The 55th episode of Gene Roddenberry’s science fiction series Star Trek premieres on NBC, guest starring Robert Lansing and Teri Garr. An oddball episode concerning itself heavily with its time-traveling guest star, Assignment: Earth is actually a sneaky “pilot” for a potential Star Trek spinoff – and Gene Roddenberry’s hedge against unemployment, as he has every reason to believe, at the end of Star Trek’s second season, that his series is about to be cancelled.