2.26 — “Assignment: Earth”
Plot: The Enterprise is orbiting… Earth! In 1968! It used the “lightspeed breakaway factor” to go back on a mission of historical research. (Just like that, huh?) Suddenly, it intercepts a strange visitor–an urbane, suited human male, holding a black cat, who happens to be travelling on a long-range transporter beam through the galaxy. Kirk is unsure whether this man, Gary Seven, is friend or foe–so when he escapes to Earth, Kirk has no choice but to follow and uncover the mystery. If he stops Gary Seven, will he be saving Earth, or destroying it?
Thoughts: And now for something completely different. The second season finale has a texture quite unlike any episode that precedes it. I wonder if the producers borrowed sets from Star Trek’s sister show at Desilu, Mission Impossible (1966-1973)?
I was disappointed to learn that the cat isn’t Sylvia from “Catspaw,” but a new character, Isis, who is–just like Sylvia.
I was so fascinated by the textures of the sets, costumes, period location shooting, and NASA stock footage that “Assignment: Earth” mesmerized me and I loved it. Plus, there’s a trained cat. I could watch video of cats all day. Torie and Eugene at www.theviewscreen.com, however, point out that the story is rather lame. Touches that I thought of as bold–Bam! We’re in 1968, deal with it!–seem to them random and underjustified. The brilliant plot–Gary Seven must sabotage a rocket launch to slow the pace of the arms race!–didn’t seem so brilliant to them. Okay, I see their point. I still think this episode works well as tongue-in-cheek comedy, and is great fun to look at.
Robert Lansing as Gary Seven is a dead ringer for a young Paul Newman. I keep feeling like I’ve seen him before, but other than a supporting role on Automan (1983-1984) I’m not sure where from.
It’s always great when Kirk and Spock dress up. Somehow Shatner carries himself in a way that makes him look just like Captain Kirk even wearing a contemporary (1968) business suit.
The idea that aliens are secretly walking among us in the present day running various missions is cool. The idea of different factions of interfering aliens interfering with each other is also amusing. I think they make their case in one respect–1968 was quite a tumultuous time, precarious and important in the history of our civilization. The weeks and months after this episode aired saw the assassinations of Martin Luther King, Jr. and Robert Kenndedy. It seems odd to have such clear perspective on the present without the benefit of hindsight.
An automated typewriter? You’ve got to be kidding me. I hear the echoes of thousands of minds in 1968 being blown.
Finally–isn’t it cool that Gary Seven has a sonic screwdriver? Spock holding the cat is awesome–calls to mind the way he covertly pets tribbles.
This may be obvious, but Gene Roddenberry was hoping to spin “Assignment: Earth” off as a pilot for a new show. Hence the high quality guest actors and vigorous efforts at design. This didn’t pan out, but I understand you can follow the further adventures of Gary Seven and Roberta in Star Trek comics and novels.
3.5 out of 5 shape-shifting cats.
And that’s the end of season two!
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