Guest star John Saxon was originally offered the lead role of Kwai Chang Caine but declined. The role went to David Carradine.
Bruce Lee was supposed to have starred as Caine but the producers didn't think America was ready for an Asian hero. David Carradine took Lee's place instead. It is interesting to note that the guest star and main villain was John Saxon, who co-starred with Lee in martial arts classic Enter the Dragon (1973). In that film, Saxon's character at one point in the film is ordered by the main bad guy, Han, to fight and kill Lee, but he refuses to fight, thus depriving the audience a Saxon vs Lee scene. If Bruce Lee been cast in the Caine role, this episode would have been the fight that never was seen in Enter the Dragon.