In the back of the Happy Daze bar in Down Below that Garibaldi went to hide, there is a neon sign for Zima, a carbonated alcoholic beverage. The set designers included it as a joke, reasoning it was one of the few products from the 20th century still available during the time frame the series was set, the mid-23rd century. Unfortunately the beverage was discontinued in 2008.
General Netter is named for Executive Producer Doug Netter.
This takes place in June 2258.
When this episode was made, plasma cutters had only been available for maybe 10 years; they were still bulky, uncommon, expensive and a brand new technology. Today you can buy a basic, portable plasma cutter for $300 at any hardware store.