Episode #12 - The Coward

Air Date: 4/19/74    written by Elroy Schwartz    Directed by Reza Badiyi

This one delved into Steve Austin's personal family history, specifically his real father. It turns out that his real father died near the end of World War II, when his airplane crashed. Steve had been raised by his mother (Martha Scott) and a stepfather (who doesn't show up here but would appear in the 2nd season's The Bionic Woman episode). The airplane in question has been revealed via a spy satellite after an earthquake, somewhere up in the Himalayas. The problem for Steve is that there's evidence that his father bailed out of the airplane, branding him as a coward. Steve goes to the location of the crashed airplane, encountering local bandits and an expatriate American (George Montgomery).
The mystery angle with this episode is two-fold: there's the question about Steve's father's cowardice and then there's the suggestion that this American he encounters may actually be his father. Steve gets his answers by the end in an otherwise average adventure. BoG's Score: 5 out of 10

Star Trek TOS actor alert:
a lot here - George Takei plays Steve's guide here; he was regular Sulu on TOS; unfortunately, his role is cut short abruptly in this one, in the one surprising scene. There's also Ron Soble in heavy make-up as the bandit leader; he was in Spectre of the Gun. And, France Nuyen plays the American's wife; she had played the title character in Elaan of Troyius