her voice performance. [2] Isis in her Human form was played by April Tatro , who was also uncredited. [3]

According to the Star Trek Encyclopedia , 3rd ed., p. 215, " Isis was apparently intended as a continuing character in the proposed series Assignment: Earth . "

Apocrypha [ ]

In the Eugenics Wars novel The Rise and Fall of Khan Noonien Singh, Volume Two , Isis was sent by Gary Seven to spy on Khan Noonien Singh 's "Great Khanate", based out of the city of Chandigarh in northern India. She assumed the name "Ament" (the name means "one who is hidden", or "hidden goddess" as Seven put it) and became one of Khan's most trusted advisors, while at the same time providing intelligence of Khan's operations to Seven and Roberta Lincoln . After Khan was defeated and brought to the Botany Bay , Isis was killed when she stepped into the path of a knife (thrown by Khan's bodyguard, Joaquin ) intended for Lincoln.

External links [ ]

• Isis at Memory Beta , the wiki for licensed Star Trek works
• AssignmentEarth.ca - a complete reference to the episode
• 1 Daniels (Crewman)
• 3 Calypso (episode)

Star Treks Where No Man Has Gone Before Has 2 Meanings

• Star Trek's iconic opening monologue sets the tone for exploration and learning in a future of optimistic human space travel.
• The phrase "Where No Man Has Gone Before" originated in TOS and was continued in TNG with a more gender-inclusive update.
• Both TOS and TNG are available to stream on Paramount+, showcasing diverse crews navigating space exploration missions.

One of Star Trek 's most famous phrases actually has multiple iterations and multiple meanings. Nearly every episode of Star Trek: The Original Series begins with an opening speech recited by William Shatner that ends with the phrase: "To boldly go where no man has gone before." This speech during TOS's title sequence describes the overall plot of the show, making it easier for a viewer to jump in and easily follow any episode. This made sense for the episodic television of the 1960s, but it has since become so iconic that Star Trek: Strange New Worlds continues to use the opening speech today.

With Star Trek, Gene Roddenberry depicted an optimistic view of humanity's future where humans travel through space not for conquest or in search of resources, but simply for the purpose of exploration and learning. Star Trek's opening monologue perfectly conveys that mission and remains one of the most recognizable (and parodied) quotes in popular culture. Roddenberry and the other producers of Star Trek went through several variations of the monologue, before deciding upon the final version —

Space: the final frontier. These are the voyages of the Starship Enterprise. Its five-year mission: to explore strange new worlds; to seek out new life and new civilizations; to boldly go where no man has gone before.

Beam Me Up, Scotty: Star Treks Most Famous (& Incorrect) Catchphrase Explained

"Beam me up, Scotty" has become one of Star Trek's most famous catchphrases in pop culture despite no Star Trek character ever actually saying it.

The 2 Meanings Of Star Treks Where No Man Has Gone Before

It's an introduction and an episode title..

Although variations of Star Trek' s iconic introduction have popped up in literature and historical sources prior to its use in Star Trek, the exact origin of the phrase "where no man has gone before" remains unknown. Regardless, Star Trek is what made it famous. In-universe, the phrase was attributed to Dr. Zefram Cochrane (James Cromwell), the inventor of warp drive technology, as seen in the Star Trek: Enterprise premiere , "Broken Bow." Star Trek's opening monologue has since become a staple of the series, and it perfectly encapsulates the franchise's mission of exploration for the sake of it.

After the initial pilot for Star Trek: The Original Series , entitled "The Cage," was rejected by NBC, the studio ordered a second pilot, which took the key phrase from Star Trek 's introduction as its title, "Where No Man Has Gone Before." Officially aired as the third episode of Star Trek season 1, "Where No Man Has Gone Before" sees the Starship Enterprise travel beyond the Milky Way galaxy by crossing the galactic barrier. Due to the effect of the barrier, helmsman Gary Mitchell (Gary Lockwood) and psychiatrist Dr. Elizabeth Dehner (Sally Kellerman) are granted telekinetic powers. As both officers become increasingly powerful, they must be killed to save the Enterprise and its crew.

Writer Samuel Peeples wrote the script for "Where No Man Has Gone Before," and was reportedly the first person to use the phrase "where no man has gone before" in connection to Star Trek.

Why Star Trek: TNG Changed It To Where No One Has Gone Before (& Why Its Better)

Tng updated "where no man has gone before".

In 1987, Star Trek: The Next Generation ushered in a new era for the Star Trek franchise , while still building on the history that came before. While Gene Roddenberry wanted TNG to distinguish itself from TOS, the show still used the same opening monologue (with a couple of significant changes). Now delivered by Patrick Stewart, the new speech changed "five-year mission" to "continuing mission," presumably to avoid putting a definitive timeline on TNG's run. But the more important change was altering "where no man has gone before" to "where no one has gone before."

Star Trek: The Next Generation season 1, episode 6 is also titled "Where No One Has Gone Before," and follows the USS Enterprise-D to the very edges of the known universe.

Starfleet crews are, of course, composed of men, women, and nonbinary humans, as well as many different species with different gender identities. Not only is "where no one has gone before" more gender inclusive, but it also works better for Roddenberry's vision of the future. Using the word "man" as a substitute for "mankind" feels outdated even today (especially so in the 24th century), and also fails to account for the diversity present in every Starfleet crew. Since the change from "man" to "one" for TNG, Star Trek has kept to that phrasing, which only makes sense for a universe that is so varied and diverse.

Star Trek: The Original Series & Star Trek: The Next Generation are available to stream on Paramount+.

Star Trek: The Original Series

Cast Nichelle Nichols, Walter Koenig, William Shatner, George Takei, Leonard Nimoy, Deforest Kelley, James Doohan

Release Date September 8, 1966

Showrunner Gene Roddenberry

Where To Watch Paramount+

Star Trek: The Next Generation

Cast Michael Dorn, LeVar Burton, Brent Spiner, Wil Wheaton, Jonathan Frakes, Patrick Stewart, Marina Sirtis, Gates McFadden

Release Date September 28, 1987

Showrunner Jeri Taylor, Michael Piller, Rick Berman

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‘Star Trek: Strange New Worlds’ Season 4 Filming Set For 2025; Anson Mount Thanks Fans For Patience

| May 29, 2024 | By: TrekMovie.com Staff 26 comments so far

Star Trek: Discovery may be coming to an end tomorrow, but Star Trek: Strange New Worlds will live on, for years to come. The new anchor show for Star Trek on Paramount+ wrapped up production on its third season last week. Now we have the first indication as to when the crew will be returning to Toronto for season 4.

Beaming back to Canada in spring 2025

Strange New Worlds star Anson Mount is back in the USA after finishing up over five months of work on season 3, which is filmed at CBS Stages Canada in Mississauga, Ontario. On Tuesday Mount posted a message on Instagram praising Canada, thanking the country for its hospitality. He added, “We’ll see you again in the spring when ‘Star Trek: Strange New Worlds’ goes back into production for season 4!”

  View this post on Instagram   A post shared by Anson Mount (@ansonmount)

Paramount officially announced they had ordered a fourth season of the series last month. It looks like the soonest cameras will start rolling on again on Captain Pike’s USS Enterprise would be late March 2025, the official beginning of next spring. While ten months may seem like a long hiatus, that is the same amount of time between the end of production on season 2 in July 2022 and the originally planned start of production on season 3 in May 2023. However, the double strikes of 2023 extended the hiatus until December.

Mount thanks fans for their patience

Speaking of that extra-long hiatus between seasons 2 and 3, Anson Mount has a message for the fans. After our report that filming on season 3 was going to wrap up at the end of last week, Anson Mount took to Instagram to make it official. He filmed himself exiting the studio, announcing “That is a wrap on season 3.” As he tried to keep “stuff going on” out of the shot to avoid spoilers, the actor thanked fans for being patient following the 2023 SAG-AFTRA strike, saying, “Thank you for sticking with us and understanding our need to fight.” He talked about how he is also a fan and was thankful he gets to live out his dreams.

Keep up with news about the  Star Trek Universe at TrekMovie.com .

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I’m sorry it will be so long before they start filming Season 4, but I guess the writers need time to think and write, and of course Paramount isn’t in great financial shape at the moment.

To the cast, writers, directors, costumers, prop people, set makers, lighting folks, camera operators and all the rest — thanks for all your hard work, folks; we fans surely do appreciate it!

I’m curious why it takes so long for season 4 to start production. Any thoughts? Is another production using their sets?

The new Academy series would be my guess. It’s a working studio so I would guess they don’t just leave the sets standing. they break them down and store them so the stages are available for other work or even rented out (hey, it’s money.)

Yeah, my thoughts exactly. There was a reason why they brought that old-ass ISS Enterprise to the futue. LOL

So confused by the financialization of this situation. The strikes pushed them into being a 2023-2024 preproduction/production/wrap show. And now they’re going to wait until 2025, indeed, nearly an entire calendar year, to start this all up again? Surely, it’s cheaper to film 20 episodes in a 12-month span and pay for storage, wrap, and setup just once? I guess this is a cash flow issue. Paramount has the $ for a season at a time? Seems inefficient to an absurd degree. Then again, given the parties involved, far from surprising.

Yeah, I’s sure they had another 10 completed scripts (and all the cash/financing available) to just start right up. I mean writing a good script doesn’t take time – it just springs into existence fully realized…

Oh, wait…actual film production doesn’t work like that…

True, but the timeline is a bit wonky there. Were they not all set to begin filming one year ago but everything stopped because of the two strikes? It really takes 20-ish months (May 2023 to early 2025) to write ten more episodes? Yet the NCIS or Chicago franchises can crank out 50-ish in that same amount of time? I suspect there is more going on here than we’re being told.

Renewal for season 4 was only announced publically a few weeks ago. It’s possible that work on season 4 didn’t start before the producers knew they would actually get another season (although they may have learned before the public announcement)

While filming these episodes they could’ve been writing the next batch of 10. Have fun watching your dunk attempt fly off the backboard, redshirt.

No, it’s clearly a sign of financial limitations. In the past, 26 episodes were written and filmed within a 12-month period. They ran a tight and efficient ship (no pun intended). Modern showrunners and studios just don’t seem to have the same level of financial level-headedness.

I’m glad for the upcoming seasons of SNW. Mount is a solid Captain Pike and seems like a genuinely smart, humble, friendly guy.

I just hope we do actually get season 4 and it isn’t scrapped due to business shenanigans after the impending sale of Paramount, whenever that happens.

I imagine movies and TV are still handled quite differently, but we’ve had 8 years of promise after promise, announcement after announcement, change after change with plans for the movie franchise—and nothing to show for it.

We thought for sure we were getting a season 2 of Prodigy on Paramount+ and, welp. (Thankfully the show itself lives on.)

There is absolutely no need for all these announcements so far in advance that significant things can change, as in ‘oh sorry, that thing we talked about is not actually happening.’ Doesn’t Paramount realize this undermines trust and hurts their brand rather than helping increase streaming subscriptions? Then again—it’s a failing company, so… we’ve not had the brightest officers at the helm of Paramount Global, one assumes.

Anyway, we’re being well trained not to count our Trek chickens before they hatch. I’ll believe it when I can stream it.

sadly anson is a zionist propaganda spewer and beliver and he was called out for it on twitter by most snw fans and alor odf general trek fans and started blocking fans for even trying to show him the facts that the zionist propaganda was all lies by the israilie government and that they were infact commiting genocide and war crimes

Wow that’s allowed to be posted, and when I mock Kurtzman it is banned.

It is truly a pleasure to read your entries. :)

Five misspellings, at least seven incorrect capitalizations, and no punctuation. Or as michelle might write: 5 mispelings, at least Seven incorrect capitalizations and no punctuation

what ever grammar nazi

i type with one hand my left hand and generally on my refurbished early 2015 model MacBook Air so no autocorrect and i am generally watching something while i type or i am pacing around my house while typing so plus my mind runs fast so i have to type out quickly so i do not loose what i want to say

so at least you can read it well enough to get the gist of what i saying

I for one am relieved that the time table suggests a more “regular” interval between seasons (just hoping that SNW will run for more than five seasons). Some seven to ten months to write all the scripts and begin pre-production doesn’t seem exaggerated, even though it would be kinda nice to have SOMEWHAT longer seaons – 12 episodes maybe… but that’s just wishful thinking.

5 seasons and its done.

I think I figured out the Mount hair thing — he is trying to subtly suggest himself for The David Lynch Story.

That’s funny (and true), Kev! :)

My hair tends to fly up in the front too, but since it’s thinning fast, it reveals my shiny head under the white hair! If you remember my dad, my pate looks a lot like his! Now where’s my baseball cap? ;)

His hair is turning into its own Star Base.

i lost all respect for mount and anything he says when he started spewing zionist propaganda that the israilie goverment and military were not comming genocide and other war crimes on Palestinian civilians in gaza and when snw fans and general trek fans called him out on it and tried to show him that what he was beliving and saying was lies and that there were war crimes and genocides being done by the isailie military and goverment he just blocked the fans

well now i have another actor i will be replacing the name of with the character’s name in the opening titles and ending credit much like i have to do with andromeda and the lead actor who is a maga nutjob blacklisted hasbeen

Thanks for sharing

I hope there is a time jump between season 3 and 4 and season 4 opens up with pike now fleet captain stationed at Starfleet head quarters on earth with just a video call to una in the first episode and that is for the rest of the series and una is now captain of the enterprise with James t Kirk as her first officer and the new assistant chief medical officer is Leonard McCoy and the replacement for Sam Kirk is a ensign sulu and then another time jump between seasons 4 and 5 and we see Kirk take over the enterprise from una and McCoy becomes kirks cmo and Spock his first officer and Scotty his chief engineer and the second episode of season five is a remake of the second pilot and the 3rd episode has a newly promoted to lt sulu take over helm officer and uhura is also promoted to full lt and then new episodes for the rest of the season and that leads to snw being retooled into a much needed visually updated remake of tos and the episode prior to the menagerie will have a mid credits scene of pike being burned and crippled by radiation and being placed in his chair

Season 4 and 5 will be the last. They better stretch it out. LOL

I miss the days of TV seasons that started in the fall. Back then, a show either got cancelled or renewed between seasons, but if it got renewed you pretty much knew it would premier in the fall. Oh well, times change.

Screen Rant

Star trek confirms the harsh reality of seven of nine's life after starfleet.

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Star Trek's Original Ban on Female Starship Captains Is Even Weirder Than It Seems

Star trek’s where no man has gone before has 2 meanings, after star trek iii, spock’s mind was saved by…his mirror universe counterpart.

• Seven of Nine faces continued bigotry and obstacles in “Lady Luck,” showcasing ongoing struggles post- Voyager return.
• “Lady Luck” highlights Seven’s resilience against discrimination stemming from her previous Borg status.
• Despite serving with distinction, Seven of Nine still confronts anti-Borg sentiments, even in her new role in Starfleet.

Warning: contains spoilers for "Lady Luck," appearing in Star Trek Celebrations: Pride!

Seven of Nine’s return to the Alpha Quadrant was not as hopeful as one would have hoped, as Star Trek has confirmed the harsh reality of her life afterward. When fans were reintroduced to Seven during Star Trek: Picard’s first season, she had adjusted–somewhat, to her new life. Yet, as seen in the story “Lady Luck” in Star Trek Celebrations: Pride , she must still deal with bigots.

“Lady Luck,” appearing in Star Trek Celebrations: Pride , by Vita Ayala and Liana Kangas, follows Seven of Nine and Raffii as they attend Raifi’s Starfleet class reunion. Raffii is the butt of jokes among her classmates, who tease her for being so quiet during her time at Starfleet. Seven is having it even worse, as she must constantly deal, not only with mansplaining, but rampant bigotry.

Several of Raffi’s classmates bring up Seven’s former Borg status, which greatly irritates her.

One Starfleet officer brings up Seven’s failed application to Starfleet Academy, which nearly starts a fight.

Seven of Nine's Character Arc Was One of Star Trek's Most Rewarding

However, her life after returning to the alpha quadrant was anything but good.

Seven of Nine’s journey to rediscover the humanity that was stolen from her as a child was the basis for one of the most compelling character arcs in the Star Trek franchise. Seven was born human, but was captured by the Borg along with her family. After being severed from the Collective, Seven not only has to rediscover what has been lost, but deal with the guilt of her actions as a Borg. Seven served with distinction, but as seen in Star Trek: Picard’s first season, she did not have an easy time upon returning to the Alpha Quadrant.

Seven of Nine attempted to make a life for herself after Voyager , but thanks to her status as a former Borg drone, many doors were shut in her face. She applied to Starfleet Academy, but was rejected. Seven later fell in with the Fenris Rangers, a group of vigilantes patrolling unprotected sectors of space. By the time Picard’s final season rolled around, Seven had joined Starfleet, serving on the USS Titan under Captain Shaw. At first, Shaw was uncertain of Seven, and even dead named her. He eventually came around, but it was a reminder of what Seven deals with.

Starfleet's ban on women starship captains in Kirk's time was odd, and now fans learn it was a very real, but unofficial, thing.

Decades Later, Seven of Nine Must Still Deal With Anti-Borg Sentiments

Seven of nine must work harder to be taken seriously.

Now, “Lady Luck” further reinforces the bigotry that Seven of Nine still deals with, even 20 years after Voyager’s return.

Now, “Lady Luck” further reinforces the bigotry that Seven of Nine still deals with, even 20 years after Voyager’s return. It is totally understandable the apprehension many would feel around her, as the Borg are the most feared race in the Star Trek franchise. The Borg force other races to join them, stripping them of their individuality. Yet Seven has been free of the Borg for decades at this point. Her actions since returning to the Alpha Quadrant point to a legacy of caring and helping people, but she must still deal with bigotry from those around her.

Star Trek Celebrations: Pride is on sale now from IDW Publishing!

Star Trek (TV Series)

Assignment: earth (1968), robert lansing: mister seven.

• Quotes (10)

Photos 

Quotes 

Roberta Lincoln : [indicating Isis]  Would you mind telling me who that is?

Mister Seven : That, Miss Lincoln, is simply my cat.

Mister Seven : Where is 347?

Roberta Lincoln : With 348?

[last lines] 

Mister Seven : What else do your record tapes show?

Captain James T. Kirk : I'm afraid we can't reveal everything we know, Mister Seven.

Mr. Spock : Captain, we could say that Mister Seven and Miss Lincoln have some... interesting experiences in store for them.

Captain James T. Kirk : Yes, I think we could say that. Two to beam up, Scotty.

Mr. Spock : Live long and prosper, Mister Seven.

Captain James T. Kirk : And the same to you, Miss Lincoln. Energize.

Mister Seven : Computer, I caution you. I have little love for Beta-5 snobbery. Override!

Mister Seven : [stuns the facility policeman with his servo]  You're tired. Go to sleep.

Scott : It's impossible to hide a whole planet.

Mister Seven : Impossible for you, not for them.

Beta 5 Computer : In response to nuclear warhead placed in sub-orbit by other major power, United States today launching sub-orbital platform with multi-warhead capacity. Purpose: to maintain balance of power.

Mister Seven : That's the same kind of nonsense that almost destroyed planet Omicron IV.

Roberta Lincoln : [frustrated]  Okay. That does it. I quit!

Mister Seven : Wait a minute, what're you...

Roberta Lincoln : I'm quitting right now!

Mister Seven : You're not acting, are you?

Roberta Lincoln : [puts on her coat and grabs her purse]  Acting? I'm leaving! Goodbye.

[walks to the door. Gary locks it with his servo] 

Roberta Lincoln : Hey. Hey!

Mister Seven : [activates cube on desk]  Tie into computer.

Beta 5 Computer : Computer on.

Mister Seven : Scan unidentified female present.

Beta 5 Computer : Roberta Lincoln, human. Profession: secretary.

Roberta Lincoln : [nervously]  Ha...

Beta 5 Computer : Employed by 347 and 201. Description: age 20; five feet, seven inches; 120 pounds. Hair presently tinted honey-blonde. Although behavior appears erratic, possesses high I.Q.

Roberta Lincoln : Heh!

Beta 5 Computer : Birthmarks:...

Roberta Lincoln : Hey.

Beta 5 Computer : Small mole on left shoulder; somewhat larger star-shaped mark on her...

Roberta Lincoln : [deactivates cube]  Hey! Watch it! Okay, I'll bite. What is it?

Mister Seven : [realizing he has given himself away]  Miss Lincoln... Miss Lincoln, um... What kind of work did your employers say they were doing here?

Roberta Lincoln : Research for a new encyclopedia?

[Seven looks at her] 

Roberta Lincoln : No? No.

Mister Seven : Roberta, you've gotta let me finish what I've started, or in six minutes World War III begins!

Mister Seven : Problem: Earth technology and science has progressed faster than political and social knowledge. Purpose of mission: to prevent earth's civilization from destroying itself before it can mature into a peaceful society.

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'star trek' star gary graham dead at 73, 'star trek' star gary graham dead at 73 ... 'alien nation,' 'jag'.

Gary Graham -- famous from 'Star Trek: Enterprise' -- has died ... according to his loved ones.

The veteran TV actor passed away Monday -- an announcement that was delivered by his ex-wife, Susan Lavelle , who didn't offer a cause of death or any other details about the circumstances. She did, however, have a touching remembrance for her husband.

She noted his current wife, Becky , was by his side and added -- "Gary was funny, sarcastic sense of humor but kind, fought for what he believed in, a devout Christian and was so proud of his daughter, Haylee. This was sudden so please pray for our daughter as she navigates through this thing called grief. Fly high into the heavens Gar!"

Gary is perhaps most recognizable from his time on 'STE' ... where he played Ambassador Soval from 2001 to 2005 for a total of 12 episodes. However, another major claim to fame of his came from the late '80s show 'Alien Nation' ... on which he was the co-lead.

Other shows he's been on for a significant amount of time ... 'M.A.N.T.I.S.,' 'JAG,' 'Universal Dead' and others. He's also guest starred on 'Renegades,' 'Work Related,' 'Nip/Tuck,' 'Nash Bridges,' 'Walker, Texas Ranger,' 'The Dukes of Hazzard,' 'Ally McBeal' ... and more.

GG had some films on his resume as well -- including roles in 'The Spy Within,' 'The Last Warrior,' 'The Arrogant,' 'All the Right Moves,' 'Robot Jox,' 'Steel' and lots of others.

He's survived by his daughter, Haylee . Gary was 73.

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‘Dexter’ Prequel Series Adds Four to Cast as Production Begins

By Joe Otterson

Joe Otterson

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The upcoming “ Dexter ” prequel series at Paramount+ with Showtime has begun production in Miami, with four new series regulars joining the show.

Variety has learned that James Martinez, Christina Milian, Alex Shimizu, and Reno Wilson have all joined the 10-episode prequel, which is titled “Dexter: Original Sin.” They will star alongside previously announced leads Patrick Gibson, Christian Slater, and Molly Brown.

Popular on Variety

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Martinez will play Angel Batista, described as “an up-and-coming homicide detective who leads with his heart.” Milian will play Maria LaGuerta, Miami Metro’s first female homicide detective. Shimizu will play Vince Masuka, “a forensic analyst who eagerly shares his expertise while relishing the chance to boss around his new intern, Dexter Morgan.” Finally, Wilson plays Bobby Watt, Harry’s longtime partner and confidant.

David Zayas, Lauren Vélez, and C. S. Lee starred as Batista, LaGuerta, and Masuka in the original series. Watt is a new character.

Martinez is known for his roles in shows like “Love, Victor” and “Wolf Pack,” as well as “House of Cards,” “CSI,” “Tell Me a Story,” and “One Day at a Time.” He is repped by Artists & Representatives and Sweet 180.

Milian is a noted singer and songwriter in addition to her acting career. As an actress, she has starred in shows like “Step Up: High Water,” “Soundtrack,” and “The Oath” as well as films like “Be Cool” and “Love Don’t Cost a Thing.” She is repped by UTA, Neon Kite, and Goodman Genow.

Wilson has previously starred in shows like “Good Girls” and “Mike & Molly” as well as recent entries like “Fatal Attraction” and “Bel-Air.” His film credits include the “Transformers” franchise and “Crank: High Voltage.” He is repped by Buchwald and More / Medavoy Management.

Clyde Phillips, the original showrunner and executive producer on “Dexter,” returns in that role for “Original Sin.” “Dexter” star Michael C. Hall is also an executive producer on the series, as is Scott Reynolds, Mary Leah Sutton, Tony Hernandez, and Lilly Burns. Michael Lehmann, the director of “Heathers,” will serve as director and executive producer. Robert Lloyd Lewis is a producer on the series. Showtime Studios and Counterpart Studios produce. Gary Levine and Urooj Sharif will oversee for Showtime Studios, with production supervised by Tara Power. The series is distributed by Paramount Global Content Distribution outside of Paramount+ markets.

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