Christopher Lloyd expressed interest in appearing on the show, and he was considered for the role of Jack Briggs, played by Patrick Duffy. However, when the Pearl Harbor-centric episode "The Arizona" was planned for later in the season, executive producer Frank Cardea insisted on waiting for the role of Joe Smith in that episode to be played by Lloyd.
At the time, there was no active USS Franklin D. Roosevelt with the last carrier of that name retired in 1977. There was however a USS Theodore Roosevelt, Nimitz class carrier in active service at the time.