The late Teri Garr might have had a very different career if thisStar Trek: The Original Seriesspinoff had actually been made. Teri Garr’s first significant television role was inStar Trek: The Original Seriesseason 2, episode 26, “Assignment: Earth,” and she appeared in several successful films throughout the 1970s.Garr’s breakout film rolecame in 1974 when she appeared as Inga in Mel Brooks' horror comedyYoung Frankenstein.She went on to appear in Steven Spielberg’sClose Encounters of the Third Kindin 1977 and starred in the comedy filmTootsiein 1982 alongside Dustin Hoffman.
InStar Trek’s"Assignment: Earth," Captain James T. Kirk (William Shatner) andMr. Spock (Leonard Nimoy) pay a visit to Earth in 1968, where they encounter a mysterious interstellar “supervisor” named Gary Seven (Robert Lansing).Teri Garr portrays Roberta Lincoln,a secretary who gets caught up in Gary Seven’s mission. Although Gary initially tells Roberta that he works for the CIA, she eventually discovers his advanced technology and learns at least part of the truth. When Kirk and Spock later depart, Spock remarks that"Mr. Seven and Miss Lincoln have some interesting experiences in store for them,“providing the perfect setup for a spinoff that never happened.
Appearing In Star Trek’s “Assignment: Earth” Spinoff Would Have Altered The Course of Teri Garr’s Onscreen Career
The Star Trek Season 2 Episode “Assignment: Earth” Was Meant To Be A Backdoor Pilot
The idea forAssignment: Earthbegan as a concept for a half-hour television series, but was then reconfigured to fit into an episode ofStar Trek.The episode was meant to act as a backdoor pilot for a new television series starring Robert Lansing and Teri Garr, but theAssignment: Earthshow was never produced. Starring in ascience fiction TV serieslikely would have significantly altered the course of Teri Garr’s career. Garr eventually became most known for her comedic film roles, but a starring role inAssignment: Earthmight have turned her into a television star rather than a movie star.
Teri Garr passed away on August 16, 2025, at the age of 79, after a decades-long battle with multiple sclerosis.
In her autobiography,Speedbumps: Flooring It Through Hollywood,Teri Garr noted:“Had the spin-off succeeded, I would have continued on as an earthling agent, working to preserve humanity. In a very short skirt.“She went on to add thatportraying Roberta Lincoln led her to be typecast as"birdbrained lasses"in episodes of other television shows throughout her career. However, if “Assignment: Earth” had been picked up as a series, Garr would have gotten the chance to add more depth to Roberta, presumably making her a stronger and more well-developed character.
How The Planned “Assignment: Earth” Spinoff Would Have Been Different From Star Trek
“Assignment: Earth” Would Have Been A Different Kind Of Sci-Fi Show
WhereasStar Trek: The Original Seriesfocused on theadventures of the USS Enterpriseas it traveled the galaxy, the proposedAssignment: Earthseries would have been centered on protecting Earth. With his advanced technology and knowledge of the future,Gary Seven would likely have continued his adventures on Earth, trying to protect humanityand preserve the correct timeline. Now aware of Seven’s true identity, Roberta would have helped him as an advocate for the people of Earth, as she presumably learned more and more about Seven’s work.
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The Star Trek franchise has done a lot of time-travel stories in various shows and movies, and some have been undeniably better than others.
Although Gary Seven’s computer and portal technology would have firmly placedAssignment: Earthin the science fiction genre, the show would have been more grounded thanStar Trek. With its 1960s setting,Assignment: Earthcould have explored the culture of 1960s Earth in a more direct way,and hinted at the future seen throughoutTOS.Unfortunately, we’ll never know what type of showAssignment: Earthwould have been, but Teri Garr’s singular appearance onStar Trek: The Original Seriesstill helped launch an incredibly impressive career.
