This episode was written by Gene Roddenberry and has a character named "Robert April." When Roddenberry began outlining his new series, "Star Trek," Robert April was the name given to the Captain of the starship Enterprise. That character became Christopher Pike (first played by Jeffrey Hunter) in the first pilot, and then James Kirk in the second pilot. The character of Robert April would later appear in an episode of "Star Trek: The Animated Series." Star Trek lore holds that the first three Captains to command the Enterprise were April, Pike, and Kirk.