A nit and a NANJAO
First the nit (actually 2 nits): The "missile" shown is of course a Saturn V, which was a "civilian" manned launch vehicle under the control of NASA, *NOT* the military. Second nit: The Saturn V engine ignition actually occurs at T minus 8, not T minus 0 as shown in this episode.
Now the observation, in the Sci-Fi special edition, Shatner comments that this episode was going to start a spin-off, which explains the throwaway line that Kirk and Spock give to Roberta and Gary about "interesting experiences" at the very end of the show.
The episode opens with Kirk commenting that they have their shields up to avoid detection from Earth. When Gary Seven's transporter beam hits them, he transports THROUGH the shields. I thought that this couldn't be done. Granted, it was a very powerful beam, but Scott never commented on its ability to get through the shields, only on how far it was coming from.
Seven comments on the planet he's been trained at, saying that "Even in your time, it will remain unknown." How the heck does he know that? He doesn't even know what era Kirk is from, only that he's from the future. Unless he came back in time--which Scott briefly hinted was possible. However, if that were the case, then why didn't he know about Roberta and his future adventures with her?
Barbara Babcock, computer and cat. Very versatile lady.
When Seven states his mission to the computer, it replies, "Incomplete...but sufficient." What DIDN'T he say? I want to know!!!
Apparently the planet Gary trained on knew 6,000 years ago that Earth was going to wind up in trouble. How omnipotent of them.
It was lucky for Seven that no one happened to be standing in front of or walking by the front of the liquid hydrogen warehouse when its doors suddenly opened by themselves and he stepped out of florescent blue smoke. Might have made a few people nervous.
Kirk seemed rather indifferent about beaming those police officers back down off the ship. I certainly wouldn't trust them to just shrug the experience off as a dual hallucination.
The car whose trunk Seven hid in to reach the launchpad seemed to have a leak, which I noticed when it was driven away. Or perhaps Isis, after hopping out of the trunk, ducked underneath to have a quick pit stop.
By the way, whoever handled the cat actor did a nice job.
GUEST STAR PATROL (a spin-off from Space Patrol)
Robert Lansing (Gary Seven) is a familiar movie actor, and starred in the Twilight Zone episode, "The Parallel".
Teri Garr (Roberta) we all remember from Tonight Show appearances, "Close Encounters", and "Tootsie". She was an extra on the "Batman" episode with George Sanders as Mr. Freeze.
Mike, Mike, Mike... How could you forget Teri in "Young Frankenstein"???? "What Knockers!" "Vhy sank you, Doktor!"
Sorry, sorry. That's actually my favorite character of Teri's!
"What did you ever get from the monster?"
"Rarrrrr!"
Much more funnier on the big screen.
Concerning the message about the two policemen: Kirk sure could have used that little dohickey used in Men in Black.
You know what I find most annoying on this episode ...well, there's two things.
1. I find Kirk and crew very annoying. I don't know why...I just do.
2. Everytime Gary Seven tries to do something in this episode, they play "danger" music like as if he's one of the villains. Also, the episode tries to create suspense by having the audience wonder whether Gary is telling the truth or not. The only thing is...we hear him describe his mission to the computer early on in the episode, effectively destroying any suspense this episode tried to have.
Throughout this episode Kirk and Spock are uncertain whether Gary Seven can be trusted, but at the end of this episode, they talk like Gary Seven and Roberta Lincoln are two historical figures who will do good work. So was Kirk just pretending to be suspicious of Seven's motives, or were he and Spock just blowing smoke at the end of the episode, or was time changed?
They had time to check their computer. Also it was a setup line for the Gary 7 series that never happened.
So why didn't they check their computer earlier?
Since when does Starfleet go on missions for historical research? And since when can they time-travel at will with no problems?
Seven's predecessors were killed in an auto accident. Why would they bother travelling by car instead of beaming around like Seven does?
I'd also like to rename this episode "Stock Footage Festival".
I just realized this episode has a hidden 47, Gary has 4 letters and his last name is 7.
The biggest problem with this episode is the nuclear weapons platform. The US shouldn't have been putting one up in 1968 because they would be violating international treaties. The 1963 Limited Test Ban Treaty prohibited the detonation of nuclear devices in space, while the 1967 Outer Space Treaty prohibited the placing of nuclear weapons in space entirely. Apparently the writers of this episode didn't know much about arms control in the 60s.
There's no indication how far or how close the former agents were to the office when they died in a car accident, so beaming to and from everywhere would be a waste of power and resources. Would they really beam to the library or home or grocery store when it's only a couple blocks away? Sooner or later they would have to use ground transportation, which they did, unfortunately for them.
One thing the episode doesn't show is the possible effects on the ground or satellites of the electromagnetic pulse generated by the nuclear explosion. Chances are there wouldn't be much satellite coverage of Central Asia for awhile.
Before the ban on nuclear explosions in space the US conducted at least one high altitude nuclear test that apparently damaged some of the early satellites in orbit and may have caused some trouble on the ground as a result of the EMP generated.
Was it the nuke that exploded? I thought that just the missile exploded.
INTERESTING NOTE: Gene Roddenberry wanted this episode to be the "Pilot program" for his new upcoming series "Assignment: Earth" featuring the further exploits of Gary 7 & Roberta with more stories of them "helping" Earth.
The networks sank the idea faster than a U-Boat struck by a torpedo.
Roddenberry, at a New York con in the mid 70's, had the idea of resubmitting "Assignment Earth" for a second attempt to sell the series. I don't know if that ever came to pass.
Bob Lansing was at one of those cons (the February 1975 one, I think.) He came as a one-night guest and was having such a good time, he stayed for the whole con.
Conventions were fun in those days, not the money-making enterprises (no pun intended) they have become. Sometimes they would be the only place you could see an uncut ep, as the convention organizers rented the films from Paramount. If you stayed at the hotel, as I did, you could watch films until about two in the morning, then be up at nine ot ten for a busy day of stuff. Ah, the old days.
With all the secret spy work Gary's doing, maybe he should be called "Gary 007"
When they show the wide-angle shot of the viewscreen, the guy at the helm is NOT Sulu... his hair style is different... WHO IN THE HAY IS THAT GUY AT THE HELM?
The black cat in this episode is the same one used in "Catspaw" (OK... I'm reaching on that one, but ya' never know... it's possible)
The shockwaves for when Gary touches the forcefield look quite real... it's done very well.
My reaction to the human form of Isis? Meow! Meow!
The voiceover at the rocket base is... THE GUARDIAN OF FOREVER!!!!! Just kiddin'... it's Bert LaRue again.
When Gary is working on the "missile" you hear a clicking sound... unless I miss my guess... it's a geiger counter clicking noise! I recognize it from "War of the Worlds"
Once again the end credits guy screws up.... it lists Ms. Lincoln played by "Terri Garr"
"Terri"??????? Hey, dingbat! It's "TERI"!!!!! Geez! Get 'Spell Check' already!
With this being the last episode of the 2nd season, at least I can say this goofball got "Script Supervisor" spelled correctly all thru the 2nd season. Sheez!
Another mistake by the idiotic end credits person... they forgot to add Sol Kaplan as the "additional music" person. (They play a short segment from "The Doomsday Machine" just before the warhead explodes.) If I was Sol Kaplan... I WOULD NOT BE HAPPY! 
NIT: Boy... it sure takes a long time for Scotty to find Gary Seven on that viewer. He keeps zooming in and out... no wonder he can't find him.
Will the real pusssy please stand up?
When Gary Seven is taken in custody, he puts up a fight, flinging several personnel aside, including one guy who is thrown to the floor. Immediately, Isis, the cat, jumps on him. In the few seconds that the camera stays on him, he’s holding the cat with his hands, hamming it up, grimacing and shaking the quite passive stunt cat, as if he’s struggling with it! This is ridiculous! Are the creators serious about this shot?
Insert Twilight Zone music here
The timing of this episode’s original broadcast eerily illustrated how art somehow imitates life. Part of this episode’s plot involves Spock noting that a historically significant assassination will occur. Five days after this episode originally aired, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was murdered.
Keystone Cops
The lack of specific security procedures and equipment used during hazardous situations and in unknown, possibly dangerous areas, is appalling. Why don’t the crew frisk Gary Seven and strip search him? He pulls out a device that facilitates his escape from the brig! Why is everyone so laid back on this ship when it comes to security?
This from a guy who twice mindmelded with a wall?
Kirk points out to Seven that he could be an alien masquerading as a human. Spock adds that the decision to take him at his word is a difficult one. Why even bother with his word? I guess everyone, including Spock, forgot about the Vulcan mind meld. Spock pointed out that the nerve pinch didn’t work on Seven, so the creators could’ve had him unsuccessfully attempt a meld, but never bother.
Just before beaming back to the ship, Spock predicts that Ms. Lincoln & Mr. Seven will have many interesting adventures together.
BWA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA!
Yeah, right.
The "Assignment: Earth" show was born & died with this episode.
Unless you count the new "Eugenics War" book(s?), of course, John. I hope that this is the right title. :-)
This episode reminds me of "Doctor Who"
Maybe that's why the series was scrubbed.....?
Maybe the BBC caught wind of the series and threatened to sue Desilu if they produced it.
The BBC probably added, "No episodes about someone hating Spam either." (ala Monty Python)
HOLY MIXED UP MASQUERADE, BATMAN!!!!!!
The human form of Isis is wearing the Catwoman's plastic ears from the Original Batman series!!!!
I kid you not! Look carefully!
RUMINATION: Spock mentions that an assassination will take place on Earth about this time.
And it did, too... It was Martin Luther King Jr.!
This episode tells us that an atomic missile detonated somewhere over Europe in the late 1960's. Really? I must have been watching "Star Trek" that day because I completely missed it!
According to the "Star Trek Compendium", the original teaser for this episode was the crew on the Bridge looking at the viewscreen watching an episode of "Bonanza".
I think they should've left that in!
At one point, Spock is stroking Isis the cat behind the ears and notes that he enjoys the creature....HA! If he only knew that was a shift-shaping woman, I'm not sure he'd be doing all of that.
I can see Isis returning in humanoid form and saying to Spock, "Thank you for stroking me behind the ears...now let me do yours!"
Sparks would fly if Chapel saw that!
(And I REFUSE to say the line that goes along with it)
But it would be a cat fight. ;-)
Catfight that we never saw: Isis (Assignment: Earth) Vs. Sylvia (Catspaw)
This isn't really a "nit pick", or is it-you tell me. When Spock, Kirk, and McCoy are first in a briefing room discussing thier problems you can clearly tell that Nimoys' nasal passages were clogged. Did Vulcans suffer from common colds or did Nimoy just have bad sinuses at that time ?!?!?!
Nah, that isn't a nit - more what's called NANJAO (for Not a Nit, Just an Observation) around here - but it's pretty funny, anyway.
Maybe Vulcans are allergic to humans, and that's one of the reasons there haven't been any serving on a starship before now? 
Maybe Spock's nose numbing agent ran out?
You know, with all the revamped Rodenberry series that have recently been released, they might do Assignment: Earth!
That would be interesting. I wounder if/how they would update it into the 00s or if they would leave it in the sixties.
I doubt if a Vulcan/Human crossbreed would be alergic to humans.
Teri Garr (Roberta) we all remember from Tonight Show appearances, "Close Encounters", and "Tootsie".
Or her Letterman appearances where you'd get the feeling they were doing it offstage, or, best of all, "Young Frankenstein."
I doubt if a Vulcan/Human crossbreed would be alergic to humans.
I know, sdf etc....it was just a (fairly lame) attempt at a funny.
I think 'Assignment: Earth' would definitely be fun to do nowadays, 1960's setting and all. With all the new SFX you could really play up Seven's futuristic equipment by contrast.
Assignment: Earth as sort of Austin Powers meets Star Trek has promise.
I would hope more like a Cross between Alias and the Agency with a touch of CSI thrown in. Ie something more serious with a set of problems that are overcome by thoughtful problem solving and the application of appropriate technology and not be based on some low brow piece of alleged humor. (Sorry to all Austin Powers fans I am not one of you. I do not Grok.)
The very first posted nit by Scott N. in 1998 is about a Saturn V rocket being used for military purposes and having the wrong countdown sequence (scroll back to see)is pretty substantial which may make a reader wonder why Phil Farrand didn't note it in the book. Phil Farrand is a music and recording software specialist/designer, perhaps he never really followed actual space exploration that closely.
Isis the cat should weigh the same as Isis the woman, shouldn't she? Odo had the same inconsistency. Maybe she had a miniaturized antigrav unit in her collar? And the collar would have to expand when she goes to her full size. Can she do other shapes as well?
Somebody made a sarcastic remark about Gary Seven's mentors knowing Earth would be in trouble. That's not such a nit--they could have thought it was likely. They might know that all planetary civilizations go through rough periods.
Gary was suspicious of Kirk because he too had to have time to go check his records.
Maybe Gary works for the Temporal Agency we met in "Trials and Tribble-lations". Just a thought. I'll let the rest of you work out those implications.
That would depend on Isis' natural form. Is she a cat who can become a woman, or a woman who can become a cat? 
10 points to whoever can guess the reference.
Would that be a reference to Fluke by James Herbert, the story of a man who thinks he's a dog, or a dog who thinks he's a man?
Do I get 10 points?
I've never read Fluke.
Actually it's from The Warlord (DC Comics). The hero would occasionally ask Shakira if she was a cat who could become a woman or a woman who could become a cat. She never told.
(Although creator/writer/artist Mike Grell was a Star Trek fan. I wonder if Isis was the inspiration for Shakira?)
God, it's been too long since I've read The Warlord. I've forgotten about Shakira. Yeah, I remember thinking she was a rip off of Isis. (Maybe I will pick up an issue or two again.)
Not only does it look like a Saturn 5 assembly, you can clearly see the Apollo CSM shape at the top of the rocket.
After Seven arrives at McKinley Rocket Base, he saunters along to a vendor wagon. There are people there who look like they've shown up for one of NASA's numerous unmanned test launches. Women in miniskirts and wearing sunglasses? At the launch of a nuclear warhead? Are these women the "pro-nuke" young adults?
The episode almost seems like a promo of NASA's manned launch program, using the Saturn V complete with Apollo on top, the vendor wagon scene, and a building that, for all I know, is KSC at Cape Canaveral.
This weather satellite Scotty bounces off of, if it is slowly moving relative to the surface, how come it never moves off over the Atlantic, uselessly out of range?
James Doohan's voice can be heard, e.g. "She's coming down fully armed", "boosting signal, boosting signal"! It sure sounds like Doohan.
I don't think Isis transforms into a woman. Isis may be a telepathic creature that projects the female figure. Seven even seems to think Isis is only a cat, whatever her capabilities.
Hmmm... maybe Isis has a relative named Xunar J-5... er, um, "Jake". ("The Cat From Outer Space", Disney, 1970s.)
It is possible that the alien civilization went through this experience and survived, and probably saw a few other planets go through it. "Wow... Omicron IV is still crawling out of the pit they dug themselves into. Maybe we ought to help out a few of these planets. Some of them might be important contributors to galactic unity one day, so let's start a training program..."
If we accept "Spock's World" as canon, Vulcan may have gone through this while the training program was under way. Would this civilization have helped the Vulcans, too? Seven seemed to recognize Spock's race.
Robert Lansing may be too elderly. The series could be recast, set in this decade, and dealing with the here and now. A few flashback episodes could deal with the toughest times from 1968 onward...
... and it could kind of put a bit of flesh on the "history" of the Star Trek universe between 1968 and before the creation of the Sanctuary Districts. WAS there a Eugenics War in the 1990s, or the 2090s? (The latest I'm willing to let them move the Eugenics War is about 2015-2020. The DY-100 still had transistor units, for goodness sake... or something Scotty mistook for transistors -- maybe they were ICs, but to Scotty, they both looked barely more advanced than vacuum tubes, zinc plates, stone knives and bear skins).
I don't hide my favourite time-line, as in "Federation", the novel:
Eugenics War in 1993-97 period (Khan ruled 92-96, but must have been losing territory in 96-97)
Khan and 80-90 of his kind flee Earth in 1997.
Earth patches itself back together.
Major league baseball expands overseas: London Kings, Paris Emperors, Moscow Czars, Tokyo Roses (just kidding), Yokohama Samurai, Tokyo Kamikazes, Sydney Dingos...
2020s: Sanctuary Districts in USA established, deal unsuccessfully with problems of jobless and homeless. Gabriel Bell's leadership starts turnaround, although Bell's dead remains are not conclusively identified (don't match, but whoever that face was, he was instrumental, and we'll call him Bell).
2030 - Zefram Cochrane born in Britain. (Revised version, he's born earlier with a different father.)
c 2015-2035 - Col. Shaun Jeffrey Christopher lands on Titan, the "Earth-Saturn Probe". Dedicates his landing site to his father, Capt. John Christopher, USAF.
2050s - a quiet, background Optimum Movement is growing.
2060-61 - Cochrane leaves from the moon Titan and makes his solo warp flight to Alpha Centauri and back. Optimum Movement begins to aggressively take over Earth's governments.
2063 - Revised history's Cochrane launches from Montana and makes a near-Earth warp flight, with two mysterious, unidentified companions who were never seen before or since.
Oh, yes, one of the two policemen in this episode bears a striking resemblance to Finnegan, the academy nemisis of Kirk. Kirk had the satisfying experience of beating the tar out of Finnegan while on "Shore Leave".
(Bruce Mars played both roles.)
Robert Lansing may be too elderly.
I believe he died several years ago.
No nits, but I just bought this one on DVD and wanted to comment.
Yes, Robert Lansing died around '97 or '98 -- cancer, I believe, but should it be redone, a new supervisor could come in, or it could focus on new agents on Earth. Teri Garr does more TV these days, it would be interesting to see how the "hippie chick" wannabe turned out.
If memory serves, (probably from the Justman/Solow book) Roddenberry came on set and had Garr's miniskirt made "more mini," to her embarrassment, and to all there witnessing his actions.
Nice matching of obvious stock footage of a white car driving toward the launch pad with the car of the Launch Controller used in the episode.
That typewriter is pretty crappy. The S and the t overlap. Beat that geeky observation, anybody.
Sir Rhosis
Mr. Leslie seems to be a jack of all trades in this episode...
First appearance: He's in red at the engineer's post.
Second appearance: He's in yellow, wandering the halls.
Third appearance: He's in red again as a security guard.
Second appearance: He's in yellow, wandering the halls
Maybe he was just acting out his Starship Captain fantasies...or possibly others..."Hey, the guys in yellow get all the hot alien babes!!"?
WHY would Starfleet approve of the Enterprise going back in time to monitor events from the 1960's?
IF Starfleet get Kirk's logs, they should've noted the events from "City On the Edge of Forever" and "Tomorrow is Yesterday", and would have realized that such time traveling expeditions change the timeline...thus altering the future
How come nobody mentioned this...(and how come I didn't?)
811 E. 68th St. doesn't exist in NYC. The street stops at 535 E. 68th St., a hospital.
People tend to assume it's New York, but maybe it's not.
There is a strange scene near the beginning when Teri Garr is walking to work and she encounters a guy in a coat, and she tries to step past him and he keeps stepping in her way, and as she walks by he turns and watches her.
What did you folks make of that scene? It didn't add anything to it, did it?
What did you think of Greg Cox's Eugenics Wars books?
It was also noted at some point that the Manhattan address of the Ricardos and the Mertzes of I Love Lucy (I can't remember what it was, though) would also be located in the East River.
Teri Garr announced last night on CNN's Larry King Live that she has been diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, and she has had symptoms for 20 years.
Strange that spock likes petting the cat when he compared the tribbles to "hermine-covered violions". Maybe a cats purr is more harmonic to a vulcan ear than a tribble? (Wrong frequency, maybe?)
Ermine-covered, not hermine-covered. Ermine is a fur, I believe it comes from a minklike animal.
Of course, Isis wasn't a typical cat either. Maybe that's why Spock had an atypical reaction? (Must... avoid... temptation... to make... puss¡e joke.)
I thought Spock liked Tribbles. (He claimed to be immune to their charms, while clearly being anything but...)
KAM,
I meant the fur, but was translating from memory. What does hermine mean then, if ermine is the fur?
sophie,
I can only remember how he scoffed at the tribbles and the waste of food when they have no practical use (although calming humans down would be a good use on a spaceship before holodecks, I guess.)
Either McCoy or Kirk even comments on how much Spock likes Isis (as cat), but he doesn't deign to give a real answer.
He didn't say "hermine", he said "ermine". As far as I know, there is no such word as "hermine".
The exact line that Spock used in TTWT is "So would an ermine violin." There's a whole discussion of that over on the TTWT board.
If it's not a real word, I guess we have to assume that an 'Irmin violin' is an instrument from the planet or race called the Irmin.
Will, Spock was referring to a violin covered in ermine fur.
An ermine is a stoat/weasel related animal which was fine white fur which was formally used for trimming expensive clothes.
constanze, yes, Spock thinks the tribbles are as useless as an 'ermine violin' - incidentally, that reference makes a bit more sense when you realise Spock's capping McCoy's statement that the beasties are 'soft, they're furry, and they make a pleasant sound.'
But Sophie's right too - when the Fist Officer actually takes a tribble in his hand and begins stroking it, despite his protestations of immunity it's pretty clear that all's just peachy-keen fine in SpockWorld.
Chances are, between then and Isis he's rationalised this <shudder> enjoyment of soft fur as 'beneficial to the central nervous system', or something.
anyone notice that during the opening scene of Gary Seven beaming aboard (right after says "locked our circuits wide open"), the creators use a stock footage of Scotty from "The Enemy Within"
watch his hairstyle
its noticeably different
I believe this is the only episode of TOS where a guest star is credited during the opening credits. In this case, Robert Lansing.
In "A Piece Of The Action", McCoy is worried because he left his communicator on the planet Iotia. He believes that the people can examine the communicator and figure out a lot of advanced technology. But in this episode, Kirk and Spock don't seem to worry about the fact that they leave a communicator (in addition to two phasers) behind on 1968 Earth.
I wonder if Gary Seven is related to Anan in "A Taste Of Armageddon"?
So how was Roberta *supposed* to stop the typewriter from typing? And how does it weed out extraneous sounds? It's only about 40 years ahead of it's time, but if Seven's civilization is so old you'd expect the typewriter to be more advanced.
But Sophie's right too - when the Fist Officer actually
Hey, kerriem, what're the duties of the Fist Officer? (I'd be remiss as a nitpicker if I didn't ask)
Hey, kerriem, what're the duties of the Fist Officer? (I'd be remiss as a nitpicker if I didn't ask)
I have no idea, Darth2, beyond rumours that Starfleet's been actively recruiting Jackie Chan's descendants for the position....
A couple more observations....
The voice announcing the intruders (Kirk and Spock) at mission control is Doohan.
At one point while Scotty is scanning for Seven, the rocket is no longer on the launch pad. It's back on the crawlerway between the Vehicle Assmebly Building and the pad.
"Ellen, are you jellin?"
"Jellin' like a felon. Want some melon?"
Over the PA the announcer says an intruder has been caught. "He wanted to delay the countdown."
Delay, not cancel? And why did Gary tell them that? And why is it being announced on the PA?
D.K. Henderson, 5 years ago(!) said something, I don't know why we didn't point this out
before.
He says the aliens knew thousands of years ago that Earth would need help. "How omnipotent of them." Actually that's omniscience, not omnipotence.
And the sarcasm is misplaced; many planets' societies need help, and the aliens don't necessarily know ahead of time what kind of help Gary will be providing.
So that's two, two, two nits in one.
gary: Over the PA the announcer says an intruder has been caught. "He wanted to delay the countdown."
A transcript on-line says the line is "We want to delay countdown." However, I always thought it was, "Do you want to delay countdown?" Later, there's a line saying there will be no delay of the countdown, so either line fits with that.
People tend to assume that this episode takes place in New York City, but I don't think it ever specifically states that, does it? I think it would make more sense if the episode was set in either Houston or a Florida city, somewhere where a rocket launch would likely take place.
The way I understand it is that Gary Seven's apartment was in New York City but he transported to McKinley Rocket Base which (I think) was in Florida.
Todd Pence mentioned back in April that he thought Kirk and Spock left their phasers and communicators back on 1968 Earth, but that's incorrect. Scott contacted Kirk, and Sgt.Lipton picked up the open communicator; Spock neck pinched him, and he and Kirk grabbed their equipment and beamed out behind the Launch Director and security's backs.
He also thought the city might not be New York City, but that's where I always assumed it was, mainly because along the skyline (which is as packed as New York is) there appears to either be the Empire State Building or the Chrysler Building-- it's a really tall, pointed building.
Also when you consider that this was a pilot for an Assignment: Earth series, and tv executives seem to think there's only two cities worth setting tv series (NY and Los Angeles), it makes sense to set it there. On top of that, the extras outside are bundled up in heavy clothing, and I don't think Houston or Miami gets THAT cold.
The writers had to forego the famous Vulcan neck pinch TWICE in 5 minutes; the first when Roberta is struggling with Spock and rips off his cap, and the second time when he covers her mouth and then runs away, allowing her to open the door for the police. Of course this would mean we wouldn't have two funny scenes; Roberta's "What are you?!" when she sees Spock's ears, and the cops beaming up to the ship. Maybe he thought she was too cute and/or innocent to knock out.
That typewriter that Roberta and later Seven dictate to, is going to use up ALOT of paper. Every line looks like it's at least double-spaced.
And speaking of the typewriter taking down the report...who is it for? Will Seven send it by Interstellar Fed-Ex to his hidden planet? Will the report be stored in a file cabinet, where somebody can come across it some day?
There's two more 47's in this story; one of the agents killed is 347, and one of Scott's directions to Kirk to find Seven's apartment is something like '147 through'.
Interesting how Seven beams aboard the ship with a dark jacket on, making him look like a bad guy, but when he's back on Earth he wears a white or gray (good guy) jacket.
If Assignment:Earth had been made into a tv series I could see it being a bit like The X-Files, what with cover-ups and aliens to occupy Seven's time.
I get the impression that Seven knew the two agents stationed on Earth. He displays real remorse for these two people. If they were strangers he shouldn't act as bitter.
Scotty is giving directions...he is saying '147 true', which means go 147 degrees from your current position--either meaning turn around 147 degrees instead of 180, or keep going 147 degrees--meaning a heading roughly of south-southeast--a possibility since they are headed for 811 E 68th St. (Keep going south to the next intersection, then head east.)
I wonder if there are any large Eastern/Northern cities--Boston, Philly, Newark, Toronto, etc., where there IS an address of 811 E 68th St.
If some of the rocket stock footage showed water, similar to the canals and waterways around our Cape Canaveral, it's reasonable to think that's where McKinley Rocket Base might be--somewhere on the South Atlantic coast of the US. (I believe the plans Gary looks at names it United States McKinley Rocket Base--a DVD look might be helpful). The base could also be in West Florida or Texas along the Gulf; if it all appears to be dry land, it could be in California. There are definitely palm trees at the rocket base, but the cold weather outfits of Kirk, Spock, the cops, and the pedestrians are all dressed that way. However, Sgt. Lipton does seem to have some sort of Southern drawl.
In Greg Cox's excellent Eugenics Wars, he has Roberta closely encounter Redjac during his killing spree in Moscow, or maybe it's in East Germany, in the 70s. Perhaps the guy who does the positional dance with Roberta then turns to watch her is Redjac...
I think the whole bit with Roberta dodging clumsily around the man on the street was just to show she was a silly klutz. Nothing more there than that.
Sir Rhosis
I agree. It was "forced comedy"
I thought it was a very sweet "60s" touch...the kooky almost hippie young woman.
The feline disguise for the alien woman was also fun. If this supposed 'pilot' ever became a series, it would be easy to imagine the humorous relationship that would exist between Gary Seven and his 'cat'.
Addition to posting on April 22, 2002 - 09:06 pm:
(New sightings noted in parentheis)
Mr. Leslie seems to be a jack of all trades in this episode...
First appearance: He's in red at the engineer's post.
Second appearance: He's in yellow, wandering the halls.
Third appearance he's wearing a red jumpsuit in Engineering. (new sighting)
Fourth appearance he's wearing red as a Transporter Technician that got knocked out by Gary Seven's stun pen (new sighting)
Fifth appearance: He's in red again as a security guard when Scotty is trying to beam up Gary Seven from rocket site.
AND YET, HE'S NOT MENTIONED IN THE CREDITS!
Are any of those speaking parts, John? If not, he would not be entitled to a mention in the credits.
Live long and prosper.
I understand what you're saying, Benn. However, Earl Billings (who played Adm. Thomas Henry in "The Drumhead"-STTNG) had no speaking parts yet he was mentioned in the opening credits.
I guess the "rules" for having your name showing up in the credits have changed since 1968.
I must add that Grace Lee Whitney (Rand) had no speaking parts in "Conscience of the King" but she was still mentioned in the closing credits.
BTW...I consider Eddie Paskey (Mr. Leslie) a "regular" seeing he's in almost every episode.
Was Admiral Henry a recurring character? Yoeman Rand was. It's possible that in "Conscience of the King" her part was larger in the earlier scripts than the one that aired, thus earning her a credit. Paskey wasn't playing a recurring character. He was an extra. Extras do not generally get a credit listing, no matter how much a "regular" you consider them.
Live long and prosper.
I have a copy of "The Conscience of the King" script (final draft). (It's one of two scripts I have.) Rand is listed in the cast of characters. She also had one line of dialogue: "I can't help feel sorry for her. Will she be tried?" This may have been cut from the ep, however.
I haven't looked at that script in years. There's a page where O'Riley's part is still Robert Daiken and is corrected. Other pages still list him as Daiken. On some pages, McCoy is listed as "Doc". On others as McCoy. I need to find more of these. These are so cool to read.
Live long and prosper.
I've got the script for "The Omega Glory". It's pretty much the same as the aired version with the exception that it includes a few scenes which did not make it to the aired episode. Lt. Galway's part is listed as Lt. Phil Raintree throughout. (I detail the differences in the script on the OG board).
Kathryn Hays from "The Empath" didn't have any speaking parts and was credited.
LOL. Good point, Todd. She was however, a very prominent character and one given a name. Unlike Eddie Paskey's character(s) in this ep.
Live long and prosper.
More useless trivia: Teri Gar also posed in her underwear for Fruit of the Loom ads sometime in the 90's.
Garr. With 2 "r"s.
Moderator, this board is up to 100K.
I'm on it!