This episode featured not only the first good look at the interior of an Andorian ship but also provided the first glimpse of Andoria, albeit briefly on a monitor.
Shran foreshadows the creation of the Coalition of Planets when he talks about forming alliances, although here it is only between Andorians and Humans, with Vulcans pointedly absent.
The title is based upon the name for a military installation where new weapons are tested or "proved" at sites such as Aberdeen Proving Ground (Maryland) or Yuma Proving Ground (Arizona) for the United States' Army.
On the wall of the Andorian bridge you can see the symbol of the Andorian Empire. It is not by coincidence that this represents some of the more elaborate crop circles found on Earth. This implies that not only did Andorians pay secret visits to earth in the 20th century but that they tagged us as well - essentially with their version of "Kilroy Was Here" graffiti.
Jeffrey Combs has the distinction of portraying eight different characters on Star Trek series. He has played the roles of Brunt, Weyoun, Shran, Tiron, Kevin Mulkahey, Penk, Krem, and a holosuite guest. He is one of only five actors to play seven or more different characters in the Star Trek franchise, the others being Randy Oglesby, J.G. Hertzler, Vaughn Armstrong and Thomas Kopache. Coincidentally, Combs has appeared on Star Trek with all four of those actors. In 2021 Combs voiced a character in the animated Star Trek series Lower Decks, bringing his character count to nine.