On November 12, 1981, while filming the scene in which Matthew rescues Walt in the junkyard, Peter Barton tripped and fell into the flares being used on set. He was taken to Los Angeles County USC Medical Center's burn ward and suffered third-degree burns on about 12 % of his body, including his arm, thigh and buttocks up to his belt line. Louis Gossett Jr. was also injured and was treated for burns on the back of his head and hands. While Gossett was soon released, Barton had to spend four months recuperating and production of the series was put on hold accordingly.
Footage from the out of control bus sequence is reused from the original pilot, Starr Knight (1983).
This was the second pilot shot for the series. The first pilot, a somewhat different concept which did not include the Walter Shepherd character, was aired as episode 1.22, the last show in the series to air.