10 Star Trek Behind The Scenes Horror Stories
7. Terri Garr Doesn't Talk About Trek
Assignment: Earth was the episode of The Original Series that was written to be a backdoor pilot for a new spin-off. Guest star Robert Lansing, as Gary Seven, received his credit after the opening sequence, rather than during the end, such was Roddenberry's excitement for the project.
Terri Garr was cast as Robert Lincoln, Seven's assistant. She was from Earth, 1968, and would act as the audiences' eyes, reveling in each seeming miracle after another. However, the episode failed to materialise into anything beyond this one-off, to both Garr's detriment and relief.
She had an awful time while filming. Roddenberry was credited as Producer, rather than Executive Producer, here and was far more hands-on than usual. This included directives about the length of Garr's skirt. Both she and costume designer William Ware Theiss fought with Roddenberry, who kept insisting that her skirt be more revealing. It was raised again and again until the hem was badly distorted.
In interviews since this episode, Garr has refused to discuss Star Trek. A 1990 interview with Starlog magazine contained one of the few quotes she ever gave on the topic, simply stating; "I have nothing to say about it. I did that years ago and I mostly deny I ever did it".