Now we know about this Star Trek spin-off that never happened (& it would have been a turning point for the late Teri Garr)

Not all of the daring experiments of television's golden age succeed in altering the course of history, but occasionally, it comes very close. One such tale is that of a long-forgotten effort to produce a Star Trek spin-off in 1968 that never came to pass, even though it had the potential to signify a watershed in Teri Garr's acting career. The Star Trek: The Original Series episode "Assignment: Earth," a backdoor pilot for a brand-new series, was sandwiched between all of this wasted potential.

While "Assignment: Earth" was included in the second season of Star Trek, it was not only a time-travel story but also an experiment. The plan was to divert attention from new characters, namely Gary Seven (played by Robert Lansing), a shadowy human agent from the future, and Roberta Lincoln, his secretary, played by newcomer Teri Garr.

The episode was meant to launch them into a separate series of their own. But never did network interest materialize into action, and the spin-off was silently shelved.

The hidden vision behind "Assignment: Earth" of Star Trek

The original plan was not for "Assignment: Earth" to be a Star Trek episode. The idea existed before the series and was a stand-alone pitch by series creator Gene Roddenberry. He reworked the concept when the network refused to develop it as a stand-alone show. By incorporating it into Star Trek, Roddenberry wished to prove the viability of the concept.

The pilot's story pursued the Enterprise crew involuntarily transporting to 20th-century Earth and, along the way, encountering Gary Seven and his associate Roberta—the types of characters to represent tone and direction for where the spin-off would've headed.

Why the spin-off of Star Trek failed to take off

The pilot was not ordered by NBC into a series, where NBC cited indecisiveness on a lack of cohesion and reservations concerning the prospects for the program existing outside the boundaries of the Star Trek framework. The combination of science fiction with spy-thriller elements was visionary but not quite strong enough to get the network to proceed.

Without good ratings or mass viewer support, the pilot was relegated to a shelf as yet another missed opportunity. Nevertheless, it is a unique instance of a failed embedded pilot in a franchise that otherwise prospered from spin-offs and legacy extensions.

What it might have been for Teri Garr in Star Trek

The appearance of Teri Garr on "Assignment: Earth" was not merely a cameo. It was a possible breakout role for the up-and-coming actress at the time. As Roberta Lincoln, Garr brought a combination of charm, wit, and naivety to the character that might have become something much more had the series continued.

Early in her career, Garr could have changed the trajectory of her fame with a consistent TV role in a genre-bending series, but she went on to achieve success in big-budget films like Tootsie and Close Encounters of the Third Kind.

A glimpse into an alternate TV timeline of Star Trek

If the spin-off had gone into production, it would have been one of the first Star Trek universe expansions, predating The Next Generation by nearly two decades. Its cancellation provided fans with what-ifs and speculation instead of episodes.

However, the idea continued to captivate audiences and even resurfaced in other media. Gary Seven and Roberta Lincoln returned in comic books and expanded media, showing that the potential of the story wasn't completely lost.

The legacy that remains

Despite its brevity, "Assignment: Earth" is a singular entry in the greater Star Trek canon. It's recalled not just for its quirky premise but also as a prime example of how television tends to cut loose big ideas on the editing room floor.

For Teri Garr, it was a performance that could have propelled her into stardom even sooner. And for the audience, it is still an opening into what Star Trek could have been had the stars aligned differently.

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