**Hark! It’s an 87th Precinct Podcast Sidepod!** We slip time-streams today and end up in the 23rd Century before being whizzed straight back to the 20th Century, 1968 to be precise, as we look at what could have been Star Trek’s swan-song. The episode “Assignment: Earth” was the final episode of season two of Star Trek at a time when the show was threatened with cancellation. This episode was intended as a back-door pilot for a new spin-off. So how does this relate to the gritty and down to earth world of Ed McBain and the 87th Precinct? Well, it’s linked by two *very thin* strands. The main star of the episode is the best on-screen version of Detective (2nd Grade) Steve Carella, Robert Lansing as Gary Seven and also Leonard Nimoy who starred as a skinny-tie wearing, car-hiring, drug-running baddy in the 87th Precinct TV series in 1961. Joining Paul for the chat is illustrator, educator and all-round sci-fi nerd, Adam Paxman. Search for his various art outputs online: [Mister Paxman's Glorious Bastards](http://misterpaxmansgloriousbastards.blogspot.co.uk/), [The Museum of Fragmented Shadows](http://tmofs.blogspot.co.uk/) and [Burning Zebra: The Abandoned Storybook](zebra.blogspot.co.uk/">http://burning-zebra.blogspot.co.uk/) – a treasure trove of grotesques, horrors, intrigue, sci-fi, adventure and philosophy in various forms.