Producer D. C. Fontana approached Larry Niven in 1973 to see if he would write an episode for "The Animated Series", suggesting that he might adapt one of his existing stories. At the time Niven was a major up-and-coming force in the science fiction world; in 1971 his novel "Ringworld" was awarded the Hugo Award for Best Novel, the Nebula Award for Best Novel and the Locus Award for Best Novel. Niven's first attempt to write a teleplay introduced his Known Space setting into the "Star Trek" universe. The story involved a group of Outsiders who were using a quantum black hole to disable passing ships drives' in order to pirate them. Fontana advised him that the original version wouldn't work as an episode, and his second attempt proved to be "too bloody."