Clark Gregg reprises his role as Coulson from the film series, starring alongside Ming-Na Wen, Chloe Bennet, Elizabeth Henstridge, Henry Simmons, Natalia Cordova-Buckley, and Jeff Ward.

Neal Bledsoe also returns as Wilfred Malick, while Patrick Warburton reprises his role as Rick Stoner from season five.

Following changes made to the timeline, the episode depicts events from the MCU film Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014) taking place in the 1970s.

Landing in 1973, the agents return to the speakeasy to figure out the Chronicoms' latest plan while Daniel Sousa adjusts to the new time period, only to discover from General Rick Stoner that Wilfred Malick, who should have died in 1970, is leading S.H.I.E.L.D.

Wilfred and the Chronicoms attempt to capture the agents, but Daisy Johnson takes the former's son, Nathaniel, hostage to facilitate their escape.

Meanwhile, after capturing Johnson and Sousa, Nathaniel attempts to acquire Hydra scientist Daniel Whitehall's research on transplanting superhuman powers to others.

aired in August 2019, showrunners Jed Whedon, Maurissa Tancharoen, and Jeffrey Bell revealed that the seventh season would feature the team trying to save the world from invasion by the Chronicoms.

[6]: 2:40 [7] To prepare for the episode, Brooks watched the film Saturday Night Fever (1977) and "a lot of 70s TV" including Mannix, The Streets of San Francisco, Columbo, and Cannon.

He added that having Sousa be out of his time would give "some clarity" to his Marvel Cinematic Universe history and the status of his relationship with Peggy Carter.

[9] With the season renewal, main cast members Ming-Na Wen, Chloe Bennet, Elizabeth Henstridge, Henry Simmons, Natalia Cordova-Buckley, and Jeff Ward were confirmed to be returning from previous seasons as Melinda May, Daisy Johnson / Quake, Jemma Simmons, Alphonso "Mack" Mackenzie, Elena "Yo-Yo" Rodriguez, and Deke Shaw, respectively.

[11] In August 2019, Patrick Warburton was revealed to be returning for the final season after appearing as Rick Stoner earlier in the series,[12] guest starring in "A Trout in the Milk".

[1] These feature voiceover introductions for the actors,[22] over clips from past seasons, including: Coulson with his car Lola (which has not been "seen on the show in years") from "The Asset"; May from "Face My Enemy" during her fight against Agent 33; Daisy Johnson's "fierce entrance" from "Laws of Nature"; Mack with his shotgun-axe from "Ascension"; and Yo-Yo's first appearance in "Bouncing Back".

It was originally planned to have all stock footage from past seasons in the opening, but there was an issue with the Screen Actors Guild, necessitating some clips to be shot for it, such as Henstridge's.

Director Stan Brooks utilized many filming techniques from the 1970s, such as snap zooms and whip pans, to make the episode feel like a 1970s television series.

[28] Extensive research was done on actual rockets to depict the launch accurately, down to "the deflected flames that then transitioned to the huge plume of smoke".

[30] "Project Insight", a major plot point in Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014), is featured heavily, due to the Chronicoms altering the timeline so its deployment is 40 years sooner than established in the films.

[31] Like in The Winter Soldier, "Project Insight" is targeting high-level assets, such as Bruce Banner, Peggy Carter, Victoria Hand, Nick Fury, Robert Gonzales,[32][19] Jim Morita, and Isabelle Hartley.

Speaking to the use of "Project Insight" in the episode, Houlb said while the MCU connections in the series "have faded a bit in recent years", he enjoyed "this direct callback.

Plus, critics have often compared The Winter Soldier to '70s conspiracy thrillers like The Parallax View (1974), so it is fun to imagine its plot happening in the actual '70s.

[37] Trent Moore at Syfy Wire called the inclusion of "Project Insight" a "great callback to the film universe, and a truly organic one."