This episode sees the Enterprise return to 1968, the present day when this was made, to perform some historical research from orbit. The ship is shaken at the transporter activates and a man materialises; he has come from over a thousand light-years away but is dressed like a '60s businessman and carrying a black cat. He identifies himself as Gary Seven and claims that he is on a mission to prevent an event that could destroy the Earth. Kirk takes him into custody but is unsure what to do; if the man is telling the truth it is vital that he is released to finish his mission but if he is lying he could be plotting world destruction. Seven manages to escape from custody and beams down to Earth. He materialises in an office equipped with an advanced computer and sets about finding out what happened to the two agents who should be there. Soon a woman, Roberta Lincoln, arrives and he assumes she is the female agent; it turns out she is merely the secretary and she is more than a little surprised when she sees the futuristic technology he has. It turns out his mission is to cause a new US orbital nuclear defence platform to fail. Kirk and Spock beam down but they are still uncertain about his motivation; ultimately Kirk will have to decide whether to trust him or not.
When I watched this episode I didn't realise it was intended to set things up for a new series; I wasn't surprised when I learnt it though as Gary Seven and Roberta are very much at the centre of the story with Kirk and Spock playing a significantly smaller role than usual. The story is interesting and right up until the end I was unsure whether Gary was a hero or a villain. Robert Lansing did a fine job in the role and Teri Garr was likable and cute as Roberta; the two of them developed a good chemistry over the course of the episode. As well as a good drama there are some nicely humorous moments such as when a couple of rather surprised policemen are beamed up to the Enterprise. Overall I found this to be a really enjoyable episode; it is just a pity that the series following the adventures of Mr Seven and Roberta didn't materialise; I have a feeling it might have been good.
When I watched this episode I didn't realise it was intended to set things up for a new series; I wasn't surprised when I learnt it though as Gary Seven and Roberta are very much at the centre of the story with Kirk and Spock playing a significantly smaller role than usual. The story is interesting and right up until the end I was unsure whether Gary was a hero or a villain. Robert Lansing did a fine job in the role and Teri Garr was likable and cute as Roberta; the two of them developed a good chemistry over the course of the episode. As well as a good drama there are some nicely humorous moments such as when a couple of rather surprised policemen are beamed up to the Enterprise. Overall I found this to be a really enjoyable episode; it is just a pity that the series following the adventures of Mr Seven and Roberta didn't materialise; I have a feeling it might have been good.