This television film features four actors who each played a major role in a "Star Trek" television series: LeVar Burton (Kunta Kinte) played Geordi La Forge in Star Trek: The Next Generation (1987), Avery Brooks (Cletus Moyer) played Benjamin Sisko in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (1993) and Kate Mulgrew (Hattie Carraway) and Tim Russ (Marcellus) played Kathryn Janeway and Tuvok respectively in Star Trek: Voyager (1995).
LeVar Burton (Kunta Kinte) and Louis Gossett Jr. (Fiddler) are the only actors to reprise their roles from Roots (1977).
The film takes place in December 1775.