The TV series "McHale's Navy" was spun off from this episode, but the format was changed to reflect a comedic, rather than a serious, tone.
Considered by some to be the pilot for "McHale's Navy". Ernest Borgnine made his first appearance as Lieutenant Commander Quinton McHale, as did John Wright as Willy Moss and Gary Vinson as George Christopher ('Christy' Christopher in the dramatic version). When ABC picked it as a series, they asked it be set as a comedy.