Assignment: Earth

Season 2, Episode 26, Aired
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Episode Summary

Kirk must decide whether to thwart or help a traveller from the future sent back to 1960s Earth on a secret mission.
7.9
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Fan Episode Reviews (5)

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  • In this pilot for a spin-off series that didn't sell, the Enterprise, time travelling back to 1968, encounters an intergalactic spy from the future, who may or may not be an enemy, and is trying to intervene with a key 20th Century event. A so-so story...moreless

    7.0
    "Good"
    By Jay-Spacedust, Oct 07, 2011 Report Abuse
    As every good 'Star Trek' fan probably knows, this episode served as a backdoor pilot for a proposed spin-off series, also to be called 'Assignment: Earth', revolving around the adventures of intergalactic traveller Gary Seven. Hence, much more time of this episode is given over to him, with Kirk and Spock only being seen intermittently and featuring much less prominently than usual.
    The proposed series didn't sell, but it offers an interesting glimpse into what might have been.

    The episode starts off with an off-the-cuff explanation about how the Enterprise has travelled back in time to 1968. I found this to be too casual, and trivialising the complexities of time travel.

    Robert Lansing puts in an interesting performance as Mister Seven. Lansing is a veteran of numerous television shows, and I primarily identify him as playing the recurring 'Control' in 1980s series 'The Equalizer'.
    Watching this episode 'cold' (i.e. without knowing the back-story), you really wonder who's side he is on. I'm not sure how well this shady character would have transferred to a regular series; maybe he would have livened up a bit more with time.

    Teri Garr puts in a good performance as Roberta Lincoln, Seven's ditzy would-be assistant for the series that never materialised. The character is annoying, but in a good way. However, there are a number of irritatingly 'over-convenient' moments, such as when she awkwardly pulls Spock's hat off to expose his Vulcan ears (in a very unbelievable move watch the sequence to see what I mean), and none more so than the silly moment when she uncovers Seven's time travelling vault, managing to get through all the lock devices with barely batting an eyelid.

    I wonder what 'Assignment: Earth' would have been like as a series. It has some interesting elements, and would have probably been no worse than some of the other sillier 1960s TV offerings.
    Things such as Seven's giant, blinking computer which pulls out of a wall are very dated, but the episode generally still holds up quite well.
    And Seven's multi-function pen device reminds me a lot of Doctor Who's sonic screwdriver.

    This was the last of Gary Seven that was ever seen on-screen, but a number of various literature spin-offs made mention of, or continued with, Seven's adventures.

    The story itself is very so-so, but the episode makes for an interesting glimpse of what might have been.

    ---second season overview---
    The second season had some very good stories, but also a number of weaker instalments. I personally wouldn't rank it as highly as the first, which had more polished and thoughtful scripts. Although there are series classics, such as "Mirror, Mirror" and comedy episode "The Trouble With Tribbles", a number of the scripts feel rehashes of earlier ideas, noticeably 'out-thinking super-computers' and 'parallel Earths'.moreless

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  • The Enterprise visits the 20th century and stumbles upon another time traveler.

    8.5
    "Great"
    By Celedorian, Dec 11, 2010 Report Abuse
    Like "Tomorrow is Yesterday", this is a popular episode because people love to see Kirk, Spock, and company visit our time period and deal with the people and authority figures of our time. It's also an interesting episode because the focus is on the guest stars, with the Enterprise crew relegated to the background. (This is because the original script was a pilot episode for another series that Gene Roddenberry and Art Wallace had written. When they couldn't get the pilot sold, Roddenberry incorporated its elements into this Star Trek episode and presented it as a proposal for a spinoff series.) The science fiction behind Gary Seven's back-story is unique and interesting to think about, and the episode is a fun way to end a wonderful season.moreless

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  • A non-Star Trek episode within the Star Trek series....

    7.0
    "Good"
    By uk6strings, Dec 11, 2010 Report Abuse
    Star Trek's second season finale, "Assignment: Earth," was also hoped to be the pilot of another television series. As Star Trek teetered on the brink of cancellation, creator Gene Roddenberry hoped to continue his career with a TV show called Assignment: Earth. The show was to follow the episode's mysterious character, Gary Seven, who was accidentally beamed aboard the Enterprise (which was back in time orbiting Earth doing some "routine" time-traveling historical work) while trying to beam down to earth in the late 1960s. Gary Seven says he has to be beamed down to Earth at once because he is on an important mission and history will be altered if he is unable to complete it. Kirk and Spock do not go along with him, as they are unsure if he is telling the truth, but Seven manages to beam down to the late 1960s Earth anyway - with Kirk and Spock in high pursuit.

    "Assignment: Earth" is not bad but it is not a great Star Trek episode either. It comes to no surprise to me that an Assignment: Earth TV series did not follow this episode, as the character of Gary Seven is far from interesting and Robert Lansing's performance of that character is far from spectacular. Anyone connected with Star Trek is hardly featured in the episode, with Kirk and Spock being relegated to supporting roles and the rest of the Enterprise crew virtually nonexistent. Still, "Assignment: Earth" is entertaining for the most part and worthwhile for anyone interested in Star Trek.moreless

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  • The Enterprise crew goes back in time to get Neil Armstrong’s autograph

    5.0
    "Mediocre"
    By hrtonslv, Dec 11, 2010 Report Abuse
    As I'm sure most of you know, this was actually a pilot for the whole Gary Seven, Isis, Roberta Lincoln thing. I'm kinda surprised it did not sell. I thought Terri Garr's character was wonderful and I certainly would have watched the show or at least given it a chance. They did have an unusually long bore fest when Scotty was reviewing the space craft trying to find Gary Seven. However, I loved the scene where the policeman accidentally get beamed on board since Scotty was scanning for wide field. "Charlie...."moreless

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  • Robert Lansing is Gary Seven an alien who gets beamed up the Enterprise but wants to go to earth to stop a near disaster involving a shuttle launch.

    8.0
    "Great"
    By marvelfan89, Aug 21, 2009 Report Abuse
    This is a popular episode. Most people have connected the idea to one of Gene's unsold pilots.

    The crew beams up an alien who acts rather hostile and vague to the Enterprise. The crew fearing he is a threat try to lock him. The alien wants to go to Eath to prevent a disaster.

    He, however, doesn't want to unveil his plans to the ship leading Kirk and Spock to look for him and track him down.

    "Assignment Earth" features another trip to Earth but this time it's of a more modern time around the sixties whereas other visits to Earth where on an earlier time.

    This episode is entertaining. There's no other character but Seven though but Lansing does the character so well you don't need any other suspects.

    Terri Garr stars as the secretary where the alien beams to work his plans. Roberta is pretty much comic relief..not much in the way of acting by Garr. She played a slightly clueless American girl. She is kind hearted but easily fooled.

    There is stock footage used but the action is so fluid you don't mind it.

    I think what makes episode interesting is as others have stated you don't know what Seven will eventually do until the episode ends. He certainly acts like a villain for a bulk of the episode.

    This episode also has a strange alien cat. For whatever reason, they like to use cats as a symbol of alien beings. All in all a decent episode.moreless

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Trivia, Notes, Quotes and Allusions

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  • Trivia

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    • There are absolutely no clouds visible in the shots of the Enterprise orbiting Earth. (fixed in the remastered version) Edit
    • In one scene when Mr. Seven's cat goes through one of the ship's doors, the door opens up just enough to let a cat through. How does it know how far to open for a cat? You could argue that the door senses how big the object in front of it is, but then why when it opens up for people does it not just open enough for the width of one human? Edit
    • Why does Enterprise security leave Seven with his pen-device? Even if it's disguised as a 20th century pen, you'd think they take away anything from the prisoner that might be used as a weapon or tool. Edit

  • Notes

    ADD NOTES
    • Further indicative of the pilot-nature of this episode, Robert Lansing is listed as a guest star in the first-act credits - the only time anyone is so listed in the entire series. Edit
    • Many elements of this episode would later be "borrowed" by Roddenberry for his Questor Tapes pilot/movie, particularly the idea of an alien race sending a "special person" to Earth to save it from itself. Edit
    • The episode was written to introduce a hoped-for spin-off series that never materialized. It would have featured Robert Lansing as Gary Seven, Barbara Babcock as Isis, and Teri Garr as Roberta Lincoln. In the new series, the intrepid three would have worked to make sure humanity achieved the destiny glimpsed via the Trek characters and Seven's mysterious extraterrestrial information. Edit

  • Quotes

    ADD QUOTES
    • Gary Seven: A truly advanced planet wouldn't use force. They wouldn't come here in strange alien forms. Edit
    • Roberta: I know this world needs help. That's why some of my generation are kind of crazy and rebels. We wonder if we're going to be alive when we're thirty. Edit
    • Spock: It is difficult to know which is best, Captain. Without facts, the decision cannot be made logically. You must rely on your human intuition. Edit

  • Allusions

    ADD ALLUSIONS
    • Isis Gary Seven's cat takes her name from that of the ancient Egyptian goddess Isis, who by many accounts was "queen" of the Egyptian pantheon and capable of great magical feats. The ancient Egyptians are well known for holding cats in high regard. Edit

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