When Avery Brooks' agent first rang him to tell him that there was role going in a new Star Trek show, Brooks laughed because he instinctively felt he was going to be offered a role requiring heavy prosthetics, which he wasn't interested in doing. After finding out the role was that of a Human, Brooks was still unconvinced, and of his pursuit of the role he said "This will never work." Indeed, on his way to the audition, the transmission in his car began to slip, so he called the producers and nonchalantly told them he couldn't make it, and was surprised when they rearranged his audition. It was ultimately the quality of the script for "Emissary" which convinced Brooks of the value of the show.